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 (0.5-2 kW) that can operate on diesel and logistics fuels. The advantages of employing these fuels for "in-the-field" power generation in military deployment include high energy density and wide availability. However, one problem with these fuels is that they all contain high concentration sulfur, which is extremely poisoning to most reforming catalysts and fuel cell anodes currently available. Presently, efficient, compact, and reliable fuel processors that are capable of converting diesel and logistics fuels to contaminant-free reformate are not commercially available. The objective of the proposed program is to develop an efficient, compact, and robust fuel processor to reform diesel into contaminant-free H2 and CO, as the fuel for SOFC. The proposed fuel processor will consist of a sulfur-tolerant partial oxidation reformer and a post-reforming desulfurizer as its key components. In Phase I, Aspen will prepare and evaluate a series of candidate materials to identify a highly active, coke- and sulfur-tolerant partial oxidation catalyst and a regenerable sorbent for H2S removal. Preliminary diesel reforming tests in an integrated fuel processor will also be carried out to demonstrate the proposed concept and identify critical technical issues that would need to be addressed in Phase II for prototype fuel processor construction and demonstration.