scholarly journals Recent Advances in High Temperature Electrolysis at Idaho National Laboratory: Single Cell Tests

2012 ◽  
Author(s):  
Xiaoyu Zhang ◽  
James E. O’Brien ◽  
Robert C. O’Brien
Keyword(s):  
High Temperature ◽  
Fuel Cell ◽  
Single Cell ◽  
Single Cells ◽  
National Laboratory ◽  
Advanced Materials ◽  
Idaho National Laboratory ◽  
Systems Research ◽  
Stable Performance ◽  
High Temperature Electrolysis

An experimental investigation on the performance and durability of single solid oxide electrolysis cells (SOECs) is under way at the Idaho National Laboratory. In order to understand and mitigate the degradation issues in high temperature electrolysis, single SOECs with different configurations from several manufacturers have been evaluated for initial performance and long-term durability. A new test apparatus has been developed for single cell and small stack tests from different vendors. Single cells from Ceramatec Inc. show improved durability compared to our previous stack tests. Single cells from Materials and Systems Research Inc. (MSRI) demonstrate low degradation both in fuel cell and electrolysis modes. Single cells from Saint Gobain Advanced Materials (St. Gobain) show stable performance in fuel cell mode, but rapid degradation in the electrolysis mode. Electrolyte-electrode delamination is found to have significant impact on degradation in some cases. Enhanced bonding between electrolyte and electrode and modification of the microstructure help to mitigate degradation. Polarization scans and AC impedance measurements are performed during the tests to characterize the cell performance and degradation.

scholarly journals Test Results From the Idaho National Laboratory 15kW High Temperature Electrolysis Test Facility

2009 ◽  
Author(s):  
Carl M. Stoots ◽  
Keith G. Condie ◽  
James E. O’Brien ◽  
J. Stephen Herring ◽  
Joseph J. Hartvigsen
Keyword(s):  
High Temperature ◽  
National Laboratory ◽  
The United States ◽  
Solid Oxide ◽  
Test Facility ◽  
United States Department ◽  
Idaho National Laboratory ◽  
Production Of Hydrogen ◽  
Heat Recuperation ◽  
High Temperature Electrolysis

A 15 kW high temperature electrolysis test facility has been developed at the Idaho National Laboratory under the United States Department of Energy Nuclear Hydrogen Initiative. This facility is intended to study the technology readiness of using high temperature solid oxide cells for large scale nuclear powered hydrogen production. It is designed to address larger-scale issues such as thermal management (feedstock heating, high temperature gas handling, heat recuperation), multiple-stack hot zone design, multiple-stack electrical configurations, etc. Heat recuperation and hydrogen recycle are incorporated into the design. The facility was operated for 1080 hours and successfully demonstrated the largest scale high temperature solid-oxide-based production of hydrogen to date.

scholarly journals Recent Advances in High Temperature Electrolysis at Idaho National Laboratory: Stack Tests

2012 ◽  
Author(s):  
Xiaoyu Zhang ◽  
James E. O’Brien ◽  
Robert C. O’Brien ◽  
Joseph J. Hartvigsen ◽  
Greg Tao ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
High Temperature ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
National Laboratory ◽  
Solid Oxide ◽  
Idaho National Laboratory ◽  
Systems Research ◽  
Degradation Rates ◽  
Solid Oxide Electrolysis ◽  
Electrolysis Mode

High temperature steam electrolysis is a promising technology for efficiently sustainable large-scale hydrogen production. Solid oxide electrolysis cells (SOECs) are able to utilize high temperature heat and electric power from advanced high-temperature nuclear reactors or renewable sources to generate carbon-free hydrogen at large scale. However, long term durability of SOECs needs to be improved significantly before commercialization of this technology. A degradation rate of 1%/khr or lower is proposed as a threshold value for commercialization of this technology. Solid oxide electrolysis stack tests have been conducted at Idaho National Laboratory to demonstrate recent improvements in long-term durability of SOECs. Electrolyte-supported and electrode-supported SOEC stacks were provided by Ceramatec Inc., Materials and Systems Research Inc. (MSRI), and Saint Gobain Advanced Materials (St. Gobain), respectively for these tests. Long-term durability tests were generally operated for a duration of 1000 hours or more. Stack tests based on technologies developed at Ceramatec and MSRI have shown significant improvement in durability in the electrolysis mode. Long-term degradation rates of 3.2%/khr and 4.6%/khr were observed for MSRI and Ceramatec stacks, respectively. One recent Ceramatec stack even showed negative degradation (performance improvement) over 1900 hours of operation. A three-cell short stack provided by St. Gobain, however, showed rapid degradation in the electrolysis mode. Optimizations of electrode materials, interconnect coatings, and electrolyte-electrode interface microstructures contribute to better durability of SOEC stacks.

