Fuel Cells Technology: Opportunities and Challenges Dr. Daniel Kramer 937-229-1038 August 2, 2010.

Fuel Cells Technology:

Opportunities and Challenges

Dr. Daniel Kramer937-229-1038

August 2, 2010

OVERVIEW OF PRESENTATION

Why fuel cell technology is important? How do fuel cells work?

• Are they inherently dangerous-hydrogen? Are they real?

• Will I use them in my lifetime? Future affect on American Industries?

• Barriers to technology transition

• Some current materials/manufacturing issues

Over the last ~30 years U.S. domestic oil productionhas significantly decreased and imported oil now

accounts for >50% of total consumption

There has also been several major disruptions of the world’s oil supplyover the last several decades including recent events in Venezuela/Iraq/Iran

Fuel cell technology has the potential to decreaseU.S. dependency on imported oil

Shift from a petroleum to a hydrogen based economy Fuel cells “burn”:

• Hydrogen• Water

• Methanol

• Oxygen• Air

Fuel cells produce electricity• “Waste” mainly water

• Heat

Sir William Grove, a Welsh born Oxford educated lawyer, demonstrated fuel cell technology ~1840

Sir Grove was initially investigating the electrolysis of water forming hydrogen and oxygen using electricity

He also reversed the experiment thus investigating the recombination of hydrogen and oxygen producing electricity and water

He was successful and his work makes him the “Father of Fuel Cell Technology”

Electrolysis uses electricity to split waterinto hydrogen and oxygen

2H2 + O2 2H2O + energy (electricity)?Sir Grove

energy (electricity) + 2H2O O2 + 2H2

The field advanced slowly over the next century

but it took a “giant leap” in the 1960’s

Who remembers the Apollo program?

Early in the program NASA recognized that the energy requirements for an eight day mission to the moon and back were demanding

• Batteries

• Size/weight concerns

• Solar panels

• Size/weight concerns

• Fuel cells? General Electric was given the contract to

produce alkaline fuel cells for the space missions

• Hydrogen/oxygen fuel

• By-product/drinkable water

What about the Apollo 13 accident?Wasn’t that caused by the “fuel cells”? No!

The oxygen tanks were designed for 28vDC“Changed” to also accept ground support at KSC to 65vDCHeater switch within tank was not upgradedSwitch damaged during ground support tests allowing high tempsResult – damage to the insulation on the electrical wires in tank #256 hours into mission exposed wires shorted

So what actually is a fuel cell?

Electrochemical reaction between a fuel and oxygen

Produces DC power Environmentally green

(effluent consists of mainly water and heat)

Present focus is on two types of fuel cells:• Proton exchange

membrane (PEM)

• Solid oxide fuel cell (SOFC)

FUEL

AIR

DC

WATERHEAT

ANODE -

CATHODE +ELECTROLYTE

Several of the main types of fuel cells

PEM and SOFC based technologies maysee near term commercial application

Operates ~>800oC – 1000oCCan use a variety of fuelsElectrolyte-yttria stabilized zirconia~0.08(Y2O3)0.92(ZrO2)Cathode-lanthanum manganite (Sr doped)Anode-zirconia nickel cermetStationary power systems(?)

Operates at lower tempsNeeds “purer” fuelElectrolyte-Nafion® polymerCathode/Anode-Pt/CarbonTransportation systems(?)

The PEM electrolyte (Nafion®) material acts as a“solid-state switch” - it is an ionic (H+) conductor

but not an electronic (e-) conductor

AnodeGas Diffusion Layer

CathodeGas Diffusion Layer

H2

H2

H2H2

H2 Gas Flow

PEM Schematic

Air (O2) Gas Flow

O2

O2

O2

O2

O2

O2

O2

H2

H2 2H+ + 2e-

Pt1/2O2+2H++2e- H20

Pt

e-

H+

H+

H+

H+

H+

Nafion®

Pt

Pt

H2

Example of an integral Solid Oxide Fuel Cell (SOFC) anode/electrolyte/cathode assembly

Tape Cast Integral Assembly(Anode+Electrolyte+Cathode)

SOFC “Planer Unit Cell”

Individual fuel cells are connected togetherin the manufacturing of a fuel cell stack

Multiple fuel cell stacks interconnected with “Balance of Plant”components (fans, valves, controllers, etc.) form a fuel cell system

SOFC Stack

Multiple fuel cell stacks are integrated with Balance of Plant (BOP) to form a fuel cell system

BOP is everything else besides the fuel cell stack needed to fabricate a Fuel Cell System

Electrical Controllers

• Temperature

• Humidity

• Gas Flow Fans, Valves, Cabinet, Heat Exchangers, etc.

What about the safety issues associatedwith the application of hydrogen?

