B. Höhlein

Compact methanol reformer test for fuel-cell powered light-duty vehicles

Abstract On-board production of hydrogen from methanol based on a steam reformer in connection with the use of low-temperature fuel-cells (PEMFC) is an attractive option as energy conversion unit for light-duty vehicles. A steam reforming process at higher pressures with an external burner offers advantages in comparison to a steam reformer with integrated partial oxidation in terms of total efficiency for electricity production. The main aim of a common project carried out by the Forschungszentrum Julich (FZJ), Haldor Topsoe A/S (HTAS) and Siemens AG is to design, to construct and to test a steam reformer reactor concept (HTAS) with external catalytic burner (FZJ) as heat source as well as catalysts for heterogeneously catalyzed hydrogen production (HTAS), concepts for gas treatment (HTAS, FZJ) and a low-temperature fuel cell (Siemens). Based on the experimental results obtained so far concerning methanol reformers, catalytic burners and gas conditioning units, our report describes the total system, a test unit and preliminary test results related to a hydrogen production capacity of 50 kW (LHV) and dynamic operating conditions. This hydrogen production system is aimed at reducing the specific weight ( th or 4 kg/kW el ) combined with high efficiency for net electricity generation from methanol (about 50%) and low specific emissions. The application of Pd-membranes as gas cleaning unit fulfill the requirements with high hydrogen permeability and low cost of the noble metal.

Hydrogen from methanol for fuel cells in mobile systems: development of a compact reformer

Abstract On-board generation of hydrogen from methanol with a reformer in connection with the use of a proton-exchange membrane fuel cell (PEMFC) is an attractive option for a passenger car drive. Special considerations are required to obtain low weight and volume. Furthermore, the PEMFC of today cannot tolerate more than 10 ppm of carbon monoxide in the fuel. Therefore a gas conditioning step is needed after the methanol reformer. Our main research activities focus on the conceptual design of a drive system for a passenger car with methanol reformer and PEMFC: engineering studies with regard to different aspects of this design including reformer, catalytic burner, gas conditioning, balances of the fuel cycles and basic design of a compact methanol reformer. The work described here was carried out within the framework of a JOULE II project of the European Union (1993–1995). Extensive experimental studies have been carried out at the Forschungszentrum Julich GmbH (KFA) in Germany and at Haldor Topsoe A/S in Denmark.

Utilization of methanol for polymer electrolyte fuel cells in mobile systems

The constantly growing volume of road traffic requires the introduction of new vehicle propulsion systems with higher efficiency and drastically reduced emission rates. As part of the fuel cell programme of the Research Centre Julich a vehicle propulsion system with methanol as secondary energy carrier and a polymer electrolyte membrane fuel cell (PEMFC) as the main component for energy conversion is developed. The fuel gas is produced by a heterogeneously catalyzed steam reforming reaction in which methanol is converted to H2, CO and CO2. The required energy is provided by the catalytic conversion of methanol for both heating up the system and reforming methanol. The high CO content of the fuel gas requires further processing of the gas or the development of new electrocatalysts for the anode. Various PtRu alloys show promising behaviour as CO-tolerant anodes. The entire fuel cell system is discussed in terms of energy and emission balances. The development of important components is described and experimental results are discussed.

Fuel cells for mobile and stationary applications - cost analysis for combined heat and power stations on the basis of fuel cells

Abstract Highly efficient energy conversion systems with fuel cells for vehicles and stationary applications are currently being discussed all over the world as a technology which will be able to reduce primary energy demand and emissions of limited and climate-relevant pollutants. The high flexibility of fuel-cell systems with respect to energy carriers opens up possibilities of modifying the energy market in the long term. New environmental legislation, above all in the USA, stipulating the introduction of emission-free cars from 2003, has led in the transport sector to an intensified search for alternatives to conventional drive concepts. In stationary applications, numerous demonstration plants and some field tests already implemented reflect the developmental stage of fuel-cell systems. In Germany, a new combined heat and power (CHP) plant modernisation law has been enacted. This act is of special significance for the market launch of fuel cells. A major milestone on the road to market success for all the above-mentioned systems—in order to compete with conventional technologies—is the reduction of costs. In this contribution systems analyses for mobile and stationary applications of fuel-cell systems are presented as well as economic analyses for different fuel-cell systems for stationary applications. In particular, CHP generation based on natural gas as the energy carrier is performed.

