meeting report

Fuel Cell Seminar & Exposition

Palm Springs, CA USA

November 16-18, 2009

• by Dennis Sieminski, P.E.
• Energy Consultants
• Seal Beach, CA
• dennis.sieminski@roadrunner.com

The Fuel Cell Seminar & Exposition held at the Palm Springs, California, Convention Center hosted about 1,200 attendees this year. Day 1 of the conference was devoted to a series of short courses that covered specific applications, modeling techniques and fundamentals of the technology. Day 2 opened with an awards ceremony for three people whose careers have had significant impact on the advancement of fuel cells. Award acceptance talks by recipients Lawrence Burns of GM, Takashi Moriya of Honda and Hansraj Maru of Fuel Cell Energy provided an excellent context on the task of developing fuel cell technology. While progress and accomplishments were clear over the span of their work, the difficulties and lessons particular to developing and introducing a new energy technology were also in evidence.

Ken Grossman, founder of Sierra Nevada Brewing, received the Pathfinder Award and provided a real world view of the decision process and implementation realities of moving Sierra's beer brewing operations to molten carbonate fuel cells with waste water providing bio gas feed stock. Breweries are good candidates for fuel cells because of their continuous demand for electricity and heat, and the ability to turn waste water into a productive commodity.

The main content of the four-day program consisted of 133 presentations, an exhibit area with 135 vendors, 200 poster presentations and several panel discussions. A Ride and Drive Event allowed personal evaluation of several fuel cell cars. The local SunlineTransit Agency provided a tour of its facility, giving a working view of hydrogen generation and a hydrogen refueling station for cars and buses. A number of refreshment breaks, buffet meals and evening events provided excellent social opportunities for meeting other conference participants, networking and discussions with colleagues.

Short Courses

A combination of several full and half-day courses were well attended. Reflecting the interest in fuel cells for forklift trucks, a material handling codes and standards session covering case studies and practices was presented by Karen Hall of the National Hydrogen Association. Mark E. Orazem of the University of Florida provided a full day of instruction on the use of impedance spectroscopy. Fuel Cell Fundamentals and Technology provided a thorough and comprehensive survey of fuel cell types, analysis techniques, operating principles, applications, manufacturing issues, components and durability.

The course was led by Jack Brouwer, U.C. Irvine, National Fuel Cell Research Center and Scott Samuelsen with segments by Don Rohr, PlugPower, and Shanna Knight, Ballard Power Systems. Additional courses covered Grants and Tax Credits by the Reznick Group, FC Electrochemistry by Bill Eggers of Bio-logic, and Fuel Cell Cogeneration Applications by Mike Binder and Associates.

Technical Sessions

The technical program consisted of 133 presentations that were divided into five parallel tracks as follows:

• 1. High temperature track covered solid oxide (SOFC), molten carbonate (MCFC) direct carbon (DCFC) fuel cells and fuel processing.
• 2. Low temperature track included proton exchange membrane (PEMFC), direct methanol (DMFC) fuel cells and membrane electrode assemblies (MEAs).
• 3. Applications track focused on projects and end-user perspectives in transportation, stationary and portable power.
• 4. Market and economics track dealt with topics on emerging markets, economics, government incentives and manufacturing advances.
• 5. Global perspectives, fuel cell testing, modeling and hydrogen R&D track.

Following is a summary of some selected presentations from each of the tracks to highlight the work being perfromed, the companies and organizations involved, and the status of the technology.

Track 1: SOFC, MCFC, Fuel Processing

Versa Power Systems presented highlights of its work for the U.S. DOE's SECA program to develop SOFC cell and stack technology for large-scale, coal-fueled, multi- megawatt central generation power plants. Among the technical milestones presented were the successful scale up to 33x33cm2 cell size. Stacks have achieved 5,000 hours of service and remained well within targets for degradation. Validation of CFD models was accomplished which provides an evaluation tool for design changes. Continuing work focuses on lowering costs and mechanical and electrochemical durability and long life.

