USGS Fuel Cell Current Research and Technology ...
Advances in PEM Fuel Cells.-Under terms of an agreement between Johnson Matthey and
James Cropper plc, Technical Fibre Products, the advanced composites subsidiary of James
Cropper, will provide key components in Johnson Matthey's new Membrane Electrode
Assembly (MEA) products for fuel cells. The agreement centers upon the development of
carbon composite substrates to be used to support the [platinum] catalysts and other MEA
components that form the heart of polymer electrolyte membrane (PEM) fuel cells. There now
seems little doubt that fuel cells will emerge as a major propulsion system for cars and trucks
within the next 5 to 10 years and will generate an additional demand for about 500,000
kg of platinum. Offering an attractive driving range and quick refueling, fuel cells may displace
various high-energy battery options that are now being investigated to meet zero emission
requirements on vehicles in the United States (Platt's Metals Week, 2000b)
Currently, fuel cell power units cost about 10 times that of conventional gasoline engines and use
hydrogen (liquid or gas) as the primary fuel. Most researchers in the field, however, have begun
investigating alternatives to pure hydrogen as the primary fuel because of difficulties associated
with its storage and distribution and are considering the use of methanol. Methanol is low in
carbon and rich in hydrogen.
Fuel cell power systems fueled by methanol would require a
reformer subsystem to convert methanol to the hydrogen required. One disadvantage of
methanol is that, unlike the use of pure hydrogen, water would not be the only exhaust pipe
emission; carbon monoxide, carbon dioxide, and nitrogen oxides would also be emitted (Metal
Bulletin Monthly, 2000).
In a related project, researchers at NASA's Jet Propulsion
Laboratory, Pasadena, CA, have developed an improved method of fabricating PEM-electrode
structures for methanol fuel cells. The procedure involves the use of improved sprayers to
deposit inks containing [platinum] catalytic metals onto proton exchange membranes of
perflurosulfonic acid polymers. The inks usually contain the catalytic metal (platinum for the
cathode and a mixture of platinum and ruthenium for the anode), a proton conducting ionomer
solution, water, and isopropanol, with perhaps a small amount of a
polytetrafluoroethylene-based additive.
In experiments the performances of fuel cells containing electrode structures
made by the new method were found to be comparable to fuel cells made by older methods.
The amount of catalyst used in the new method, however, ranged from 1 to 2 milligrams per
square centimeter (mg/cm2), whereas the amounts used in the older methods were typically
about 4 mg/cm2. The new method is suitable for mass production and may be a significant step
toward commercialization and reducing the cost of fuel cells (NASA Tech Briefs, 2000).
New Fuel Cell Eliminates Need for Platinum -
The most commonly used fuel cells contain platinum catalysts to convert conventional fuels into
hydrogen fuel. Researchers in Japan have designed a solid-oxide fuel cell (SOFC) that
advances the prospect of using fuel cells for onboard power generation in transportation
applications that require the use of conventional fuels. The system consists of only one gas
chamber in which both the anode and cathode are exposed to the same mixture of fuel and air.
This design eliminates the need for a reformer, which uses a platinum catalyst, to convert
hydrogen rich hydrocarbons to hydrogen.
SOFCs have several advantages over more commonly used PEM fuel cells. For example,
SOFCs do not require conversion of hydrocarbons to hydrogen, and SOFCs have a lower
fabrication cost because they do not require the use of platinum catalysts. In addition, the anode
in SOFCs is not poisoned by carbon monoxide, a major problem with PEM fuel cells that
decrease their performance when conventional fuels are used directly. The new SOFC design
also is compact and takes up less space than PEM cells. That advantage, combined with no
need for an onboard reformer, makes the SOFC system attractive for transportation
applications (Environmental Science & Technology, 2000, p. 419A).
minerals.usgs.gov ... complete report
The Ice That Burns - Tomorrow's New Gas Frontier?
Methane hydrates - natural gas trapped in ice - are a
tantalizing prospect with an energy potential
far exceeding conventional gas resources.