Investigation of a methanol reformer concept considering the particular impact of dynamics and long-term stability for use in a fuel-cell-powered passenger car

Abstract A methanol reformer concept including a reformer, a catalytic burner, a gas cleaning unit, a PEMFC and an electric motor for use in fuel-cell-powered passenger cars was investigated. Special emphasis was placed on the dynamics and the long-term stability of the reformer. Experiments on a laboratory scale were performed in a methanol steam reformer consisting of four different reactor tubes, which were separately balanced. Due to the endothermy of the steam reforming reaction of methanol, a sharp drop in the reaction temperature of about 50 K occurs at the beginning of the catalyst bed. This agrees well with the high catalytic activity at the entrance of the catalyst bed. Forty-five percent of the methanol was converted within the first 10 cm of the catalyst bed where 12.6 g of the CuO/ZnO catalyst was located. Furthermore, CO formation during methanol steam reforming strongly depends on methanol conversion. Long-term measurements for more than 700 h show that the active reaction zone moved through the catalyst bed. Calculations, on the basis of these experiments, revealed that 63 g of reforming catalyst was necessary for mobile PEMFC applications, in this case for 400 W el at a system efficiency of 42% and a theoretical specific hydrogen production of 5.2 m 3 n /(h kg Cat ). This amount of catalyst was assumed to maintain a hydrogen production of at least 80% of the original amount over an operating range of 3864 h. Cycled start-up and shut-down processes of the methanol steam reformer under nitrogen and hydrogen atmospheres did not harm the catalytic activity. The simulation of the breakdown of the heating system, in which a liquid water/methanol mixture was in close contact with the catalyst, did not reveal any deactivation of the catalytic activity.

Fuel cell drive system with hydrogen generation in test

In the future, drive systems for vehicles with polymer electrolyte membrane fuel cells (PEMFC) may be the environmentally more acceptable alternative to conventional drives with internal combustion engines. The energy carrier may not be gasoline or diesel, as in combustion engines today, but methanol, which is converted on-board into a hydrogen-rich synthesis gas in a reforming reaction with water. After removal of carbon monoxide in a gas-cleaning step, the conditioned synthesis gas is converted into electricity in a fuel cell using air as the oxidant. The electric energy thus generated serves to supply a vehicles electric drive system. Based on the process design for a test drive system, a test facility was prepared and assembled at Forschungszentrum Julich (FZJ). Final function tests with the PEMFC and the integrated compact methanol reformer (CMR) were carried out to determine the performance and the dynamic behaviour. With regard to the 50-kW(H2)-compact methanol reformer, a special design of catalytic burner was constructed. The burner units, with a total power output of 16 kW, were built and tested under different states of constant and alternating load. If selecting a specific catalyst loading of 40 g Pt/m2, the burner emissions are below the super ultra low emission vehicle (SULEV) standard. The stationary performance test of the CMR shows a specific hydrogen production of 6.7 mN3/(kgcat h) for a methanol conversion rate of 95% at 280°C. Measurements of the transient behaviour of the CMR clearly show a response time of about 20 s, reaching 99% of the hydrogen flow demand due to the limited performance of the test facility control system. Simulations have been carried out in order to develop a control strategy for hydrogen production by the CMR during the New European Driving Cycle (NEDC). Based on the NEDC, an optimized energy management for the total drive system was evaluated and the characteristic data for different peak load storage systems are described.

