The entire industry is following GLE's breakthroughs, Global Thermoelectric is still ahead by 3-5 years ... for example ...
GTI's 2001 Annual Report on the Leading Edge :
Pursuing a novel low-temperature design approach GTI researchers generate optimism for affordable clean, efficient, affordable, clean energy.
Smaller, more efficient, quiet and clean. That’s not a pitch for a new automobile, but a description of new technology under development at GTI that’s poised to enter the power generation market.
That technology is the fuel cell, targeted for use in distributed and remote power generation.
For most of the past century, the United States has relied heavily on centralized power stations for generation of electricity—plants fueled by coal, natural gas or uranium, and typically producing 500 megawatts (MW) to more than 1,000 MW.
In contrast, distributed generation places smaller, modular power plants close to energy users, offering higher-quality electricity (e.g., fewer voltage spikes or sags), more reliable power delivery, and high system efficiency. Where appropriate, heat recovery can boost overall efficiency even further.
And one very promising technology for distributed and remote generation is the solid oxide fuel cell (SOFC), which uses electrochemistry, not combustion, for highly efficient conversion of fuel and oxygen into electricity and heat with virtually no emissions (see sidebar).
SOLID OXIDE FUEL CELLS: HIGHEST EFFICIENCY
Traditional SOFC systems incorporate tubular and planar (flat-plate) configurations, operating at temperatures up to 1832° F (1000° C). These high-temperature systems are primarily targeted for large stationary applications, in sizes from 250 kW to 10 MW. SOFC systems offer the highest efficiency of all fuel cell types: 45-60% when producing electricity, 90-95% when producing electricity plus heat (called cogeneration).
But GTI and its research partners have taken a different path—a novel design approach that holds the promise for reducing the cost of both large- and smaller-scale SOFCs. Traditional designs employ thick electrolytes to support the electrodes in the stack. Instead, the GTI team is using a thin electrolyte, supported by thicker, porous electrodes (anodes and cathodes). This new configuration—called the Reduced-Temperature Electrode-Supported Planar Solid Oxide Fuel Cell (RTESP-SOFC)—significantly reduces the operating temperature of the fuel cell, according to Dr. Robert Remick, GTI’s Associate Director, High-Temperature Fuel Cells.
“Lower-temperature operation allows us to incorporate stainless steel components into the system, rather than the more expensive ceramic materials needed to withstand higher temperatures,” says Remick. “By increasing the thickness of the nickel-based anode—which is the least expensive major component of the fuel cell—we are taking a significant step toward reducing materials costs.”
Another reason for optimism, says Remick, concerns fuel reforming—the extraction of hydrogen from natural gas. In a SOFC, almost all fuel processing is done internally, whereas other types of fuel cells require large, external reforming subsystems. A recent process design breakthrough in the GTI program combines the fuel cell stack, fuel reformer, burner, and high-temperature heat exchanger into one module—an integration step that is the secret to high efficiency.
TARGETING GAS-INDUSTRY MARKETS
GTI has identified several potential near-term markets in the gas industry for using a reduced-temperature SOFC system to provide remote power. For gas utilities, these include power for district regulator, metering and telemetry equipment. For pipelines, power for SCADA and cathodic protection equipment. And for producers, power production at the wellhead. Beyond the gas industry, potential markets include stationary and auxiliary power for recreational vehicles, and remote power for telecommunications systems.
GTI FUEL CELL R&D: DECADES OF EXPERIENCE
GTI, through its two predecessor companies, Gas Research Institute (GRI) and the Institute of Gas Technology (IGT), has more than 40 years of experience in fuel cell technology. IGT and GRI have either performed or sponsored research that has brought phosphoric acid and molten carbonate fuel cells to the marketplace, and has moved PEM fuel cells deep into the field-evaluation stage.
In September 2001, GTI joined with the University of Utah, Materials and Systems Research, Inc. (MSRI), and EPRI—all key players in the development of the RTESP-SOFC—to form a new company called Versa Power Systems, Inc. The move leverages the group’s knowledge-base and expertise to focus on a program aimed at testing a 500-watt, reduced-temperature system by the end of 2002.
“We’re very excited about the formation of Versa Power,” says Dr. Robert Stokes, GTI’s Vice President, Research and Deployment. “We have experts onboard that have collectively dealt with every phase of fuel cell product development. The make-up of this team gives me a great deal of confidence that we will have a reduced-temperature, solid-oxide fuel cell in the marketplace within a few years.”
CONTACT
Gerry Runte, Director, Energy Systems Center (847/768-0730; gerry.runte@gastechnology.org).
How a Fuel Cell Operates
A fuel cell system converts hydrocarbon fuel (e.g., natural gas or methanol) and oxygen into electricity through electrochemical reactions, not combustion. GTI has supported research on several types of fuel cells: phosphoric acid; proton or polymer exchange membrane (PEM); molten carbonate; and solid oxide. All have three basic components:
The fuel processor—whose complexity depends on the fuel cell type (see text)—converts hydrocarbon fuel into the hydrogen-rich gas that the fuel cell consumes
The stack (made up of multiple cells) generates the electricity that the fuel cell system delivers
The power conditioner transforms the direct-current output from the stack into alternating current.
Other components include blowers, heat exchangers, and packaging elements.
A fuel cell is similar to a battery, but does not run down. It generates electricity as long as it receives hydrogen fuel and oxygen. The heart of the system is a stack of individual fuel cells. Each cell, in turn, consists of an electrolyte material sandwiched between a negative electrode (anode) and a positive electrode (cathode). Fuel enters the cell through the anode, oxygen/air through the cathode.
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Press Release
SOURCE: IMPCO Technologies, Inc.
China Natural Gas Corporation Ltd. and IMPCO Form Joint Venture |
