A Novel Aproach to Fuel Cell and Electrolyzer Fabrication to Significantly Increase Power Density and Specific Power

With the recent events of September 11th, there is an urgent need for continuous surveillance of the US border. High altitude airships (HAAs) will have the ability to loiter above stationary targets at altitudes over 70,000 feet, however, they willrequire power systems capable of sustaining long term flight while requiring no refueling. Lynntech Inc.'s patented bipolar PEM fuel cell/electrolyzer technology is ideally suited for high altitude power generation. Further optimization of the size andweight of Lynntech's stacks will result in higher power generation, permitting greater payloads and more extensive surveillance equipment. Lynntech proposes to advance their PEM fuel cell technology by employing thinner components and lighter weightmaterials, to increase both the power density (W/L) and specific power density (W/kg). By employing Lynntech's adhesively bonded fuel cell stack technology, total stack weight can be reduced by as much as 33% while the total stack volumes can be reducedby 50%. During Phase I, Lynntech will determine the feasibility of reducing size and weight while not compromising system integrity. The results developed in Phase I will be applied in Phase II to construct the full size fuel cell and electrolyzer neededto power an HAA. It is anticipated that this Phase I project will provide the required system specifications to successfully develop higher energy/specific energy density fuel cells and electrolyzers for high altitude airships. Besides solar poweredaircraft, the electrochemical energy storage system being developed is also useful in terrestrial applications. Such applications include energy harvesting from intermittent energy sources such as earth bound photovoltaic arrays, wind powered generators,and tidal generators as well as the storage portion of high energy density uninterruptible power supplies. The novel fuel cell and electrolyzer stack technologies developed for this project can give rise to an improvement in the power density of PEM fuelcells and electrolyzers suitable for many applications