Nanocomposite Electrodes for a Solid Acid Fuel Cell Stack

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Program:
REBELS
Award:
$2,750,000
Location:
Oak Ridge, Tennessee
Status:
ALUMNI
Project Term:
10/01/2014 - 10/07/2017

Technology Description:

Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) is redesigning a fuel cell electrode that operates at 250ºC. Today’s solid acid fuel cells (SAFCs) contain relatively inefficient cathodes, which require expensive platinum catalysts for the chemical reactions to take place. ORNL’s fuel cell will contain highly porous carbon nanostructures that increase the amount of surface area of the cell’s electrolyte, and substantially reduce the amount of catalyst required by the cell. By using nanostructured electrodes, ORNL can increase the performance of SAFC cathodes at a fraction of the cost of existing technologies. The ORNL team will also modify existing fuel processors to operate efficiently at reduced temperatures; those processors will work in conjunction with the fuel cell to lower costs at the system level. ORNL’s innovations will enable efficient distributed electricity generation from domestic fuel sources using less expensive catalysts.

Potential Impact:

If successful, ORNL will improve the efficiency of SAFCs by 30% and enable low-cost distributed electricity generation from domestic fuel sources.

Security:

Enabling more efficient use of natural gas for power generation provides a reliable alternative to other fuel sources—a broader fuel portfolio means more energy security.

Environment:

Natural gas produces roughly half the carbon dioxide emissions of coal, making it an environmentally friendly alternative to existing sources of power generation.

Economy:

Distributed generation technologies would reduce costs associated with power losses compared to centralized power stations and provide lower operating costs due to peak shaving.

Contact

ARPA-E Program Director:
Dr. Paul Albertus
Project Contact:
Dr. Tom Zawodzinski
Press and General Inquiries Email:
ARPA-E-Comms@hq.doe.gov
Project Contact Email:
zawodzinskit@ornl.gov

Partners

SAFCell, Inc.
University of Tennessee

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Release Date:
11/25/2013