High Power Density Fuel Cell for Vehicle Applications

Operating temperatures for phosphoric acid fuel cells have been steadily increasing in the quest for higher efficiency. The temperature increase has been made possible by the use of more stable electrode catalyst and other fuel cell materials. This makes it possible to consider reforming methanol fuel internally, thereby improving efficiency and simplifying power plant design. This change eliminates the external reformer and associated hardware, making the power plant more compact. ERC proposes to construct and test an internally reforming PAFC stack for dual use vehicle applications utilizing flat catalyst bed reofrmer technology developed for ERC carbonate stacks as the design basis. Successful demonstration will be the basis for 10 kW direct methanol fuel cell stacks for testing with simulated vehicle load conditions during the second phase. Anticipated Benefits: 1. Fuel cell power source for electric vehicles in military and non-military applications. 2. Fuel cell technology base for small remote power sources for military and non-military applications.