35
Low
Cost Hot Anode Recycle Blower—Phoenix
Analysis and Design Technologies, 7755 S. Research Drive, Suite 110, Tempe, AZ
85284-1803; 480-813-4884
Dr.
Mark Christian Johnson, Principal Investigator, mark.johnson@padtinc.com
Dr.
Mark Christian Johnson, Business Official, mark.johnson@padtinc.com
DOE
Grant No. DE-FG02-05ER84209
Amount:
$745,766
Concerns
about the high cost of energy, dwindling natural resources, and environmental
pollution are pressuring the country to explore energy production technologies
that offer greater efficiency and cleanliness.
Solid Oxide Fuel Cell (SOFC) systems are one such technology.
In order to operate SOFC systems at their best efficiency, the anode fuel
mixture require recirculation. In
turn, a hot anode recycle blower will be needed.
However, the extreme temperature of the anode gas (850C) necessitates a
very unusual blower. Additionally,
the cost of this blower must be low enough to not appreciably increase the cost
of the overall system. This project
will develop a low-cost, high-temperature recycle blower for SOFC systems.
In Phase I, a pumping concept was designed, built, and demonstrated at
nearly 600C. Test station
inadequacies prevented testing at full temperature, but the results indicated
that the design should be adequate for the desired temperature. In
Phase II, the pump’s thermal management technology will be demonstrated at
full temperature. For cost
reduction, the design will be modified to include the use of a high-volume
low-cost motor and controller, and a reduced-size pump head.
For performance improvement, the regenerative pump head will be adjusted
to use improved aerodynamics. Finally,
the cost-reduced version of the pump will be demonstrated for 5000 hours.
Commercial
Applications and other Benefits as described by the awardee: Implementation of this recycle blower in Solid Oxide Fuel Cell
systems should provide an approximately 10% improvement in overall efficiency.