22. HYDROGEN, FUEL CELLS, AND INFRASTRUCTURE TECHNOLOGIES

 

President Bush announced the Hydrogen Fuel Initiative (HFI) in his State of the Union address in January 2003.  The objectives of this Initiative are to reduce our dependence on imported oil, reduce greenhouse gas emissions, and reduce air emissions.   

 

Achieving these objectives will require cost effective and energy efficient hydrogen production technology, in order to enable the widespread use of hydrogen for transportation and stationary power.  The DOE target for hydrogen production cost is $2.00- $3.00 per gallon of gasoline equivalent at the pump (untaxed); this target would permit hydrogen fuel cell vehicles to compete with gasoline and hybrid gasoline vehicles on a cost per mile basis.  Subtopics a and b are concerned with hydrogen production technology.

 

Because hydrogen is used as the energy carrier in fuel cell applications (e.g., fuel cell vehicles and stationary power), the further development of fuel cells and fuel cell components – for both Solid Oxide Fuel Cells (SOFCs) and Polymer Electrolyte Membrane (PEM) fuel cells – also will contribute to HFI objectives.  SOFCs operate at very high temperatures (around 800°C); therefore, they can reform fuels internally, which enables the use of a variety of fuels including biomass-derived fuels.  PEM fuel cells require the development of high quality, inexpensive bipolar plates for planar fuel cell stacks.  Subtopics c and d are concerned with these fuel cell technologies.

 

Grant applications are sought only in the following subtopics.

 

 

a. Hydrogen from Waste—An estimated 10 quads (1 quad = 1015 Btu) of hydrogen fuel could be needed in the U.S. from renewable resources in the 2030 to 2050 timeframe.4  These resources include waste, such as municipal solid waste (MSW), and animal or agricultural wastes.  The amount of MSW that is both suitable and potentially available for hydrogen production is on the order of 100-150 million tons per year.5  Based on available technologies, one would expect a yield of 6-10% by weight of hydrogen or 6-15 million tons of hydrogen (0.7-1.5 quads).  This could be a meaningful source of hydrogen.  Therefore, grant applications are sought to develop technology for producing pure hydrogen from wastes such as MSW, animal, or agricultural.  Of particular interest are technologies that have the potential of producing a minimum of 1,500 kg per day of hydrogen from these waste resources for less than $3.00 per gallon of gasoline equivalent.  Medium scale hydrogen production technologies (5,000-50,000 kg/day), which could use regional distribution networks, also are of interest.  The Phase I project must include a detailed analysis of the process economics for the proposed technology, estimates of energy use and environmental emissions associated with the production of hydrogen, and a technology development plan.  DOE’s H2A Production spreadsheet tool6 should be used to estimate the process economics, which cannot depend on the receipt of tipping fees for the MSW.

  

Questions - contact Arlene Anderson (Arlene.anderson@hq.doe.gov)

 

 

b. Development of a Sulfur Dioxide Electrolyzer for the Hybrid Sulfur Hydrogen Production Process—The production of hydrogen from fission power can provide high efficiency and energy security with almost no carbon dioxide emissions.  Utilizing heat from the nuclear plant, the hybrid sulfur process (HyS) produces hydrogen in a thermochemical/ electrochemical water-splitting cycle.  However, the efficacy of the electrolysis step of the HyS process has yet to be optimized.  In addition, in a recent test of an electrolyzer at Savannah River National Laboratory (SRNL), sulfur formation was noted on the cathode, thereby underscoring the need to understand and control sulfur dioxide crossover to the cathode.

 

Grant applications are sought to develop materials or provide analyses to address practical issues of the electrochemistry of the HyS cycle, leading to improved efficiency, electrolysis at 500 mA/cm²at 600 mV at a temperature of 90-120°C, and reduced sulfur formation.  Approaches of interest include the development of:  (1) cathode catalysts and structures that retard the formation of reduced sulfur species (i.e., H2S and elemental sulfur); (2) anode catalysts and electrodes that minimize the stoichiometric requirements of water and SO2; (3) high temperature (100-140°C) proton exchange membranes that are highly conductive, resistant to SO2 crossover, and operational with very low water content; (4) methods to manage the mass transfer limitations of water and sulfur dioxide; and (5) techniques to control or eliminate sulfur dioxide membrane crossover.  Also of interest is the development of analysis techniques for selecting system features – including electrolyzer stack designs, electrolyzer voltage requirements, materials of construction, sulfuric acid concentration (for interface with downstream processes), operating temperature, and operating modes – in order to optimize utilization/electrochemical efficiency, performance, cost, and/or reliability.