Hydrogen can be hazardous

• But it can be handled safely Possible storage plans:

• Solid storage using metal hydrides

• Compressed gas cylinders

• Liquid storage using a “salt”

Wait a minute I remember the Hindenburg accident and that disaster was due to hydrogen!!!!

The dopant painted on the skin was ignited by a static discharge(iron oxide/fine aluminum/cellulose acetate)

The Hindenburg (~813ft long/~7,200,000ft3 of H2)burning at Lakehurst, NJ in May 1937

(36 of 97 people on board are lost)

In 1998 research showed that hydrogen was not the cause!!! (Van Vorst/UCLA)

Fuel cells are real and within 5 – 10 years theywill initially (my opinion) be commercialized

in two main market areas

Stationary electrical power systems (1w – 100Mw)

• Large hybrid cascading power plants• Conceptual designs approach ~60+% eff.

• Auxiliary power units (~20kw – 250kw)• Hospitals/Shopping centers/Schools

• Smaller power units (~1w – ~20kw)• Homes• Emergency applications• “Batteries”

Various transportation applications• Automobiles• Buses• Motorcycles• Golf carts/wheelchairs

Efficiency Comparisons

Examples where fuel cell systems willbe commercialized in the “near” future

Electrical Power Generation and in Transportation

STATIONARY/EMERGENCY POWER GENERATION

• HOSPITALS

• OFFICE COMPLEXES

250kWe PEM SYSTEM

SMALLER POWER SYSTEMSFOR RESIDENTIAL USE

3kWe IdaTech SYSTEM

havePower’s commercially available 500w PEM systememploys a number of swappable modular power cartridges

Prototype Casio laptop that can run for more than 20 hours on one refueling of its fuel cell power supply, shown here removed from the computer.

The portable electronics industry is exploringminiature fuel cells as a more powerful, longer

lasting replacement for batteries

UltraCell is developing a Reformed Methanol Fuel Cell (RMFC) that is being manufactured in the Dayton area

25 Watts continuous power output (enough power for most laptop computers, radios, and satellite phones)

Selectable voltage: 12V to 30V

Stores, starts, and operates to -20ºC

1 liter size, 1.2 kg weight

On/Off button and easy-to-read LCD

Orientation independent

Up to 18 hours of run time with hot swappable fuel cartridges

Built tough for military applications (designed for MIL-STD 810F, 461E/462D compliance)

System emissions: H2O, CO2,

and unconsumed air

System intake: Air

Power out

Reformer

CH3OH 2H2 + CO

CO + H2O H2 + CO2

Fuel Cell

Anode: H2 2H+ + 2e-

Cathode: 1/2O2 + 2H+ + 2e- H2O

Fuel cellStack180ºC

H2, CO2

Reformer

280ºC

Fuel cartridge

67% methanol, 33% water

(by vol.)

Some info on Reformed Methanol Fuel Cells(RMFC)

Small portable fuel cell power systems are entering the marketplace

25 Watts continuous power output (enough power for most laptop computers, radios, and satellite phones)

Selectable voltage: 12V to 30V

Stores, starts, and operates to -20ºC

1 liter size, 1.2 kg weight

On/Off button and easy-to-read LCD

Orientation independent

Built tough for military applications (designed for MIL-STD 810F, 461E/462D compliance)

Portable power for First Responders

FuelCell

Fuel cell power system has significant advantagesover batteries in various military applications

70% Weight Savings for 72-Hour Mission

XX25™ (with 7 spare cartridges)

72 hr mission wt. = 4.0 kg (8.8 lb)

BB-2590 (military version of Li-Ion)

72 hr mission wt. = 12.3 kg (27.0 lb) Communications

Electrical Power Generation and in Transportation: Most of the large automobile manufacturers have fuel cell

powered test vehicles on the road today

Honda FCX-V4 Fuel Cell Car

General Motors HydroGen 3 Fuel Cell Car

So are fuel cell powered vehicles reallyGREEN and POLLUTION FREE?

British Columbia Transportation Minister toasting fuelcell powered “zero emission” bus using

water from the bus exhaust

What the future may look like!GM’s AUTOnomy concept fuel cell vehicle could change the dynamics of automobile production

Skateboard platform prototype (~6” thick) would include both the

fuel cells and the power train

The Skateboard chassis would allow a variety of body types tobe economically mass-produced

Ohio Fuel Cell Symposium

Hydrogen on Demandtm systems have demonstrated a range of ~300 miles on a

single tank without refueling

DaimlerChryslerTown & Country NATRIUM

Ford Mercury Sable

Top Speed ~80 mph

The Hydrogen on Demandtm system storesthe hydrogen in liquid form

AS THE DRIVER “PRESSES THE PEDAL” NaBH4 + 2H2O 4H2 + NaBO2CAT

Solution of sodium borohydride in water

Would you let this guy driveyour $1,000,000+ fuel cell car?