Issued on: October 19, 2001
New Projects to Explore Energy Potential,
Safety Issues of Methane Hydrates
Morgantown, WV - Methane hydrates are a tantalizing energy
prospect. A mixture of natural gas and water frozen into ice
crystals, hydrates could be an immense future source of clean
energy. Scientists estimate that if only one percent of the hydrate
resource in the United States could be tapped, America's natural
gas supplies could be more than doubled.
Yet hydrates might also pose a hazard to drilling, especially
offshore. Numerous landslide scars detected on relatively gentle
slopes of the continental shelf may be evidence of hydrates
breaking apart at or just below the ocean floor. Although a seafloor
hydrate slide has never been observed, safety concerns arise as
companies probe for oil and gas in deeper offshore waters where
encounters with hydrates are more likely.
To determine whether hydrates are tomorrow's new gas frontier or a dangerous foe
for future drillers, the U.S. Department of Energy's Strategic Center for Natural Gas –
part of the agency's National Energy Technology Laboratory – has selected six new
projects valued at almost $48 million.
The six are [click on each project for more details]:
University of California at San Diego, Scripps Institute of
Oceanography, San Diego, CA, which will study hydrates in the northern
Gulf of Mexico;
Joint Oceanographic Institutions, Washington, D.C., which will develop
new tools for recovering and analyzing hydrate cores from ocean sediments;
Chevron Petroleum Technology Co., Houston, TX, which proposes to
ultimately drill into hydrates in the Gulf of Mexico;
Halliburton Energy Services Inc., Houston, TX, which will conduct
laboratory experiments to develop reservoir models and simulators that can
be used to predict the behavior of hydrate formations during gas production;
Maurer Technology Inc., Houston, TX, which will concentrate on hydrates
formed beneath the Arctic permafrost in Northern Alaska;
BP Exploration Inc., Anchorage, AK, which will also focus on determining
whether gas hydrates and associated gas resources on the Arctic North
Slope offer future commercial prospects.
What are Methane Hydrates?
Hydrates are formed when a cage-like lattice of ice encases molecules of methane,
the chief constituent of natural gas. When the hydrate forms, the trapped methane
compresses; a cubic centimeter of methane hydrate, when it melts at room
temperature, will release about 160 cubic centimeters of methane.
Methane hydrates form in generally two types of geologic environments: in
permafrost regions where cold temperatures dominate and beneath the sea in
sediments of the outer continental margins where high pressure dominate. Hydrates
can also form a seal that traps more conventional supplies of natural gas seeping
toward the surface.
A 1995 U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) estimate of both marine and arctic hydrate
resources revealed the immense energy potential of hydrates. Using seismic
surveys, well logging, and core samples extracted in the internationally-sponsored
Ocean Drilling Program, the USGS concluded that the hydrate resources of the
United States could be as much as 320,000 trillion cubic feet. By comparison, the
United States has about 167 trillion cubic feet of proved natural gas reserves and
about 1,400 trillion cubic feet of total gas resources in formations other than
methane hydrates.
DOE's New Interest
DOE's initial hydrate studies, from 1982 to 1992, helped researchers gain a better
understanding of hydrates but came to an end as priorities shifted to more near-term
exploration and production R&D. Work continued at relatively small scales at the
U.S. Geological Survey, universities, other laboratories, and overseas.
In 1997-98, the Energy Department revived its hydrate research program as
exploration and drilling technology advanced and the need for greater long-term gas
supplies became apparent. The new program, which involves joint efforts from several
other federal agencies, is examining both the energy production potential and
possible safety concerns of methane hydrates.
Over the next two decades, as U.S. demand for clean-burning natural gas is
projected to increase by more than 50 percent, producers will look for gas prospects
in deeper offshore waters. These operations require drilling through areas likely to
contain hydrates. Hydrates are also believed to overlie conventional offshore oil
deposits.
Drilling and producing hydrates, however, are likely to pose enormous challenges.
As hydrates dissociate into water or ice and methane, instabilities can be created
within the seafloor or the wellbore. Therefore, technologies to locate and either avoid
or deal with potential problem areas will be especially important.
