Compact Fuel Processor for 2 kW Solid Oxide Fuel Cell

The U.S. Army has the need for small and efficient fuel cell power generation systems (2 kW) that can operate on diesel and logistic fuels. The advantages of employing these fuels for “in-the-field” power generation in military deployment include high energy density and wide availability. Presently, efficient, compact, and reliable fuel processors that are capable of converting diesel and logistic fuels to contaminant-free reformate are not commercially available. In this project, we will develop such a fuel processor to reform diesel and logistic fuels into contaminant-free H2 and CO, as the fuel for 2 kW solid oxide fuel cells. In Phase I, we successfully demonstrated the technical feasibility of the proposed diesel processor concept. In Phase II, further R&D will be conducted to construct and demonstrate a working prototype diesel fuel processor.