hittec project to boost power from heat in ‘turbo’ sofc
TRANSCRIPT
NEWS
10Fuel Cells Bulletin January 2013
applications,’ says Chip Bottone, president and CEO of FuelCell Energy. ‘By acquiring Versa, we can leverage our current infrastructure, expertise, and experience to accelerate the commercialisation of this solid oxide fuel cell technology to expand our market opportunities.’
Bottone continues: ‘We will continue to develop the Versa technology under the existing US Department of Energy SECA programme, and are in advanced discussions with multiple partners for collaboration in commercialising the technology.’
Versa development activities include participation with FuelCell Energy in DOE’s Solid State Energy Conversion Alliance (SECA) coal-based systems programme [FCB, November 2012, p11]. Versa technology is also being used in FuelCell Energy’s unmanned submarine project, funded by the US Office of Naval Research, in which a high power density SOFC power plant system is used for large-displacement undersea vehicle propulsion [FCB, August 2012, p4].
In addition, Versa is a supplier to Boeing under a US Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) programme to develop long-endurance unmanned aircraft [FCB, January 2011, p4]. Versa’s specialised SOFC technology is paired with solar equipment to provide an onboard power source for propulsion and communication equipment. This system includes an energy storage mode, where the SOFC produces hydrogen by electrolysis from solar power during daylight charging periods, and produces power by consuming stored hydrogen in fuel cell mode during night-time discharge periods.
‘Using the Versa technology and our expertise with fuel cell stacking and balance-of-plant, we are currently testing a 60 kW solid oxide fuel cell stack that has exhibited performance providing approximately 60% electrical efficiency in a power plant system, and still provide usable exhaust heat for combined heat and power applications,’ says Tony Leo, VP of application engineering & advanced technology development at FuelCell Energy. ‘This is an unprecedented performance potential.’
Versa Power’s engineering and testing facilities are located in Littleton, Colorado, with the research and production facilities in Calgary. FuelCell Energy exchanged approximately 3.5 million shares of its common stock, worth $3.3 million, as the total consideration for the remaining 61% of Versa Power shares held by other Versa shareholders. The deal will boost FuelCell Energy’s total R&D contract backlog by approximately $6.0 million in the first quarter of 2013.
FuelCell Energy, Danbury, Connecticut, USA.
Tel: +1 203 825 6000, www.fuelcellenergy.com
Versa Power Systems, Littleton, Colorado, USA. Tel: +1 303 226 0761, www.versa-power.com
Solid State Energy Conversion Alliance: www.seca.doe.gov
Nedstack, Hy9 to push reformer-based fuel cell power systems
Massachusetts-based Hy9 Corporation, which provides
high-purity hydrogen generation products for use with fuel cells, has announced an agreement with the Dutch fuel cell manufacturer Nedstack to collaborate on developing the market for reformer-based PEM fuel cell power systems.
The collaboration joins Nedstack’s leadership position in long-life, water-cooled PEM fuel cell stacks with Hy9’s capabilities in point-of-use hydrogen generation and purification products. The companies say that combining their products will ensure reliable uninterrupted power at low operating costs to critical infrastructure systems, even in the most remote locations. Replacing diesel gensets by these systems will not only save fuel costs, but also make them a green alternative as the systems emit no particles or noise.
‘Our collaboration with Nedstack will help expand the market for both Nedstack and Hy9, by offering a robust, scalable alternative to compressed hydrogen,’ says Gary Clarke, president and CEO of Hy9. ‘Using a commodity liquid fuel such as methanol in combination with a Hy9 reformer that produces 99.9999% pure hydrogen onsite, makes fuel cell power systems suitable for sites where compressed hydrogen is impractical.’
‘We are particularly excited to work with Nedstack on delivering reformer-based systems to meet the continuous power demands of our customers operating in remote areas,’ continues Clarke. ‘We believe Nedstack’s unique long-life stacks combined with Hy9’s HGS™ product offers mobile telecom operators a robust solution for their continuous power demands.’
Nedstack has a decade of experience in producing PEM fuel cell stacks that combine proprietary bipolar plate technology and design with the best available long-life MEAs. The design and composition of its proprietary cell plates results in high fuel efficiency and low parasitic losses. Its stacks are suitable for stationary and mobile applications, right up to its showcase 1 MW fuel cell installation at the Solvay chlorine plant in Antwerp, Belgium [FCB, February 2012, p6].