Refer to NETL site for project details ... netl.doe.gov
A New Clean Coal Era Begins
With electricity supplies still tight, the DOE plans to join with industry at eight
power plants in the U.S. to demonstrate cleaner, higher performance coal
technologies that can help provide America's power needs.
Issued on: October 16, 2001
Abraham Announces Projects to Bolster
Electricity Supply With New Technologies for
Nation's Coal-Fired Power Plants
"Power Plant Improvement Initiative" is Precursor
To President's Clean Coal Technology Program
Washington, DC - With many areas of the country still facing tight electricity
supplies in coming years, Secretary of Energy Spencer Abraham today announced
more than $110 million in new projects to apply leading edge clean coal
technologies to improve the reliability and environmental performance of the Nation's
coal-burning power plants.
Abraham announced that the federal government will share the costs of outfitting
eight power plants to become "showcases" of ways coal plants can continue
generating low-cost electricity with better performance and in compliance with tight
environmental standards.
Coal-fired power plants are the workhorses of the Nation's power industry. More than
600 coal-burning generators today account for more than half the electricity
Americans consume.
"Our National Energy Plan recognizes that America cannot generate the electricity it
needs without coal. That is why the President has pledged a new effort to work with
the power industry to apply our best technology to use our vast coal reserves cleanly
and economically. The projects we are announcing today will give us a ‘jump-start'
on the President's clean coal commitment," Abraham said.
The technology demonstrations will take place in Ohio, Florida, New York,
Wisconsin, South Dakota, Kansas, and Virginia.
The projects will be funded under the "Power Plant Improvement Initiative," a
Congressionally-directed effort that will serve as the precursor to President Bush's
clean coal technology program.
Congress approved the initiative last October following a summer of intermittent
power supply disruptions and price increases. Using funding originally allocated in
the 1980s for clean coal technology demonstrations, Congress directed the
Department of Energy to use up to $95 million for projects to improve the
performance of existing and new coal-fired electric power plants.
Today's projects were selected from 24 proposals submitted to the department in
April [read Techline]. Most will focus on lower cost technologies for reducing
pollutants from coal-burning power plants. With many coal plants threatened with
premature shutdowns because of environmental concerns, more effective and lower
cost emission controls can keep generators running while improving the quality of
the nation's air and water.
Other projects will improve the performance and reliability of power plants. In one
Florida project, sophisticated computer technology will be used to determine how
best to clean the inside of coal boilers without disrupting plant operations. In another
Florida project, a laser system will be used to measure the wear rates of materials
inside a coal gasifier. Coal gasifiers could one day replace the traditional
coal-burning boiler in super-clean power plants of the future.
One project will tackle the problem of waste handling from coal-burning power plants
by turning the sludge from a Virginia power plant into masonry blocks, reducing the
need for landfills.
Although exact dollar amounts will be determined during upcoming negotiations, the
Energy Department expects to provide approximately $51 million for the eight
projects. Private sector sponsors are expected to contribute nearly $61 million,
exceeding the 50 percent private sector cost-sharing mandated by Congress.
Projects will take from just over a year to five years to complete.
Project details available on NETL site ... netl.doe.gov
EPA LAUNCHES PARTNERSHIP TO PROMOTE
COGENERATION
Oct-17-2001
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The US Environmental Protection Agency
has launched the Combined Heat
and Power Partnership to promote
cogeneration as an alternative to
conventional electricity generation.
ogj.pennnet.com
IEA study: World energy reserves ample for 20 years and beyond
Bob Williams
Executive Editor
Oil and Gas Journal
BUENOS AIRES, Oct. 23 -- The world has ample energy reserves to meet its needs for the
next 20 years and for decades beyond that.
But a complicated welter of economic, geopolitical, and environmental challenges must
first be overcome to turn those reserves into available supplies. And even at that, massive
investments will also be required to develop those energy reserves -- as much as a
cumulative $500-600 billi on for needed incremental oil production capacity alone by 2010.
