Logistic Fuel Organic Sulfur Trap for Fuel Cell Use by Air Expeditionary Forces

"Effective, low cost and compact sulfur removal technologies are required for militaryand commercial fuel cell applications. Altex Technologies Corporation (Altex) andPennsylvania State University (PSU) have identified the Logistic Fuel Organic SulfurTrap (LFOST) concept that can remove sulfur compounds from logistic fuels at ambienttemperatures and pressures without using hydrogen or any other chemical reactant.The hydrocarbon components in logistic fuels remain intact after passing through LFOST,but the sulfur compounds are retained by selective chemical adsorption on the surface ofsolid adsorbent materials. The concept has been demonstrated at PSU on gasoline fuels.During this program, the technology will be extended to logistic fuels. The design and screeningof the adsorbent materials will be carried out at PSU, and the long-term sulfur captureand regeneration testing of an LFOST module will be carried out at Altex. Based on these tests, an LFOST system will be designed for integration into the Air Expeditionary Force (AEF) fuel cell system and the LFOST performance and cost will be projected.These activities will provide the basis for the Phase II efforts to fabricate, demonstrate and deliver the LFOST for integration into the AEF fuel cell reformer A successful development of LFOST will provide a compact and low cost deep desulfurizationtechnology that has extensive military and multiple commercial applications. In the militar