To Build Tomorrow s Fuel Cell Start with Tomorrow s

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/

Fuel Cell Design Experience • Fuel Cell Ugrad. Research (1991 -1996) – Single cell MEA-PEM development 10 • Fuel Cell Design Project (1996 -pres. ) Part I – Chem. E capstone design special project – ME capstone design & ugrad. research – EE & MSE students 50 114 9 • Fuel Cell Engineering (1998 -pres. ) Part II – 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. )

Technical Goals • H 2/air fuel cell system, fully contained – 10 k. W (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, H 0 scale train, etc.

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

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!

Three Levels of Design

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

Technical Accomplishments -I • Fuel Cell – MEA preparation procedure with ~30 process steps – Achieved 0. 26 A/cm 2 at 0. 6 V (factor of 2 -4 off industry) – Four years to this point • Stack – Working/sealed stack, 4 x 6 in 2 nom. (80 cm 2 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

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

Single Cell Data 1. 0 A: MEA w/ ID-FFP B: MEA w/ serp-FFP 0. 26 A/cm 2 at 0. 6 V E / V 0. 8 0. 6 0. 4 B A 0. 2 0 0 0. 2 0. 4 0. 6 j / A cm– 2 0. 8 1

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

Serpentine Flow Field Plate

Small Test Stand Large Test Stand

Test Stand Schematic P H 2 Tank P R N 2 Tank P Water Tank Electronic Load Heater T T Humidifier P P F Humidifier Fuel Drain Cell F H 2 Burner Backflash Filter F F T Stack P T Ice Bath Condensed Water Out Cold Water In From Tap F P Ice Bath F T T Condensed F Water Out Warm Water Out R F Flow R Regulator Heater P Pressure T Temperature Water Tank R F P P Water

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 H 2/O 2 safety much better Learned to avoid end-of-quarter rush

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

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

Road Map for Quarter

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

Stack Manifolding O 2 Manifold Stack H 2 Corner gasket O 2 H 2 O 121

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

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

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

What’s in the Future? • Chem. E 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 (Chem. E, 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

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