Those are the primary findings of a major study by the International Energy Agency, unveiled
at the World Energy Congress in Buenos Aires Tuesday.
At a press conference, IEA Executive Director Robert Priddle noted that the study, which
focuses on global energy supply, incorporates material provided by the Organization of
Petroleum Exporting Countries -- a first for an IEA report.
"This is a clear sign that the producer-consumer dialogue is moving along," he said.
However, Priddle also made a pointed reference to the section of the IEA study that
concluded a moderate oil price strategy by OPEC would result in greater net annual
revenues to the group by 2020. This picked up the theme from a panel on oil and gas price
volatility earlier in the day, when OPEC Pres. Chakib Khelil charged that consuming nations
would do more to benefit a recession-prone global economy by cutting taxes on petroleum
products than OPEC could by taking action to cut crude oil prices (OGJ Online, Oct. 23,
2001).
Study findings
The IEA study, "World Energy Outlook, 2001 Insights: Assessing Today's Supplies to Fuel
Tomorrow's Growth," focused on all forms of energy and various price and other scenarios
in which the energy resources can be commercialized.
Priddle cited the latest estimates from the US Geological Survey that the world's proven oil
reserves had risen steadily in the 1990s, to 1.196 trillion bbl in 2000 from 1.190 trillion bbl
in 1991.
He noted that, while this growth is not significant in absolute volume terms, it is
"remarkable that the rate of oil reserves growth [in the past year] has outpaced the rate of
growth in the use of these reserves."
The study estimated that global oil consumption totaled 28 billion bbl in 2000, while most
assessments of world oil reserves actually showed a net increase in total reserves last
year. It also found that global oil demand will climb by a net 20 million b/d in the next 10
years.
With that increased demand in mind, Priddle also pointed to the effects of decline rates in
the world's oil fields on investment in new production. Given a decline rate conservatively
estimated at 5%/year and oil demand growth pegged at 2%/year, that calls for the
equivalent of another 60 million b/d of oil production capacity that must be developed by
2010.
"If one takes the estimate of $5 billion to develop 1 million b/d of oil production capacity in
the Middle East, and perhaps five times that much to develop the same volume of oil
production capacity outside the Middle East, then the estimates of how much capital
investment might be required to meet the world's oil demand [by 2010) become
staggering."
Priddle sees much of that massive investment directed toward the Middle East and former
Soviet Union, with OPEC nations and unconventional oil such as extra-heavy crude and oil
sands figuring heavily into the picture. That outlook suggests a greater need for a
"congenial" business investment climate in those countries and oil prices that guarantee
investors a fair return.
Whatever the ultimate level of those "fair-return" oil prices might be, Priddle emphasized the
importance not only of stable oil prices but also moderate oil prices that would continue to
encourage oil demand without spurring a great deal of new non-OPEC oil production
capacity to be developed.
In the longer term, such a moderate oil price would actually deliver higher net annual oil
revenues to OPEC than would either a low or high oil price scenario.
The study found that OPEC's annual oil revenues could handily top $600 billion in 2020, vs.
a little over $500 billion under a high-price case and less than $400 billion under a
low-price case.
Natural gas growth
Priddle also noted the explosive growth of the natural gas industry as it evolves into a true
global market, citing it as further evidence that "the rate of growth in trade in energy is
beginning to outpace the actual rate of growth in demand for that energy."
While that burgeoning energy trade spurs still more questions about energy security,
coming as it will increasingly across geopolitically unstable areas, it nevertheless is
evident that "95% of the increase in the world's energy output by 2020 will come from
outside" the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development countries, Priddle
said.
"Even as the OECD energy output itself increases," he added, "it's up to non-OECD to
supply nearly all of the increase in world energy output that will be needed."
In particular, Priddle noted that OECD Europe will become 60% dependent on imports for
its natural gas needs in the coming decade, and "gas prices may have to rise in order to
meet this additional demand."
Contact Bob Williams at Bobw@ogjonline.com
ogj.pennnet.com
... Oil & Gas Journal link
Global Thermoelectric's ...
