Presentation to IRP April 30, 2003 – 7:30 AM

James Parker - ClientMidAmerican Energy

Dr. Vijay VittalFaculty Advisor

Brian AndersonEE

Brad DavisEE

Curtis IrwinEE

Hamed AbdelsalamEE

2

Today’s Agenda

Fuel cell basics Problem statement overview End product description Future work Project results Summary

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List of Definitions

MCFC– Molten Carbonate Fuel Cell

PAFC– Phosphoric Acid Fuel Cell

PEMFC– Proton Exchange Membrane Fuel Cell

SOFC– Solid Oxide Fuel Cell

4

Problem Statement

Provide feasibility study to client– Operations of fuel cells– Market conditions– Fuel cells vs. fossil generation– Benefits and possible drawbacks– Possible applications

5

General Solution Approach Statement

Comparison of available and anticipated fuel cell technologies– Types– Operating conditions– Strategies

Customer demographics vs. types Utility issues

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Operating Environment

MidAmerican service territory Fuel cells contained in enclosures Near heavy industrial plants Within residential areas Commercial applications

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Intended Users

MidAmerican Energy

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Intended Uses

Informational tool for personnel at MidAmerican to evaluate feasibility of fuel cells

Get a clear picture of the current fuel cell market

Inform clients of potential energy generation alternatives to fossil fuel

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Assumptions

Only fuel cell issues will be addressed when discussing utility interconnection

The client has limited knowledge of fuel cells

Fuel cell will be stationary The client will incur the cost of the fuel

cell

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Limitations

$100 budget Fuel cell

– Size– Enclosures– Output characteristics

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End Product Description

Feasibility Study– Basic Fuel Cell Principles– Available Technologies– Economic Analysis– Market Readiness– Interconnection

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Other Deliverables

Application Checklist– Residential, Commercial, Industrial– Rural, Urban– Peak, Off-Peak– Voltage/Current Ratings– Power Output

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Present Accomplishments

General knowledge of fuel cell types and applications

Providing useful material to client Blue ribbon on project poster

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Approaches Considered and one used

Approach Considered– Research based project

Final product is our client’s alternative to fossil fuel power generation

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Project Definition Activities

Defined project as a two semester feasibility study on fuel cells for electric power generation

Scope defined by client, advisor, and team members

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Research Activities

Researched the feasibility of fuel cells including– Types and operating conditions– Economics– Fuels– Market readiness

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Design Activities

Design outline Research, research, research

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Implementation Activities

Feasibility study Fuel cell specifics Current fuel cell market Application guidelines

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Testing and Modification Activities

Product testing – Is the final product valuable to the client?

Multiple revisions

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Other Significant Project Activities

Presented to EPRC annual meeting

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Personal Budget

Personal Effort Budget (hours)

158.5

178173

177.5 HamedAbdelsalamBrianAndersonBrad Davis

Curt Irwin

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Other recourses

Miscellaneous binding costs– $9

ASHRAE book ordered from library– Purchased by library

Learning about fuel cells– Priceless

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Financial Budget

Cost ($)

$60

$0

$20

$40

$60

$80

$100

Poster

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Project Schedule

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Project Evaluation

Phase 1: Project Description (10%) Fully met Phase 2: Design Activity (15%) Fully met Phase 3: Implementation (40%) Exceeded Phase 4: Documentation (20%) Exceeded Phase 5: Testing (10%) Fully met Phase 6: Demonstration ( 5%) Exceeded

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Commercialization

Currently no plans for commercialization Similar IEEE reports authored by students

sell for around $25– Require specific formatting (IEEE standards)

Production costs around $5 Possible market

– Electric utilities, IPPs, building managers, etc

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Recommended Future Work

Re-evaluate as another 491/492 project in 3 to 5 years

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Lessons Learned

Technical aspects of fuel cells Ability to work individually and combine

into coherent documents Need for clear agenda and set meeting

places & times Project kept team members interested

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Risks and Risk Management

Anticipated risks– Loss of team member

Risk management– Documentation sources, information– Be aware of group member’s research– Communicate with group members

Anticipated risks encountered– None

Unanticipated risks encountered– None

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Fuel Cell Operation

1. Extracted hydrogen enters the anode

1. Oxygen (Air) enters the cathode

2. Hydrogen electrons separate via anode catalyst; the electrolyte transfers the hydrogen ions onlyhttp://www.fe.doe.gov/coal_power/fuelcells/fuelcells_howitworks.shtml

