Water Vapor Recovery System for Advancement of State of the Art Fuel Cell Technologies through Innovative Component Development

Information technology is integral to the success of modern day military operations and future soldier capabilities. Traditional battery technologies do not provide the energy density and power delivery available in a size and weight that meets electronics intensive battlefield requirements with long mission durations. Micro fuel cells are envisioned as the next generation of hot-swappable, safe and environmentally friendly off-grid power sources for these demanding applications. The ultimate objective for this SBIR effort will be the development of a fuel cell system that provides 20W of power in less than 0.8 kg dry weight and exhibits an energy density of at least 1440Whr/kg for a 72 hour mission. The target energy density will be accomplished through the innovation of a water vapor recovery system (WVRS) component that will enable pure methanol fuel cartridges, thereby dramatically impacting fuel energy density by 38%.