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hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) or air as the oxidizer This borohydride fuel cell design has been thoroughly tested and optimized to ensure rapid commercialization
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The only waste products are water and sodium metaborate, which can be recycled to produce new sodium borohydride either at a central plant (currently feasible) or in the fuel cell itself (currently in development).
An optimized version of our small test cell generated 36-W at ~ 60C, representing one of the highest power density reported to date for a small fuel cell working at sub-100C.
A 500-W NaBH4/H2O2 Stack Shows That Our Record Power Densities are Scalable.
The deconstructed 10-W test cell: Flow rate of approximately 200 cm3/min Minimal pressure drop even with parallel flow due to low flow rate Temperature rise of approximately 15C Cell runs at 50% efficiency at highest rated load
The completed 500-W stack: The active area per cell was 144 cm2 and 15 cells were employed to provide a total stack active area of 2160 cm2.
Voltage (V)
1.0 PEM H2/O2 Fuel Cell 0.8 0.6 0.4 0.2 0.0 0.0 0.2 0.4 0.6 0.8 1.0 1.2 1.4 Current Density (A/cm 2)
The V-I characteristics of various fuel cells, at room temperature, ambient pressure operation.
Direct NaBH4 Fuel Cells Can Also Use Oxygen From Air as an Oxidizer
Using oxygen (air) as the oxidizer decreases fuel weight, since H2O2 would not need to be carried The slight loss in power density is more than made up for by the mass of oxidizer that does not need to be carried This approach can work for terrestrial applications where size/weight is at a premium
Automobiles, manned and unmanned aircraft, ships, and auxiliary power units are all ideally suited to an NaBH4/air fuel cell
NaBH4 plant
NaBH4
Fuel Cell
NaBO2
400
Voltage (V)
25 20 15 10 5 0 0 5 10 15 20 Current (A) 25
300
200
100
0 30 35 40
Power (W)
In Addition to Our Current Regenerative Cell Long Term Approaches Are Under Study
I. Novel chemistries can be used to create a timed release fuel cell. This design, termed the STID design, is in testing now and has shown great promise for satellite and load leveling applications. The fuel cell waste product, NaBO2, can be drained from the fuel cell and chemically recycled at a dedicated recycling station. This approach is best suited for automotive and some stationary applications. NaBO2 can be converted in situ in a unitized regenerative cell. Some progress has been made on this design and work is continuing.
II.
III.
Because the cell uses a permeable membrane, it will self discharge after a certain amount of time (~15 hrs) Because of this discharge/recharge cycle, the cell is ideal for periodic applications such as satellite power and load leveling
Cell power and required battery power during system startup are sized to maintain a system output of 1000 W ~20 second fuel cell startup time The battery kicks in after power failure to provide immediate power until the fuel cell can reach full power Modest battery requirements for startup due to fast fuel cell startup: Power ~ 1250 W Energy ~ 5.9 W-hr
Space Applications
Astronauts have been using fuel cells for power on spacecraft since the 1960s. Looking forward, one of the most challenging issues in space applications is increasing the energy density of fuel cells. NaBH4/H2O2 fuel cells achieve that desired increase in energy density. Low storage mass overhead of NaBH4/H2O2 fuel cells very important for cost savings in space launches. First application planned is for an AF satellite.
Direct NaBH4/Air Fuel Cells for Automobiles Approach DOE 2015 Targets
Power density of 2200 W/L Specific power of 2000 W/kg 75% fuel cell efficiency System cost: $20/kWe Durability, transient response time, cold startup time, and temperature survivability conditions can currently all be met, unlike gaseous H2 systems.
Parameter Mass of liquid fuel Size of liquid fuel tank Parasitic Mass Total Fuel System Mass Energy Density of Fuel System Vehicle Power Consumption Vehicle Speed Vehicle Range Value 100 kg 20 gal 20 kg 120 kg 2.2 kWh/kg 20 kW 75 mph 500 mi
Direct NaBH4/Air Fuel Cells Can Be Used For Many Other Types of Mobile Uses
Any vehicle that currently supplies electrical demand through batteries can be fitted with an all liquid fuel cell for better power and energy densities
The NaBH4/H2O2 FC achieves a max efficiency > 75%, at > 1.0 W/cm2, under ambient pressure and temperature. Optimized catalysts give a high conversion efficiency and negligible gas production, allowing sealed units. Simple system design for liquid fuel, plus innovative manufacturing processes, open applications: Ws to kWs.
Near Term: Laptop and UPS units provide compact designs with long run-times. Also, air independent applications, e.g. satellite power are close at hand. Long Term: Automobiles and spacecraft will benefit from Direct NaBH4 fuel cells.