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Fuel Cell Operation

3. Electrons are utilized in an external circuit for energy consumption

4. Electrons, hydrogen ions, and oxygen recombine into water

http://www.fe.doe.gov/coal_power/fuelcells/fuelcells_howitworks.shtml

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Fuel Cell TypesType PAFC MCFC SOFC PEMFC

Operating Temperature

≈220C ≈650C ≈1000C ≈80C

Electric Efficiency 40% 60% 50% 50% Cogen Efficiency 80% 85% 80%  70%

Other Features Cogen (hot water)Cogen (hot water, LP

or HP steam)Cogen (hot water, LP

or HP steam)Cogen (80C water)

Size Range 250 kW - 1MW 10 kW - 2MW 25 - 200 kW 25 - 250 kW

Fuel

Natural gas hydrogen, landfill

gas, digester gas, propane

Natural gas, hydrogen

Natural gas, hydrogen, landfill

gas, fuel oil

Natural gas, hydrogen, propane,

diesel

Cost per kW $2200 -$3750 $1000 -$1500  $1000 -$1500  N/A

Electrolyte phosphoric acidlithium-potassium

carbonate saltsolid ceramic

zirconia poly-perflourosulfonic

acid

Commercial StatusSome commercially

available

Likely commercialization

2004

Likely commercialization

2003

Some commercially available

EnvironmentalNearly zero emissions

Nearly zero emissions

Nearly zero emissions

Nearly zero emissions

Catalyst Platinum Nickel Platinum  Platinum 

Fuel Cells Overview

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Common FC Specifications

Expected Life– Entire unit lasts approximately 20 years– Fuel Cell stack lasts about 40,000 hours– Increases based on capacity of operation

Efficiency– Typically between 30% and 50% (No CHP)– Decreases based on capacity of operation

All types can be used as CHP units

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Utility Implications

State of Iowa– Fuel cells not “Renewable energy sources”

United States Federal Government– May be considered “Renewable energy

sources”

Department of Defense– Climate Change Rebate Program– $1000/kW

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Current Fuel Cell Market

Manufacturer Size Units Installed

Date of Commercialization

FC Type

Ballard 250kW 0 2004 PEMFC

FuelCell Energy

250kW 20+ Currently marketed PEMFC

Plug Power 25kW 78 Currently marketed PEMFC

Siemens Westinghouse

200kW500kW

0 250kW, 10/2003500kW, 2005

SOFC

UTC 200kW 250+ Currently marketed PEMFC

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Applicable Size Range

Applicable size range for fuel cell technologies

0

2

4

6

8

10

12

14

< 5kW 5 - 100kW .1 - 1MW 1-2MW > 2MWGenerating capacity

No

. o

f re

sp

od

an

ts

PEMFC PAFC MCFC SOFC

Source: American Society of Heating, Refrigeration, and Air Conditioning Engineers (ASHRAE) 2002 publication, Fuel Cells for Building Applications

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Utility Interconnection

Major requirements for distributed power generation (DPG) summarized from the IEEE Draft Standard P1547 in three categories:

General requirements Safety and protection requirements Power quality requirements

Grid independent

Grid parallel

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Fuels

Six types of fuel: 1. Hydrogen

2. Natural gas

3. Methanol

4. Fuel oil

5. LPG (Liquefied Petroleum Gas)

6. Coal gas

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Fuels

Natural Gas – Existing production and transportation

infrastructure able to support use fuel cells as generation units.

– Market ready• Infrastructure• Fuel cell design

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Natural Gas Market

Iowa Natural Gas Consumption by Sector

0

50

100

150

200

250

300

350

400

1960 1970 1980 1990 2000 2010

Year

Bil

lio

n C

ub

ic F

ee

t

Residential

Commercial/Auto

Industrial

Utility

Total

Source: Natural Gas Annual, U.S. Department of Energy

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Economic Feasibility

Cost of electricity

Annual savings based on hourly cost

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DoD Application Calculators

DoD Fuel Cell - Interactive Guide

Application worksheet

DoD Fuel Cell - Step-by-Step Outline

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Economic Considerations

High electric to natural gas ratio Over sized steam reformer

For the production of hydrogen as a third benefit Electrical and thermal load profiles Natural gas rate structure Capacity factors above 50% Independent power producers: off-peak

sales Fuel cell production volume Existing infrastructure

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Summary

Many factors need taken into consideration when evaluating a site for fuel cell installation. By covering the types of fuel cells, market readiness, available fuels, and economic considerations can we begin to understand the variables that determine feasibility. Therefore, only through intense data collection of electrical, thermal, and site needs for a specific application can a determination be made.

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Questions?

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Thank You!