Unitized Design for Home Refueling Appliance for Hydrogen Generation to 5000 psi

U.S. automakers have invested significant resources in the research and development of hydrogen fuel-cell vehicles. However, to enable their widespread use, an additional major investment will be required to construct an infrastructure for hydrogen production and delivery to fueling stations. As an intermediate approach, the DOE has recommended the implementation of a high-pressure hydrogen-generation system for home refueling. This project will develop a cost-effective method for the generation of high-pressure hydrogen by combining an electrolyzer stack based on polymer electrolyte membrane (PEM) technology and a high-pressure hydrogen/water gas-separator. The combination of components eliminates the need for bulky and costly stack parts and facilitates a method for producing an electrolyzer stack that can safely operate at a balanced hydrogen pressure of 5000 psi. In addition, a reduction of major system components and system cost would be realized. Commercial Applications and other Benefits as described by the awardee: A low-cost process for producing high-pressure hydrogen from water by electrolysis would significantly advance the development of the hydrogen economy, providing hydrogen for fuel-cell vehicles at a price competitive with that of gasoline on a per-mile basis. The ability to produce hydrogen economically at the homeowner¿s site would enable the widespread introduction of fuel cell vehicles.