Toyota Fuel Cell Hybrid Vehicle at Sinclair CC

Working on your own fuel cell car would be difficult

Requires entire repair infrastructure to be set-up

Passenger area is almost identical to a “normal” van

Status of Fuel Cell Hybrid systemis constantly monitored

Kilowatts

Effluent exhaust basically consists of CO2 and H2O

Before Start-up After Shutdown

Some potential advantages offuel cell powered automobiles

Efficient – Fuel cells are generally more efficient than internal combustion engines

Simple – Fuel cells are typically “simple” with few if any moving parts

Low Emissions – mostly Water / Carbon Dioxide

Quiet – Mainly Balance of Plant (fans, pumps, etc.)

Some potential disadvantages offuel cell powered automobiles

Fuel Availability – Where do you fill-up?

Safety Questions - Ford has designed a fuel cell vehicle with a range of 380 miles using 5,000psi tanks

Reliability – Present fuel cells tend to exhibit performance degradation over time

Cost – Fuel cell cars are currently too costly

Can we store enough hydrogen on the vehicleto obtain “commercially” required range?

Hydrogen storage is a current challenge that is being addressed by research and technology demonstrations.

Conventional pressurized tanks yield enough range to meet niche markets that will be the entry point for fuel cell vehicles.

The best of today’s research vehicles report range of well more than 200 miles using conventional compressed hydrogen storage.

Ford designed a fuel cell vehicle with range of 380 miles using pressurized tanks (5,000 psi).

Several vehicles are operating on non-gaseous alternatives that achieve fully commercial range. (greater than 300 miles)

Increases in stack efficiency will help in the short term.

Commercialization of most new technologies is a battle between two interacting forces

Market Pull vs. Technology Push

As technologists we don’t understand why consumers aren’t breakingdown our doors with bundles of cash to buy our latest and greatest

As consumers we don’t understand why technologists aren’tproviding us with what we want at a cost we are willing to pay

What is the major barrier to fuel celltechnology commercialization?

havePower 500w PEM system

Cost ~$5,000+

Coleman 5kw Powermate

Cost ~$500 at Home Depot

As a consumer which would you buy?

Short answer – Cost!

Fuel cell technology in transportation may representone of the largest opportunities or threats

for American companies

Large motor vehicle manufacturers:• Imagine the number of American companies and jobs that are

currently dependent on the auto industry• Imagine the economic impact in the USA of changing from internal

combustion engine powered to fuel cell powered vehicles!!• Application of fuel cell technology will change:

• Engines• Transmissions• Battery Systems• Electronic Control Systems

Now imagine the potential economic impact to our country’s economy and employment

What are some of the major cost barriers inhibiting fuel cell commercialization?

Infrastructure• Fuel handling/refilling issues?• Need Installers/trained repair technicians• Fuel cell testers?

Materials• PEM – Fuel/Electrolyte Related?• SOFC – Temperature/Electrolyte Related?

Manufacturing• Need for high volume manufacturing processes to lower

cost of fuel cell systems• Cells/Stack/System Assembly?• Balance of Plant?

The marketplace has real infrastructure barriers to the application of fuel cell technology

Automobile manufacturers have billions of dollars invested in internal combustion engine vehicles

• Engine plants

• Transmission plants OPEC as a cartel is able to “adjust” the price of oil

• Competing technologies may not be allowed to transition into the marketplace

Filling / Repair stations

• 1000’s of already in-service gas stations (FC stations?)

• Tens of Thousands of highly trained professionals

Fuel cell refueling stations will be similarto present day gas stations

HYDROGEN REFUELING STATION IN VANCOUVER, BC

METHANOL REFUELING FACILITY IN SACRAMENTO, CA

Lowering the manufacturing costs of fuel cell components represents a major challenge

Examples of manufacturing issues in the manufacturing of planer solid oxide fuel cells

Close flatness tolerances Ceramic machining Surface preparation of joined surfaces Metal interconnects Sealing systems Balance of plant issues Need for high speed manufacturing processes

Manufacturing costs are a Catch 22 loop?

Large quantity orders for fuel cell systems

will significantly lower individual unit costs

Large quantity orders for fuel cell systems may

not occur until the individual unit cost is lowered

Despite the challenges there is a good chance that fuel cell technology will be a part of your future

250KW POWER PLANT

UTC 5KW HOME UNIT

US ARMY FORK-LIFT

GM HydroGen 3

Dr. Daniel Kramer937-229-1038

August 2, 2010

Fuel Cell Technology:

Opportunities and Challenges

Thank you

Fuel Cells Technology: Opportunities and Challenges Dr. Daniel Kramer 937-229-1038 August 2, 2010.

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Transcript of Fuel Cells Technology: Opportunities and Challenges Dr. Daniel Kramer 937-229-1038 August 2, 2010.