Publications by François Maréchal

Environmental implications of solid oxide fuel cell system for hydrogen sustainability

Jan Van Herle, François Maréchal, Shivom Sharma, Du Wen

Hydrogen, known for its high energy content and clean combustion, is promising in the energy transition. This study explores the environmental impact of a solid oxide fuel cell (SOFC) system. 1 kg of hydrogen production at 1 bar serves as the functional un ...

2025

Advancing non-carbon energy: optimized and safely operated solid oxide fuel cell design for industrial feasibility

Stefan Diethelm, Jan Van Herle, François Maréchal, Shivom Sharma

As the world shift towards sustainable energy solutions, solid oxide fuel cells (SOFCs) using non-carbon fuels like ammonia and hydrogen emerge as promising pathways to produce clean energy and enhance conversion efficiency. However, current implementation ...

2025

Reversible solid oxide electrolyser for energy storage: levelized cost of storage estimation

François Maréchal, Du Wen, Jingjing Liang

Reversible Solid Oxide electrolyser (rSOE) is a promising solution for long-duration energy storage due to its exceptional features such as inherent reversibility, co-electrolysis capability in electrolysis mode, high efficiency, adaptability to multiple f ...

2025

Decarbonizing the aluminium industry: A comprehensive review of pathways and process integration perspectives

François Maréchal, Daniel Alexander Florez Orrego

Aluminium is recognized as an essential material for the global energy transition. However, its production is extremely energy-intensive and largely dependent on fossil fuels. The aluminium industry emits more than 1.11 Gt CO2-eq annually. Multiple obstacl ...

Elsevier BV2025

A systemic study for decarbonizing secondary aluminium production via waste heat recovery, carbon management and renewable energy integration

Manuele Domenico Margni, François Maréchal, Daniel Alexander Florez Orrego

Secondary aluminium production relies on natural gas to transform both primary and recycled aluminium into semi-fabricated products, leading to significant atmospheric emissions, energy losses, and resource consumption. Despite the potential for waste heat ...

Elsevier2025

A trustworthy reinforcement learning framework for autonomous control of a large-scale complex heating system: Simulation and field implementation

Luc Girardin, François Maréchal, Amirreza Heidari

Traditional control approaches heavily rely on hard-coded expert knowledge, complicating the development of optimal control solutions as system complexity increases. Deep Reinforcement Learning (DRL) offers a selflearning control solution, proving advantag ...

Elsevier BV2025

Data-driven systematic methodology for predicting optimal heat pump integration based on temperature levels and refrigerants

François Maréchal, Daniel Alexander Florez Orrego

In the context of the industrial shift towards carbon neutrality and electrification, high temperature heat pumps have emerged as feasible solutions for decarbonizing the heat supply at temperatures previously associated only to fired or resistive heating ...

Elsevier2025

Optimal design and operation of a green ammonia production system considering multi-electrolyzer operation

François Maréchal, Bingqian Liu

This study focuses on the optimization of green ammonia production systems through a mixed-integer linear programming (MILP) framework. The proposed model integrates both design decisions and detailed annual operational strategies, evaluated at an hourly r ...

2025

Internal pricing in integrated energy system design

François Maréchal, Jonas Schnidrig, Cédric Terrier, Julia Granacher

Environmentally sustainable and economically viable process and energy systems are imperative to a successful energy transition. Often, design configurations are derived from a global perspective, in which the individual needs and interests of actors withi ...

2025

Life cycle assessment and techno-economic comparison of methane production routes from sewage sludge: Incineration vs. Hydrothermal Gasification and Anaerobic Digestion

Manuele Domenico Margni, François Maréchal, Daniel Alexander Florez Orrego, Meire Ellen Gorete Ribeiro Domingos

The disposal of sewage sludge poses significant challenges due to storage difficulties and the presence of pollutants and pathogens. Conventional treatment methods, such as incineration and anaerobic digestion (AD), are compared to advanced technologies li ...