 

Questions - contact Carl Sink (Carl.sink@hq.doe.gov)

 

 

c. Bio-Fueled Solid Oxide Fuel Cell—Fuels derived from biomass, when integrated with state-of-the-art solid oxide fuel cell (SOFC) technology, provide a substantial opportunity to reduce the burden on the current electrical distribution system, through greater availability of localized power generation.  The use of bio-derived fuels in distributed generation applications also would reduce the growth in the demand for natural gas, as well as enhance grid stability.  Given the dispersed distribution of biofuel resources, this strategy would reduce the transportation cost of delivering fuel to distributed power generation locations, particularly for liquefied natural gas.  SOFCs, which feature high efficiency (>45%) in small (kW class) sizes, are an ideal power generation technology for this application.  Moreover, SOFCs produce very low emissions (e.g., <0.5 ppm NOx), due to the much lower operating temperatures compared to conventional combustion-based technologies.  The Department of Energy through its Solid State Energy Conversion Alliance has determined that a high-volume system cost of $400/kW is achievable, which would make SOFCs competitive in the distributed generation market. 

 

Grant applications are sought to develop, characterize, and identify promising system concepts for bio-fueled SOFCs in distributed generation applications.  The system should include a fuel processor that reforms a biomass-derived product or bio-fuel into a fuel for a 3-30 kW-scale distributed SOFC system.  An emphasis on bio-fuels, which are suitable for an SOFC and derived from sources (such as cellulosic biomass, agricultural residues, or municipal solid waste) that do not compete with food supply, is preferable.  Current technologies that convert a biomass-derived product or bio-fuel should be assessed for compatibility with current SOFC systems.  Novel pathways should also be considered.  Distributed energy systems on the kW-scale that process biomass directly will likely be too costly and should not be considered. 

 

In Phase I, a conceptual system design should be developed and analyzed to assess performance, and an assessment of the commercial viability of the proposed approach should be conducted.  Particular emphasis should be placed on the fuel processing subsystem required to produce a fuel suitable for an SOFC stack, and on the synergistic integration of the fuel processor and the stack.  Phase II should involve the development, design, fabrication, and testing of the fuel processing subsystem using biomass as the fuel.  Fuel processor efficiency should be measured, and a pathway for meeting the DOE 2011 Distributed Energy System efficiency target of 40% should be identified.  Phase III should focus on system demonstration.

 

Questions - contact Jason Marcinkoski (Jason.marcinkoski@hq.doe.gov)

 

 

d. Manufacturing of Bipolar Plates— Polymer Electrolyte Membrane (PEM) fuel cells can be used for a variety of electricity needs, from replacing batteries in small appliances to powering homes, offices, and vehicles.  PEM fuel cells with planar fuel cell stacks use bipolar plates that serve both as a conduit for the gas flow field and as an electric current collector.  Channels on the side of the bipolar plate carry reactant gas from the place where it enters the fuel cell to the place where it exits.  Bipolar plates must be low cost, lightweight, strong, gas-impermeable, and electron-conducting.  Therefore, grant applications are sought to develop and demonstrate metal bipolar plate manufacturing processes that:  (1) maintain the high tolerance requirements of a PEM fuel cell for flow field dimensions, plate flatness, and plate parallelism, as needed for ferritic and austenitic based bipolar plates; and (2) are scaleable to high-volume production (200,000,000 units per year).  The resulting biopolar plates must be able to maintain operating performance for over 5,000 hours and meet the DOE cost target of $5 per kW when projected to high volume production.  

 

The Phase I project should demonstrate of the feasibility of producing a corrosion-resistant bipolar plate that meets the aforementioned technical targets.  Phase II deliverables should include a detailed description of the process, a cost analysis for the high volume production of the product demonstrated in Phase I, and an identification of capital equipment specifications and cost.