Assessment of the Potential of Combined Micro Gas Turbine and High Temperature Fuel Cell Systems

2002 ◽  
Author(s):  
Dieter Bohn ◽  
Nathalie Po¨ppe ◽  
Joachim Lepers
Keyword(s):  
Fuel Cells ◽  
High Temperature ◽  
Fuel Cell ◽  
Gas Turbine ◽  
Gas Turbines ◽  
Power Plants ◽  
Advanced Materials ◽  
Cell Systems ◽  
Micro Gas Turbine ◽  
Technological Assessment

The present paper reports a detailed technological assessment of two concepts of integrated micro gas turbine and high temperature (SOFC) fuel cell systems. The first concept is the coupling of micro gas turbines and fuel cells with heat exchangers, maximising availability of each component by the option for easy stand-alone operation. The second concept considers a direct coupling of both components and a pressurised operation of the fuel cell, yielding additional efficiency augmentation. Based on state-of-the-art technology of micro gas turbines and solid oxide fuel cells, the paper analyses effects of advanced cycle parameters based on future material improvements on the performance of 300–400 kW combined micro gas turbine and fuel cell power plants. Results show a major potential for future increase of net efficiencies of such power plants utilising advanced materials yet to be developed. For small sized plants under consideration, potential net efficiencies around 70% were determined. This implies possible power-to-heat-ratios around 9.1 being a basis for efficient utilisation of this technology in decentralised CHP applications.

scholarly journals Single cell induced starvation in a high temperature proton exchange membrane fuel cell stack

2019 ◽  
Vol 250 ◽  
pp. 1176-1189 ◽  
Author(s):  
Cinthia Alegre ◽  
Antonio Lozano ◽  
Ángel Pérez Manso ◽  
Laura Álvarez-Manuel ◽  
Florencio Fernández Marzo ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
High Temperature ◽  
Fuel Cell ◽  
Single Cell ◽  
Proton Exchange Membrane ◽  
Proton Exchange ◽  
Fuel Cell Stack ◽  
Exchange Membrane

Incorporation of nano-Al2O3 within the blend of sulfonated-PVdF-co-HFP and Nafion for high temperature application in DMFCs

RSC Advances ◽  
2015 ◽  
Vol 5 (78) ◽  
pp. 63465-63472 ◽  
Author(s):  
Piyush Kumar ◽  
A. D. Singh ◽  
Vikash Kumar ◽  
Patit Paban Kundu
Keyword(s):  
High Temperature ◽  
Fuel Cell ◽  
Single Cell ◽  
Direct Methanol Fuel Cell ◽  
High Temperature Application ◽  
Direct Methanol ◽  
Temperature Application ◽  
Methanol Fuel Cell

Nano-Al2O3 was incorporated into the blend of sulfonated-PVdF-co-HFP/Nafion using NMP (1-methyl-2-pyrrolidone) as a common solvent with the aim to develop an alternate membrane to be used in a single cell direct methanol fuel cell (DMFC).

A Novel Computationally Efficient Pseudo-2D Approach for Modeling Single Cell of a High-Temperature Solid Oxide Fuel Cell Using Modal Analysis

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Babak Ghorbani ◽  
Krishna Vijayaraghavan
Keyword(s):  
High Temperature ◽  
Fuel Cell ◽  
Solid Oxide Fuel Cell ◽  
Modal Analysis ◽  
Single Cell ◽  
Flow Direction ◽  
Solid Oxide ◽  
Oxide Fuel ◽  
Computationally Efficient ◽  
Solution Convergence

A novel pseudo-2D computationally-efficient approach is developed by modal analysis for modeling a single cell of a high-temperature solid oxide fuel cell. The model is called a pseudo-2D as it fully models the flow in the flow direction and captures the effects of diffusion in the transverse direction using modal analysis. To improve convergence, the model uses a precalculated relation between the cell temperature and current density without explicitly solving the energy equation. The model is shown to agree with results obtained by previous researches and the solution convergence is significantly quicker than 3D CFD simulations. The model will be used in the future works of this research group for stack modeling, optimization, and online control of the cell.