NextTech Materials reported on its planar cell with its unique attributes in electrochemical performance, manufacturability, and sulfur tolerance. Cells with 470cm2 achieve 150w/cell and stable performance in reformate fuels with up to 200ppm of H2S. The design can be scaled and 1200cm2 area cells have recently been tested. Planar stacking is preferred for high power density stacks, due to their simple cell interconnection, short interconnection paths, and higher volumetric density Tolerance to sulfur in reformate fuels is a key enabler allowing the desulfurization component to be made smaller or eliminated altogether.

Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL) of the U.S. Department of Energy reported on its wide range of SOFC activities including the development, testing, and characterization of advanced cell and stack components; computational systems analysis; degradation modeling and design optimization; and design, fabrication and electrical performance testing of SOFC power systems.

Track 2: PEMFC, DMFC, MEAs

New Fuel Cell Stack for Honda FCX Clarity: Honda R&D reported on a significant redesign that allowed them to achieve a 50% increase in volume output density and 67% increase in weight output density against the previous FC stack. The new design is used to power the Honda Clarity. The performance improvement was the result of reducing the cell thickness by reducing the depth of the channels for air and hydrogen. This was accomplished by reorienting the cells so that fuel and air flow was in a vertical direction. The vertical orientation added gravity to the forces promoting water drainage so that gas channels and hence the overall cell thickness could be reduced. In addition, wave-shaped paths were added which are longer and also provide more dispersion of hydrogen and air. The improved flow of hydrogen and air over the generating surfaces was key to achieving maximum and stable performance. Further, the changes in air and fuel lines allowed for changes to coolant flow. More uniform distribution of coolant prevented localized thermal gradients and hot spots which also contributed to stable output. The improved cooling allowed for a reduction in the number of cooling layers by half.

Track 3: Applications

Auxiliary Power Units (APUs): A variety of civilian and military vehicles require electric power for functions other than propulsion: These include: starting aircraft engines, cooling, heating, and electrical for truck cabs when the engine is off; refrigerated semi-trailers or trains, and silent watch, reduced infrared signature military vehicles.

The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) has sponsored several projects researching SOFC APUs this year. Delphi's diesel-fueled SOFC APU system completed vibration testing of a five-cell stack simulating 100,000 miles of on-road use. The fuel cell stack experienced only 0.01V voltage degradation and 9W power degradation, representing a 1.54% and 2.85% degradation respectively. Cummins Power Generation and Protonex partnered to develop a diesel-fueled SOFC APU for highway trucks and demonstrated stable operation on ultra-low sulfur diesel with no added or recovered water utilized in the fuel processor, and demonstrated thermally self-sustained operation. However, power density is currently below target.

Aachen University and FEV Motorentechnik of Germany reported on their high temperature PEM APU. The benefits of this system are no humidification, a lower cooling load with a 160C operating temperature, short start up compared to SOFC, and no restrictions on shut off/cold start. Drawbacks are a lower current density compared to SOFC which translates to higher stack volume and weight.

A French team of N-GHY, NEXTER, LMFA, and ARMINES is working on a military 25kWe high temperature PEM APU. A 1kWe mock up was built and tested with the results of 300hr life, 50% global thermal efficiency. The next phase is a 5kWe mobile unit with better performance.

Altex Technologies of Sunnyvale, California, presented their work on high temperature PEM APUs for military use ranging in size from 1 to 10kWe operating on JP-5, JP-8, and diesel fuel. The size of the military market for these size APU systems is estimated to be $1 billion. Quiet operation and fuel efficiency savings compared to diesel engines (fuel delivered to the field can exceed $10/gallon) make fuel cell technology attractive. The military market can be leveraged for subsequent civilian market adoption.

Track 4: Commercialization: Markets and Economics

Forklift Trucks. Fuel cells offer an advantage over lead-acid battery power in forklift trucks by providing less down time and better productivity because of the time and logistics of refueling versus recharging. However, part of the issue in converting to fuel cells from batteries is the burden of maintaining two support infrastructures (i.e. one for batteries, one for fuel cells) during any transition. Some observers speculate that Li-ion batteries may be an entrant in this market at some point in the future which could alter the competitive equation back in favor of batteries.

