G lobal energy demand is projected to increase 50% or more by the year 2030, with coal remaining the primary fuel for developing countries. Because of the deleterious effects of fossil fuels and the uncertainties of future sources, the development of alternative renewable energy supplies such as hydrogen is critical. Hydrogen, the simplest and most abundant element, can be produced as a gas (H2...

Objectives • Develop realistic and internally consistent detailed designs for automotive gasoline fuel processor/ proton exchange membrane (PEM) fuel cell systems and direct hydrogen PEM fuel cell systems by using current-year technology. • Apply Design for Manufacture and Assembly (DFMA) design and costing techniques to compare system designs at low, medium, and high annual production rates. •...

Objectives • Demonstrate high performance desulfurizer, catalyst, micro-reactor and microcombustor/ microvaporizer concepts that will enable production of compact fuel processors for proton exchange membrane (PEM) fuel cells • Design, fabricate and evaluate a 1-kWe fuel-flexible fuel processor during the first 36 months (one of the fuels capable of being reformed will be EPA Phase II reformulat...

The molten carbonate fuel cell (MCFC) has evolved to current megawatt-scale commercial power plants. When using the fuel cell for electrolysis (MCEC), it provides a promising option for producing fuel gases such as hydrogen, via water electrolysis, and syngas, via co-electrolysis of water and carbon dioxide. The molten carbonate cell can thereby operate reversibly as a dual energy converter for...

Impedance models were developed to account for reaction mechanisms that may be responsible for the inductive impedance response often seen at low frequencies in proton exchange membrane PEM fuel cells. Models that incorporate reactions without surface intermediates cannot account for these inductive features. Inductive loops can be predicted by models that account for formation of hydrogen pero...

The transient behavior of a Fuel Processor System to produce Hydrogen from bio-ethanol with high performance, coupled with a Proton Exchange Membrane Fuel Cell is modeled. The Ethanol Processor is based on a previous steady state design, optimized to work with maximum efficiency around 10 kW of rated power. From the dynamic rigorous model, a linearized model is identified to apply a systematic ...

This paper provides an insight to the feasibility of adopting hydrogen as a key energy carrier and fuel source in the near future. It is shown that hydrogen has several advantages, as well as few drawbacks in using for the above purposes. The research shows that hydrogen will be a key player in storing energy that is wasted at generation stage in large-scale power grids by off-peak diversion to...

The well-known compatibility of the SOFC with hydrocarbon fuels makes the solid oxide fuel cell a strong contender for transportation applications. Gasoline and diesel will continue to be the dominant fuels for decades to come. The 500 million automobiles, the existing fuel distribution system and the economic power of oil and automobile companies combined form a strong inertia in favour of liq...

Governmental policies and international treaties that aim at curbing the emissions of greenhouse gases and local pollutants can be expected. These regulations will increase the competitiveness of CO2-neutral energy sources, i.e., renewables, nuclear or fossil fuels with CO2-sequestration. The purpose of this paper is to assess the relative competitiveness of methanol and hydrogen as fuels in th...

Proton-exchange membrane (PEM) fuel cells are being developed for both automotive (motive and/or auxiliary) and stationary (residential) power applications. Solid oxide fuel cells (SOFCs) also are being pursued for a number of power generation applications, including stationary (residential and utility), and automotive (auxiliary) power sources. For both of these types of fuel cells, the use of...