Development of a Reference Electrode for a PEMFC Single Cell Allowing an Evaluation of Plate Potentials

2010 ◽  
Vol 7 (4) ◽  
Author(s):  
Johan Andre ◽  
Nicolas Guillet ◽  
Jean-Pierre Petit ◽  
Laurent Antoni
Keyword(s):  
Fuel Cell ◽  
Single Cell ◽  
Proton Exchange Membrane ◽  
Single Cells ◽  
Electrical Contact ◽  
Reference Electrode ◽  
Proton Exchange ◽  
Ex Situ ◽  
Electrical Contact Resistance ◽  
Hydrogen Electrode

Increasing lifetime and performance is critical for proton exchange membrane fuel cell (PEMFC) using stainless steel plates. A good compromise between passivity and electrical contact resistance of the plate material is required. Measuring the potential of each plate during fuel cell operation is of paramount importance to lead to relevant ex situ tests in order to investigate new materials. From a review on methods used for potential measurements, the present work focused on the realization and use of a dynamic hydrogen electrode (DHE) device as a reference electrode in a PEMFC single cell and its evaluation in terms of accuracy and drift. With classic reference electrodes introduced into the flow field, measurements were shown to be irrelevant because of the impossibility to ensure good and stable ionic conductivity between the reference electrode and the plate when operating the cell. Several examples of DHE found in the literature were reviewed and used to realize a DHE, which showed correct accuracy and stability of its potential under fully humidified conditions. The experimental device was shown to be reliable and easily adaptable for different single cells. It was used to investigate transient phenomena while cycling a cell, but needs some improvement when the cell is operated with unsaturated gases.

Design and Experimental Characterization of a High-Temperature Proton Exchange Membrane Fuel Cell Stack

2011 ◽  
Vol 8 (5) ◽  
Author(s):  
Robert Radu ◽  
Nicola Zuliani ◽  
Rodolfo Taccani
Keyword(s):  
Fuel Cells ◽  
High Temperature ◽  
Fuel Cell ◽  
Proton Exchange Membrane ◽  
Single Cells ◽  
Pem Fuel Cells ◽  
Proton Exchange ◽  
Pure Hydrogen ◽  
Exchange Membrane

Proton exchange membrane (PEM) fuel cells based on polybenzimidazole (PBI) polymers and phosphoric acid can be operated at temperature between 120 °C and 180 °C. Reactant humidification is not required and CO content up to 1% in the fuel can be tolerated, only marginally affecting performance. This is what makes high-temperature PEM (HTPEM) fuel cells very attractive, as low quality reformed hydrogen can be used and water management problems are avoided. From an experimental point of view, the major research effort up to now was dedicated to the development and study of high-temperature membranes, especially to development of acid-doped PBI type membranes. Some studies were dedicated to the experimental analysis of single cells and only very few to the development and characterization of high-temperature stacks. This work aims to provide more experimental data regarding high-temperature fuel cell stacks, operated with hydrogen but also with different types of reformates. The main design features and the performance curves obtained with a three-cell air-cooled stack are presented. The stack was tested on a broad temperature range, between 120 and 180 °C, with pure hydrogen and gas mixtures containing up to 2% of CO, simulating the output of a typical methanol reformer. With pure hydrogen, at 180 °C, the considered stack is able to deliver electrical power of 31 W at 1.8 V. With a mixture containing 2% of carbon monoxide, in the same conditions, the performance drops to 24 W. The tests demonstrated that the performance loss caused by operation with reformates, can be partially compensated by a higher stack temperature.

scholarly journals Test Results From the Idaho National Laboratory of the NASA Bi-Supported Cell Design

2009 ◽  
Author(s):  
C. Stoots ◽  
J. O’Brien ◽  
T. Cable
Keyword(s):  
Fuel Cell ◽  
High Power ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
National Laboratory ◽  
Solid Oxide ◽  
Operating Voltage ◽  
Cell Design ◽  
Idaho National Laboratory ◽  
The University ◽  
Solid Oxide Cell

The Idaho National Laboratory has been researching the application of solid-oxide fuel cell technology for large-scale hydrogen production. As a result, the Idaho National Laboratory has been testing various cell designs to characterize electrolytic performance. NASA, in conjunction with the University of Toledo, has developed a new cell concept with the goals of reduced weight and high power density. This paper presents results of the INL’s testing of this new solid oxide cell design as an electrolyzer. Gas composition, operating voltage, and other parameters were varied during testing. Results to date show the NASA cell to be a promising design for both high power-to-weight fuel cell and electrolyzer applications.

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