Elsevier2025

Analysis and optimization of solid oxide fuel cell system with anode and cathode off gas recirculation

Jan Van Herle, François Maréchal, Shivom Sharma

Solid oxide fuel cell technology shows great potential in generating electricity. However, insufficient steam in the stack can result in carbon deposition, accelerating cell degradation over prolonged operation. To prevent this, ensuring an adequate supply ...

2025

Efficient, affordable, carbon-neutral power: Advanced solid oxide fuel cell-electrolyzer system

Jan Van Herle, François Maréchal, Shivom Sharma

The alarming increase in atmospheric carbon dioxide levels, primarily attributed to human-induced fossil fuel combustion for power generation, underscores the urgency for sustainable solutions. The solid oxide fuel cell (SOFC) is a promising candidate for ...

2025

Olefins production through sustainable pathways: techno-economic and environmental assessment

François Maréchal, Daniel Alexander Florez Orrego, Meire Ellen Gorete Ribeiro Domingos

This study presents a comparative analysis of various configurations for sustainable olefins production via chemical recycling of plastic/biomass wastes, integrating CO2 capture, storage and management technologies. The co-gasification, methanol synthesis ...

PSE Press2025

A novel waterborne Solid Oxide Fuel Cell-based cogeneration system with realistic heat management

Jan Van Herle, François Maréchal, Shivom Sharma

This study examines a novel Solid Oxide Fuel Cell (SOFC) cogeneration system powered by liquefied natural gas integrating realistic and flexible heat management to support efficient maritime applications. With a nominal power capacity of 125 kW, the SOFC-b ...

2025

Decarbonising the glass industry: A comprehensive techno-economic assessment of low-emission pathways

François Maréchal, Daniel Alexander Florez Orrego

The glass industry faces critical decarbonisation challenges due to high energy demand and reliance on fossil fuels. This study presents a comprehensive techno-economic analysis of diverse decarbonisation pathways for flat glass production, including elect ...

Elsevier BV2025

Techno-economic analysis of ammonia to hydrogen and power pathways considering the emerging hydrogen purification and fuel cell technologies

Jan Van Herle, François Maréchal, Du Wen

Ammonia serves as a promising hydrogen carrier and energy storage medium due to its high hydrogen content, ease of transport, and well-established production infrastructure. This study presents a comprehensive techno-economic analysis of ammonia-to‑hydroge ...

2025

ROSMOSE: A web-based decision support tool for the design and optimization of industrial and urban energy systems

François Maréchal, Cédric Terrier, Daniel Alexander Florez Orrego, Michel Lopez, Meire Ellen Gorete Ribeiro Domingos

Energy efficiency is crucial for the sustainable operation of industrial and urban sectors. However, practicing engineers seldom have access to open-source tools that can readily evaluate and compare scenarios. In this work, a novel web-based tool called R ...

2024

Multi-gas processing and transport system

François Maréchal

A gas processing and transport system comprising a natural gas pipeline (1), a plurality of gas conditioning stations (4) connected to the natural gas pipeline between an upstream main natural gas supply and a downstream consumer end, the gas processing st ...

2024

Power to the People: On the Role of Districts in Decentralized Energy Systems

François Maréchal, Jonas Schnidrig, Cédric Terrier

Highlights Integration of decentralized models with a centralized national energy system framework. Strategic reduction in photovoltaic (PV) installation requirements and system cost through decentralized approaches. Optimization of self-consumption to min ...

MDPI2024

Modelling The Effect of Future Uncertainty in Energy Prices on Decarbonization Pathways for Secondary Aluminium Production

Manuele Domenico Margni, François Maréchal, Daniel Alexander Florez Orrego, Lorenzo Aimone

Aluminium is one of the most widely used metals in the world, but its production is highly energy intensive and largely dependent on the use of fossil fuels. A typical secondary aluminium production facility consumes 700-1,000 kWh of natural gas and 200-40 ...

2024