There have been several key developments in this market during the past year worth noting. In May 2009, Central Grocers opened a warehouse in Illinois with an all fuel cell 220 forktruck fleet. PlugPower provided the fuel cell systems; the maintenance contract is with forklift OEM Yale. The fuel cell investment credit by the U.S. government which is 30% of the unit price or $3000/kW is a major factor in getting adoption of these projects. The DOE is sponsoring 100 forklift trucks at five Defense Logistics Agency (DLA) sites. DOE is also using $10.4mil of stimulus funding to support 314 forklifts with five commercial partners — FedEx, Anheuser Busch, East Penn, GENCO and Whole Foods. Ballard Power Systems had forecast 1,000 forklift fuel cell units at the beginning of 2009. Crown Equipment received a $1 million grant to qualify fuel cell forklifts. It is working with PlugPower, Hydrogenics, Deka/Nuvera and Oorja Protonics.

Reflecting the interest in this market segment, a short course on Day 1 of the Fuel Cell Seminar on codes and standards related to fuel cell forklifts was given by Karen Hall of the National Hydrogen Association. In addition, three presentations dealing with this application occurred at the conference — productivity using fuel cells for material handling by Ballard Power Systems, manufacturing readiness by the National Renewable Energy Laboratory and larger scale fueling systems for material handling applications by Proton Energy Systems.

Track 5: Global Perspectives, Fuel Cell Testing, Modeling, and Hydrogen R&D

Fuel Cell Industry and Telecom Backup Power in India. The Indian government through its National Hydrogen Energy Roadmap (NHER) is funding a good deal of R&D. The private sector is showing promise as well by focusing on buying or licensing the best technology available worldwide, adapting it for the Indian market, and then establishing indigenous manufacturing to bring costs down. One attractive market is backup power for telecom where there are issues with reliability of the central power grid, and battery backup and combustion engine gensets have issues with maintenance and environmental concerns.

IdaTech shipped 310 direct hydrogen units using Ballard Power Systems stacks in July 2009 to ACME Tele Power Group, India. A follow-on order for a natural gas fuel cell product is possible if IdaTech can meet certain cost and supply chain targets. Fuel Cell Today did a survey of the Indian fuel cell industry and presented an overview using this data in their paper, "Fuel Cells in India: An Emerging Market Comes of Age."

Ride & Drive Event

On Day 4 of the conference, interested attendees could take a drive on local city streets in a Honda FCX Clarity, GM's Chevy Equinox or the Toyota Fuel Cell Hybrid.

The Honda Clarity is a roomy four-passenger sedan that carries 3.92kg of 5000psi compressed hydrogen. The car gets 60 miles per kg of both highway and city, giving a driving range of 240 miles. A compact, high-efficiency lithium-ion battery pack is used as a supplemental power source capturing energy during deceleration and braking. A coaxial electric motor provides front wheel drive. The car is smooth, powerful, noticeably quieter than an internal combustion engine vehicle, very comfortable, and well appointed. About 200 vehicles will be leased to customers for three years at $600/month. Most will be located in Southern California. The availability of hydrogen fueling stations is a main reason for the concentrated location. Honda delivered a paper at the conference on their newly redesigned fuel cell system for the Clarity. As a side note, Honda has operated an experimental home energy station in Torrance, California, since 2003. The station generates hydrogen from natural gas and is designed to provide heat and electricity for the home through fuel cell cogeneration and supplies hydrogen for a fuel cell vehicle.

The Chevy Equinox carries about 4.2 kilograms of compressed hydrogen on board which is enough for about 168 miles before a five-to-seven minute refill is required. Regenerative braking, which sends energy created in stopping, back to the vehicle battery, extends the driving range. Project Driveway is GM's program for participants to keep the mid-size Equinox crossover for about two months with free fuel and insurance in exchange for providing regular feedback to engineers. Having people living with the vehicle helps GM make design improvements. The feel of the regenerative brakes was one change that resulted from customer comments.

Toyota's Fuel Cell Hybrid Vehicle (FCHV) is a mid-size sport utility vehicle. It carries compressed hydrogen at 10,000psig and has a driving range of 480 miles. A nickel metal hydride (NiMH) battery is used for the regenerative braking system.