Hy9 is a leading developer of hydrogen purification membranes and point-of-use pure hydrogen generation for clients who require high-performance solutions to their critical power needs. In the autumn the company announced it is working with California-based Altergy Systems to develop and market an integrated methanol fuel processor for use in Altergy’s Freedom Power™ PEM fuel cell systems [FCB, December 2012, p10], and last spring it announced a collaboration with ReliOn in Spokane to develop an integrated fuel processor for fuel cell products [FCB, May 2012, p9].
Hy9 Corporation, Hopkinton, Massachusetts, USA. Tel: +1 508 435 3789, www.hy9.com
Nedstack fuel cell technology BV, Arnhem, The Netherlands. Tel: +31 26 319 7600, www.nedstack.com
HITTEC project to boost power from heat in ‘turbo’ SOFC
A Swiss partnership is developing a thermoelectric converter to convert
‘waste’ heat from solid oxide fuel cells into electricity, to boost efficiency. The HITTEC project – in which researchers from the Swiss Federal Laboratories for Materials Science and Technology (Empa) are working with SOFC developer Hexis – aims to generate possibly an extra 10% energy output.
Although SOFCs can achieve an overall efficiency above 95% at an operating temperature of nearly 900°C, they still produce ‘waste’ heat that can currently only be used for domestic hot water supply or heating purposes. But Andre Heel, research coordinator of the strategic partnership between Empa and Hexis, wants to convert this into electricity using thermoelectric converters (TECs).
Commercially available TECs can be stuck to the walls of motors, industrial ovens, and other heat sources. They comprise two semiconducting materials on either side. If there is a temperature gradient between the two sides, electrons transfer from one side to the other, i.e. an electric current is induced, which can be ‘harvested’.
Empa kicked-off the four-year HITTEC (High Temperature Thermoelectric Converters) project last summer, to develop and optimise TEC materials that can withstand elevated temperatures; current TECs can only be operated below 300°C. HITTEC materials also have to combine seemingly contradictory
RESEARCH
NEWS
January 2013 Fuel Cells Bulletin11
properties – for example, high electrical conductivity but low thermal conductivity.
A team led by Anke Weidenkaff, head of Empa’s Laboratory for Solid State Chemistry and Catalysis and professor of chemistry and biochemistry at the University of Berne, is focusing on perovskite-type oxides. These are chemically and thermally stable, nontoxic, and can be produced at low cost in large volumes. A particularly promising candidate is tungsten-substituted calcium manganate.
To evaluate the power output of their novel high-temperature TECs, Weidenkaff ’s team has developed unique equipment capable of replicating the extreme operating conditions experienced by HITTEC modules. The researchers are also developing new concepts to overcome challenges in HITTEC module design.
‘We are not simply going to stick our converter onto an SOFC,’ says Weidenkaff. Instead, her team wants to integrate fuel cells and TECs, directly using thermoelectric converters as fuel cell electrodes, i.e. the site of the chemical reaction. Weidenkaff admits that this is ambitious – but it has huge potential, because the high-temperature ceramic materials of the SOFC conductor system are not unlike the perovskite-type oxides used for HITTECs.
Heel and Weidenkaff are cooperating with colleagues from ETH Zürich, the École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL), and Zürich University of Applied Sciences (ZHAW). Their combined efforts will lead to prototypes constructed with Hexis. Heel estimates that SOFC systems could generate up to 10% extra electric power by using thermoelectric converters.
Contact: Dr Andre Heel, Coordinator of the Strategic Partnership Empa/Hexis AG, Energy Conversion Research Area, EMPA, Dübendorf, Switzerland. Tel: +41 44 58 765 4199, Email: [email protected], Web: http://tinyurl.com/b9fneqh
Or contact: Professor Dr Anke Weidenkaff, Laboratory for Solid State Chemistry and Catalysis, EMPA, Dübendorf, Switzerland. Tel: +41 44 58 765 4131, Email: [email protected], Web: http://tinyurl.com/ax4fl4t
Hexis AG: www.hexis.com/en
Performance update on ITM Power’s fuel cell membrane
UK-based ITM Power has released the latest results of its ongoing
fuel cell membrane development activity, working in partnership with
the Carbon Trust and major automotive OEMs. The company has been performing numerous standardised accelerated stress tests on its high power density membrane material, designed to exacerbate degradation and benchmark the durability.
