Highly Integrated, Highly Efficient Fuel Reformer/Fuel Cell System

In this project NexTech Materials, Ltd. will design and demonstrate a 10-kW solid oxide fuel cell (SOFC) system that can operate on JP 5 diesel fuel. The system will be designed to meet critical Navy needs for unmanned aerial vehicle systems that can operate on heavy diesel fuel with better efficiency, higher system power density, and faster system start-up. The system will be designed around NexTech’s proprietary planar SOFC design, which can tolerate high levels of sulfur compared to contemporary SOFC technologies. In Phase I, NexTech will design a conceptual system, including a 10-kW stack integrated with a JP-5 auto-thermal reformer. The conceptual system design will account for all components required in the system. Further, NexTech will demonstrate the projected performance of critical components in bench-scale testing. In Phase II, NexTech will build a prototype system based on the Phase I design, and demonstrate operation of the system on JP-5 fuel. The system will target a start-up time of 8 minutes, be capable of multiple start-/stop cycles, operate at an efficiency greater than 35% electrical efficiency, and target a power density greater than 60 W/kg.