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To Build Tomorrow’s Fuel Cell Start with Tomorrow’s Fuel Cell Engineer - Part I

To Build Tomorrow’s Fuel Cell Start with Tomorrow’s Fuel Cell Engineer - Part I. Eric M. Stuve, Per G. Reinhall, Joyce S. Cooper, Daniel T. Schwartz Departments of Chemical and Mechanical Engineering University of Washington http://faculty.washington.edu/stuve/.

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To Build Tomorrow’s Fuel Cell Start with Tomorrow’s Fuel Cell Engineer - Part I

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  1. To Build Tomorrow’s Fuel Cell Start with Tomorrow’s Fuel Cell Engineer - Part I Eric M. Stuve, Per G. Reinhall, Joyce S. Cooper, Daniel T. Schwartz Departments of Chemical and Mechanical Engineering University of Washington http://faculty.washington.edu/stuve/

  2. Fuel Cell Design Experience • Fuel Cell Ugrad. Research (1991-1996) – Single cell MEA-PEM development 10 • Fuel Cell Design Project (1996-pres.) – ChemE capstone design special project 50 – ME capstone design & ugrad. research 114 – EE & MSE students 9 Part I • Fuel Cell Engineering (1998-pres.) – Lecture / HW / project course – Technical support for F/C project – UW students 83 – Distance learning (EDGE) students 67 (Ballard, UTC-Fuel Cells, Honeywell, Ford, etc.) Part II

  3. Technical Goals • H2/air fuel cell system, fully contained • 10 kW (100 Amps @ 100 Volts) • Proton exchange membrane (PEM) system (80 °C) • Safe for student operation in public arena • Application: Prime mover for a locomotive • 18 in. gauge (approx. 1/3 scale) • Pull two passenger coaches • Use for Open House demonstrations • Other applications • SAE car, radio, H0 scale train, etc.

  4. Educational Goals - I • Integrate classroom learning with real system • Follow a project through concept, planning, execution, and evaluation • Couple research and design: students must learn how to learn, analyze data from different sources • Complex system with uncertain outcome: the pressure is on! • Work in interdisciplinary groups • Standard in industry, should be in academics, too • Combine different skill sets … and different attitudes! • Communicate with peers, superiors, and non-specialists • Develop leadership and time management skills

  5. Educational Goals - II • Job placement • Provide engineers trained in the art of fuel cells • Over 10 students currently in F/C industry, more to follow • Public outreach • Engineers work in a social and cultural context • Engineers make decisions that affect other people • Engineers must involve other constituencies, e.g. with safety • The “romance of trains” • It’s just plain fun!

  6. Three Levels of Design

  7. Student Groups • Single Cell (ChemE, MSE) • Develop & optimize working fuel cell (MEA) • Stack (ME/ChemE) • Connect multiple cells in series (~160) • Flow field plates & seals • Test stand (ME/ChemE) • Systems (balance of plant) requirements • Chassis & Drivetrain (ME) • Design and construct loco & coaches • Power controller (EE) • Interface F/C to motor • Safety (all) • Monitor groups’ efforts • Others • Web design • Fundraising

  8. Technical Accomplishments -I • Fuel Cell • MEA preparation procedure with ~30 process steps • Achieved 0.26 A/cm2 at 0.6 V (factor of 2-4 off industry) • Four years to this point • Stack • Working/sealed stack, 4 x 6 in2 nom. (80 cm2 actual) • Achieved 7 A at 2 V from four-cell stack • Two years to this point • Test stand/BOP • Many versions built, now integrating computer data acquisition

  9. NaCl H O Soak 2 2 N 2 + Clean Na form Glycerol TBOH Nafion MeOH soln. Sonicate Binder Dry H SO 2 4 DI H O Hot Press 2 soak. 130 C 100 C + H form MEA Preparation

  10. –2 j / A cm Single Cell Data 1.0 A: MEA w/ ID-FFP B: MEA w/ serp-FFP 0.26 A/cm2 at 0.6 V 0.8 E / V 0.6 0.4 B A 0.2 0 0 0.2 0.4 0.6 0.8 1

  11. Carl Ljungholm Matt Thompson Elisa Baris Chris Green Christy Silverman Greg Martin Jon Bumgardner

  12. Serpentine Flow Field Plate

  13. Small Test Stand Large Test Stand

  14. Test Stand Schematic N2 Tank H2 Tank P P Pressure Temperature Flow Regulator Water Tank P Water Water Water Tank T F P R P R P R Electronic Load R Heater Heater F T P F Fuel Cell Stack Humidifier Humidifier Drain Drain T F P F T P F F H2 Burner Backflash Filter T P Ice Bath Ice Bath Condensed Water Out F Condensed Water Out T F T Warm Water Out Cold Water In From Tap