ITM Power’s highly conductive hydrocarbon fuel cell membrane has demonstrated a very high power density exceeding 1.5 W/cm2 at 600 mV with hydrogen/air, 0.3 mg/cm2 of platinum catalyst per electrode, and low gas pressures (1.5 bar). Following achievement of these targets, ITM Power is undertaking an 18-month programme focusing on membrane durability and scale-up to full automotive cell dimensions.
Three months into this programme, ITM Power’s membrane material has outperformed all targets against which it has been measured. A key metric among these is voltage retention in fuel cell open-circuit mode. This is a universally recognised accelerated test, for which the US Department of Energy has established specific targets dictating that the cell voltage must not drop by more than 20% over 200 h.
Using an internationally recognised and commercially available fuel cell, a membrane-electrode assembly containing ITM Power’s membrane material has repeatedly shown durability beyond 700 h (representing many thousands of hours of normal operation). This represents more than three times the longevity specified in the DOE target, and comparable with the best results measured for incumbent fluorocarbon membrane materials – a significant indication of the durability of ITM Power’s hydrocarbon fuel cell membrane.
In addition to maintaining open-circuit voltage, the membrane also offered extremely low hydrogen crossover at circa 1 mA/cm2. This is close to an order of magnitude lower than that measured for incumbent fluorocarbon membrane materials.
While there are further tests yet to be conducted, these early results give a very positive indication of the durability offered by ITM Power’s fuel cell membrane against this aggressive accelerated testing.
ITM Power designs and manufactures hydrogen energy systems for energy storage and clean fuel production based on water electrolysis [see In Brief, page 5]. The membrane technology behind its electrolyser systems can also be utilised in fuel cells [see the feature on ITM’s membrane technology in FCB, July 2012].
ITM Power, Sheffield, UK. Tel: +44 114 244 5111,
www.itm-power.com
The Carbon Trust: www.carbontrust.com
I N B R I E F
Hydrogen could boost wind, solar valueA new report from the Institution of Gas Engineers & Managers in the UK reveals the significant potential for using hydrogen to reduce CO2 emissions and improve the efficiency of renewable technologies.
The report (www.igem.org.uk/hydrogen) explores how hydrogen can be used as a carrier to store energy produced from a wide range of primary sources, and to power applications including electric vehicles and heating. Key benefits include increased useful output from solar and wind power installations, and the safe injection of hydrogen into existing gas grids.
Report confirms US companies’ fuel cellsLeading companies in the US continue to move the fuel cell industry forward, according to a new report by Fuel Cells 2000 with support from the Department of Energy’s Fuel Cell Technologies Program. Companies purchased more than 32 MW of stationary systems and 1100 fuel cell forklifts in 2012, with several relying on fuel cells to power data centres and communications hubs.
The report, The Business Case for Fuel Cells 2012 (http://tinyurl.com/a5qe63b), profiles companies achieving economic and environmental benefits through fuel cell deployments, with many becoming repeat customers.
Euro study on alternative bus powertrainsThe European Fuel Cells and Hydrogen Joint Undertaking (FCH JU, www.fch-ju.eu) has released a study on the advantages of and outlook for alternative powertrains for clean urban buses in Europe.
Some 40 companies and government agencies participated in this study (http://tinyurl.com/fch-ju-bus), on the various powertrain technologies available for urban buses in Europe to 2030. The study, facilitated by McKinsey, provides up-to-date comparative well-to-wheel data on their sustainability, performance, and economics. The goal is to substantiate the rationale behind introducing clean buses with alternative propulsion concepts and infrastructure.
Fuel Cell Today reviews fuel cell patentsFuel Cell Today has published its 2012 Fuel Cell Patent Review (http://tinyurl.com/b35byeu), which analyses both granted patents and patent applications published in 2011, by comparison with publications in 2010.
The number of granted fuel cell patents increased by 51% between 2010 and 2011, a much higher increase than for overall granted patents worldwide. Fuel cell patent applications also continue to grow, with a 58% increase. The regional dominance by a few key countries – such as Japan, the US, Germany, and Korea – was maintained (this is borne out by the granted US patents we summarise in FCB).