 

Questions - contact Peter Devlin (Peter.devlin@hq.doe.gov)

 

 

Subtopic a References:

 

1        “Hydrogen, Fuel Cells, and Infrastructure Technologies Program, Multi-Year Research, Development and Demonstration Plan: Planned Program Activities for 2004-2015”, describes the planned research, development, and demonstration activities for hydrogen and fuel cell technologies through 2015. (Full text available at:  http://www1.eere.energy.gov/hydrogenandfuelcells/mypp/pdfs/production.pdf)

 

2        The “H2A” central hydrogen production and small-scale (forecourt) hydrogen production spreadsheets are available for downloading. These spreadsheets contain a title, description, process flow sheet, and stream summary tabs to record useful and descriptive information about the hydrogen production technology in a consistent manner. The performance input, financial inputs, cost input, and replacement capital tabs contain the inputs that drive the calculated results.  These models automatically do a rigorous discounted cash flow analysis over the analysis time period based on the specified economic assumptions to calculate the cost of hydrogen produced over the analysis time with the after tax internal rate of return on capital investment. For additional information or to register to use the model go to the H2A website. (URL: http://www.hydrogen.energy.gov/h2a_analysis.html)

 

3        Biomass as Feedstock for a Bioenergy and Bioproducts Industry: The Technical Feasibility of a Billion-Ton Annual Supply, April 2005, U.S. Department of Energy, U.S. Department of Agriculture. (URL: http://www.eere.energy.gov/biomass/publications.html)

 

4        “Hydrogen From Renewable Energy Sources: Pathway to 10 Quads For Transportation Uses in 2030 to 2050”, Directed Technologies, October 2003. (Full text available at: http://www1.eere.energy.gov/hydrogenandfuelcells/pdfs/iia11_myers.pdf)

 

5        Municipal Solid Waste in the United States: 2005 Facts and Figures, Executive Summary, U.S. EPA, October 2006 (URL:  http://www.epa.gov/msw/msw99.htm)

 

6        “DOE H2A Analysis”, Hydrogen Program, Department of Energy Website. (URL: http://www.hydrogen.energy.gov/h2a_analysis.html)

 

 

Subtopic b References:

 

1        Sivasubramanian, P, et al, “Electrochemical Hydrogen Production from Thermochemical Cycles Using a Proton Exchange Membrane Electrolyzer,” International Journal of Hydrogen Energy, 32(12): 463-468, March 2007. (Available at: http://www.che.sc.edu/faculty/weidner/Publications/Weidner_IJHE_In_Press.pdf)

 

2        Lu, P.W., Ammon, R.L., “An Investigation of Electrode Materials for the Anodic Oxidation of Sulfur Dioxide in Concentrated Sulfuric Acid,” Journal of the Electrochemical Society, 127(12):2610–6, 1980. (Abstract and ordering information available at: http://www.ecsdl.org/dbt/dbt.jsp?KEY=JESOAN)

 

3        Summers, W. A., “Hybrid Sulfur Thermochemical Process Development,” U.S. DOE Hydrogen Program, 2006 Annual Merit Review Proceedings, Hydrogen Production and Delivery.  (Presentation available at: http://www.hydrogen.energy.gov/pdfs/review06/pdp_25_summers.pdf)

 

4        Gorensek, M., Summers, W. and WeidnerJ., “Hybrid Sulfur Cycle Flowsheets for Hydrogen Production from Nuclear Energy”, AIChE 2006 Spring Meeting, Orlando, FL, April 26, 2006.  (Presentation available at: http://www.aiche-ned.org/conferences/aiche2006spring/session_182/AICHE2006spring-182g-Gorensek.pdf)

 

 

Subtopic c References:

 

1        Hydrogen, Fuel Cells & Infrastructure Technologies Program Multi-Year Research, Development and Demonstration Plan ( Full text available at: http://www1.eere.energy.gov/hydrogenandfuelcells/mypp/pdfs/fuel_cells.pdf)

 

 

Subtopic d References:

 

1        Borglun, B., “Development of Solid Oxide Fuel Cells at Versa Power Systems”, Presented at 2006 Fuel Cell Seminar, Honolulu, HA, November 14, 2006. (Summary available at: http://www.fuelcellseminar.com)

 

2        Borglun, B., “Cell Technology, Cost Reduction and Quality Management”, Presented at The 2nd Real-SOFC Workshop, Simmerath-Einrihr, Germany. June 22, 2005.  (URL: http://www.real-sofc.org/events)

 

3        DOE/NETL Solicitation DE-PS26-00NT40854, Solid State Energy Conversion Alliance (SECA), November 3, 2000. (Full text available at: http://www.netl.doe.gov/business/solicitations/2000pdf/40854/40854_a2.pdf)

 

4        “Fuel Cell Hangbook”, Seventh Edition, by EG&G Technical Services, Inc., Under Contract No. DE-AM26-99FT40575. (Full text available at: http://www.netl.doe.gov/technologies/coalpower/fuelcells/seca/pubs/FCHandbook7.pdf)