Critical assessment of power trains with fuel-cell systems and different fuels

Abstract Legal regulations (USA, EU) are a major driving force for intensifying technological developments with respect to the global automobile market. In the future, highly efficient vehicles with very low emission levels will include low-temperature fuel-cell systems (PEFC) as units of electric power trains. With alcohols, ether or hydrocarbons used as fuels for these new electric power trains, hydrogen as PEFC fuel has to be produced on board. These concepts including the direct use of methanol in fuel-cell systems, differ considerably in terms of both their development prospects and the results achieved so far. Based on process engineering analyses for net electricity generation in PEFC-powered power trains, as well as on assumptions for electric power trains and vehicle configurations, different fuel-cell performances and fuel processing units for octane, diesel, methanol, ethanol, propane and dimethylether have been evaluated as fuels. The possible benefits and key challenges for different solutions of power trains with fuel-cell systems/on-board hydrogen production and with direct methanol fuel-cell (DMFC) systems have been assessed. Locally, fuel-cell power trains are almost emission-free and, unlike battery-powered vehicles, their range is comparable to conventional vehicles. Therefore, they have application advantages cases of particularly stringent emission standards requiring zero emission. In comparison to internal combustion engines, using fuel-cell power trains can lead to clear reductions in primary energy demand and global, climate-relevant emissions providing the advantage of the efficiency of the hydrogen/air reaction in the fuel cell is not too drastically reduced by additional conversion steps of on-board hydrogen production, or by losses due to fuel supply provision.

Fuel cell power trains for road traffic

Legal regulations, especially the low emission vehicle (LEV) laws in California, are the driving forces for more intensive technological developments with respect to a global automobile market. In the future, high efficient vehicles at very low emission levels will include low temperature fuel cell systems (e.g., polymer electrolyte fuel cell (PEFC)) as units of hydrogen-, methanol- or gasoline-based electric power trains. In the case of methanol or gasoline/diesel, hydrogen has to be produced on-board using heated steam or partial oxidation reformers as well as catalytic burners and gas cleaning units. Methanol could also be used for direct electricity generation inside the fuel cell (direct methanol fuel cell (DMFC)). The development potentials and the results achieved so far for these concepts differ extremely. Based on the experience gained so far, the goals for the next few years include cost and weight reductions as well as optimizations in terms of the energy management of power trains with PEFC systems. At the same time, questions of fuel specification, fuel cycle management, materials balances and environmental assessment will have to be discussed more intensively. On the basis of process engineering analyses for net electricity generation in PEFC-powered power trains as well as on assumptions for both electric power trains and vehicle configurations, overall balances have been carried out. They will lead not only to specific energy demand data and specific emission levels (CO2, CO, VOC, NOx) for the vehicle but will also present data of its full fuel cycle (FFC) in comparison to those of FFCs including internal combustion engines (ICE) after the year 2005. Depending on the development status (today or in 2010) and the FFC benchmark results, the advantages of balances results of FFC with PEFC vehicles are small in terms of specific energy demand and CO2 emissions, but very high with respect to local emission levels.

Analysis of energy and water management in terms of fuel-cell electricity generation

Abstract Hydrogen-powered low-temperature fuel cells (PEFCs) are the energy conversion units in vehicles with methanol as the energy carrier and a power train consisting of the following main units: methanol reformer (H 2 production) including catalytic converter, gas treatment, PEFC with peripheral units, electric motor with electric controllers and gearbox. The process engineering analysis is based on a simulation model and describes the energy and water management as a function of different assumptions as well as operating and ambient conditions for net electricity generation in a PEFC-powered power train. In particular, it presents an approach for balancing both water recovery (PEFC) and the use of water for the methanol reforming process as well as for the humidification of the PEFC. The overall balances present an optimised energy management including peripheral air compression for the PEFC.

Operational experience with the fuel processing system for fuel cell drives

Abstract Electric motor vehicle drive systems with polymer electrolyte fuel cells (PEFCs) for the conversion of chemical into electrical energy offer great advantages over internal combustion engines with respect to the emission of hydrocarbons, carbon monoxide and nitrogen oxides. Since the storage systems available for hydrogen, the “fuel” of the fuel cell, are insufficient, it is meaningful to produce the hydrogen on board the vehicle from a liquid energy carrier, such as methanol. At the Research Center Julich such a drive system has been developed, which produces a hydrogen-rich gas from methanol and water, cleans this gas and converts it into electricity in a PEFC. This system and the operational experience on the basis of simulated and experimental results are presented here.