SOFC STATIONARY APPLICATIONS - AN OVERVIEW
Distributed power generation opportunities for Global's SOFC products are very significant Markets such as
residential cogeneration could be as large as and may come to fruition earlier than transportation markets.
Global's SOFCs are expected to have cost and efficiency advantages over other products and are well suited
where both the electrical and heat output of the fuel fell system is desired.
Distributed generation is on-site generation of electricity that supplements or bypasses the public power grid.
Distributed generation in the form of back-up power has been around for years predominantly in the form of
diesel generators, photovoltaics (solar power) and more recently micro-turbines. Global's own thermoelectric
generators are a form of distributed power generation intended for use in remote locations. In the coming
decade, distributed generation is expected to become widely used, not only as back up power, but a so for the
primary generation of power on-site. These changes are caused by the deregulation of public utilities
coinciding with a tight supply of traditional generation capability and new demands for more reliable or "high grade" power capable of supporting a digitized world ' These market pressures are a long-term global trend caused by economic and population growth and an increasing reliance, particularly ill service-based economies, on digital tools which require reliable electricity. Deregulation is a contributing factor by bringing market-based pricing mechanisms to the power industry and reducing barriers to entry. Deregulation is also creating an environment which a convergence of energy industries can occur, Thus, for example, natural gas suppliers may enter the marketplace offering distributed generation produce which use natural gas as fuel. Underlying these changes is a strong level of public concern about global warming, and support for alternative "green energy" technologies.
These factors have combined to engender an environment that welcomes innovation. Fuel cell systems have
the potential to provide distributed power generation solutions on a very wide basis. Such products will not only
produce electricity with greater efficiency in a more environmentally-friendly way, but are also scalable
(meaning that, within a wide range, efficiency is relatively constant), and will work well on a small scale where other solutions do not have this flexibility.
In home and small-scale industrial applications where both electrical and heat outputs can be used (called
cogeneration), SOFCs are very well suited. Global's SOFCs are expected to reach efficiencies (the rate at
which fuel is converted into electrical power and heat) of up to 85%. Even in the absence of cogeneration, SOFCs have a high base efficiency and in Global's case, systems are expected to be less costly to produce due to savings associated with the absence of complicated and expensive fuel reformers.
GLOBAL'S STATIONARY COMMERCIAL APPLICATIONS
Global's initial focus is on the development of 1 kW to 25kW systems using natural gas as fuel. The company
has made significant progress towards developing commercial products in this area. We have operated two
natural gas fueled prototype systems. The most recent system test, completed in June 2000, provided 1.35 kW
of peak power and operated in excess of 1,100 hours. The output of this system is sufficient to meet the base
load residential power requirements in many markets.
In 2001, Global's pilot fuel cell production plant will be operational and ready to produce prototypes for off-grid
remote power and home cogeneration applications. Initially, units will be tested extensively with our Canadian
ally, Enbridge Inc. and with oil and gas producers and telecommunication companies in Canada and in the
U.S. Subsequently, a second round of field tests involving a larger quantity of units will occur in 2002. This second round may include testing of applications connected to the power grid and involve may testing in countries outside of North America.
Remote power markets, where grid power is unreliable or where obtaining grid power is costly, will likely be the
first users of our fuel cell systems. These are markets with which Global is thoroughly familiar on a worldwide
basis and represent an area where our Company is likely to quickly establish a significant presence. Global's
fuel cell products will complement the Company's thermoelectric generator products, used primarily for
cathodic protection and remote instrumentation, and should allow the Company to compete successfully for
multi-kilowatt projects at well sites and pipelines.
Mass markets, where consumers will use fuel cell cogenerators to realize overall energy savings will become
important as system costs decline. Our preliminary modeling shows that when both electricity and heat is
captured, consumers in many North American markets may realize significant savings in energy costs
depending on the local electricity and gas price structures. European markets may be still more favourable as
electricity prices are in many instances, much higher than North American prices.
globalte.com ... REVIEW OF GLOBAL'S FUEL CELL PROGRAM |