  15. Technical Accomplishments - II • Rolling stock • Locomotive with 13 hp elec. motor • Two, 6-passenger coaches, mahogany benches, covered • Awaiting the fuel cell … • Safety • SOPs for various procedures • Only one explosion … no permanent injuries • Understand H2/O2 safety much better • Learned to avoid end-of-quarter rush

  16. Lessons Learned • Never underestimate safety • Project not sanitized! • Students over-confident, under-experienced • Combined research and design difficult • Good research requires skills of a graduate student • Accomplishing goals requires teamwork • Need both the individualist and team player (like the real world!) • Communication is #1 headache (like the real world) • Time management is #2 (like the real world … ugh!) • Need more work on project documentation and archives

  17. Fuel Cell Engineering Course • UW & Distance Learning Students Worldwide • Course Outline: – Principles of electrochemical energy conversion – Single cells – Stack engineering – Systems engineering – Safety concerns

  18. Road Map for Quarter

  19. Anode Cathode GDL PEM GDL + H H O 2 2 T=800 C H O drag 2 H O H O 2 2 H O diff 2 1 2 3 4 Make H2O H O N 2 2 2 H O H O 2 2 Model of Springer, et al. 43

  20. O 2 Manifold Stack H2 H 2 Corner gasket O2 H2O Stack Manifolding 121

  21. Air H O Recov. 2 M Purge Turbo- charger Flow meter Stack Motor F H Flow Resistor Memb H F Heat Humid. Exch. (2x) Level Humid Ejector Radiator L H T 2 Flow control H O 2 Flow & Control Systems

  22. Integrating the ChemE Curriculum with Fuel Cells • Build 5 kW fuel cell system for Unit Ops. Lab (two year project funded by Dreyfus/UTRC) • Every UW ChemE student will get experience in fuel cells

  23. Capstone Design Project CHEM E 497 (1996-) Special Projects in Chemical Engineering Design 50 students M E Design & Research (1996-) Mechanical Engineering Design 114 students Other Engineering Design EE – 6 students MSE – 3 students • Interdisciplinary Fuel Cell • Design Experience Lead-In Courses & Institutional Support Outcomes • CHEM E 445 (1998-) • Fuel Cell Engineering • 83 UW students • 67 Distance Learning students CHEM E / ENVIR / M E / PHYS 341, 342 Energy and Environment I, II Lifelong Learning Training to F/C industry M E 430 Advanced Energy Conversion Jobs in F/C Industry 16% of students in F/C industry UTC Fuel Cells Plug Power Idatek Honeywell CHEM E 461 Electrochemical Engineering CHEM E 485 Process Design I CHEM E Core Curriculum F/C system for undergraduate lab; all students to study fuel cells M E 395 Introduction to Mechanical Design External Support Dreyfus UTRC Ford UTC Fuel Cells Honeywell M E 415 Sustainability and Design for the Environment Graduate Program (Participating faculty: Adler, Bordia, Cooper, Jenkins, Kramlich, Malte, Overney, Reinhall, Schwartz, Stuve) Institutional Support: CHEM E, ME, CoE NSF-ECSEL

  24. What’s in the Future? • ChemE Curriculum Development • F/C is excellent example of integrating teaching & research • Project work & course development spawn research ideas • Specific F/C applications are examples of product design • Improve project management and work skills of students • UW F/C Research Development • 10 faculty (ChemE, ME, & MSE) working on PEM, SOFC, LCA, fundamentals • Pacific Northwest Energy Institute (Engineering, Business, Economics, Environmental Policy) • F/C Curriculum Development • Certificate program in F/C Engineering Intro, F/C Engr., SOFC, Power Engr., Adv. F/C Engr. • Available worldwide through EDGE

  25. Acknowledgements • All the students!!!! • Russ Noe and the ME student shop • Bruce Finlayson (ChemE) • Reiner Decher (A&A), Rich Christie (EE), Brian Flinn (MSE), Sossina Haile (MSE; now at Cal Tech) • NSF-ECSEL for major funding • ChemE, ME Depts; College of Engineering • Dreyfus Foundation • Industrial Support • UTRC • Ford • UTC Fuel Cells • Siemens • Honeywell

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