GM, Toyota and Honda are focusing on durability and cost reductions to enable them to sell fuel cell vehicles by 2015. The announced cost target at the moment is a $3,600 premium over a midsize gasoline model. Currently in California, where most fuel-cell vehicles in the U.S. are tested, there are about 30 hydrogen refueling stations similar to those for gasoline. The hydrogen usually comes either from steam reforming of natural gas or hydrolysis of water powered by solar. California requires large automakers to sell "zero-emission" vehicles. California is planning on meeting the fueling needs of 4,300 passenger vehicles and 60 fuel cell buses by 2014, and up to 50,000 passenger vehicles and 150 fuel cell buses by 2017. There will be clusters of retail hydrogen stations in four Southern California communities: Santa Monica, Irvine, Torrance, and Newport Beach, and an expanded fuel cell bus program in the San Francisco Bay Area.

Tour of Sunline Transit Hydrogen Generation, Storage and Refueling Station

Sunline provides public transit to Coachella Valley, an area of about 1,100 square miles with a hot dry desert climate. Sunline developed a strategy of implementing clean technologies into its bus fleet beginning with a switch to compressed natural gas (CNG). It followed that with more advanced technologies, such as blended hydrogen/compressed natural gas (HCNG) and fuel cells. The agency serves as a test bed for multiple vehicle and hydrogen production technologies. Its fuel cell bus was put into service in December 2005. The tour included the following: Teledyne Engineering electrolyzer, Hyradix natural gas reformer 205 kg/day generated, Pdc Machines compressor, 425kg hydrogen storage, H2 dispensing station which can provide both 3,600 and 5,000psig and can fuel up to 15 cars per day and two buses per day, and a ride on the fuel cell bus. The bus was developed by ThunderPower LLC with ISE Research integrating the electric propulsion drive system in collaboration with UTC Fuel Cells, which provided the PEM fuel cell system.

Government Overview Plenary Session

This session provided a review of the efforts of national, international and state governments to promote fuel cells.

U.S. Department of Energy (DOE). While current DOE Secretary Steven Chu tried to cut spending early in 2009 for hydrogen projects, saying biofuels and batteries were better near-term options, Congress overruled and restored funding. In Fiscal Year 2009, Congress appropriated $269 million for the DOE Hydrogen Program. DOE's goal is development of fuel cells for stationary, portable, and transportation. The project portfolio covers near, mid and long term as well as a broad range of technologies with the major challenges being cost and durability. Following is an example of some of the accomplishments listed for the year: projected high-volume vehicle fuel cell manufacturing cost dropped to $61/kW for an 80kW FC system, 3M demonstrated a new baseline membrane electrode assembly(MEA) with a 40% decrease in Pt loading from 2008, Giner Electrochemical Systems demonstrated a perfluorosulfunic acid (PFSA) membrane with conductivity at least 2.5 times that of Nafion® under hot, relatively dry conditions, exceeding the conductivity milestone of 0.1 S/cm at 120ºC and 50% RH, Los Alamos National Lab examining the effects of impurities found that sub-ppm levels of H2S in hydrogen fuel caused significant performance loss, with degradation occurring due to catalyst poisoning in both the anode and the cathode. In FY 2009, the Fuel Cell Program expanded its focus beyond longer term transportation application to include more near term applications of fuel cells including distributed power, portable power, auxiliary power units, material handling equipment, and specialty vehicles.

To develop fuel cell coal-based systems for central power stations, the DOE uses its Solid State Energy Conversion Alliance program (SECA). The goal is to reduce SOFC module costs by a factor of 10 from $4,500/kW making them competitive with natural gas turbines at $400/kW. The SECA program is structured with four competing industry teams: FuelCell Energy/Versa, Siemens Power Generation, Rolls-Royce, and United Technologies Corp./ Delphi. General Electric continues to support R&D. Technological spinoffs of SECA are occurring with developments of SOFC in auxiliary power units (APUs) and unmanned underwater vehicles (UUVs).

U.S. State Incentives. California, Connecticut, Ohio and South Carolina are states with the most well-developed support models and incentives for attracting fuel cell companies and nurturing their growth. A panel discussion moderated by Keith Spitznagel of LOGANEnergy with Ryan Amador, Center for Sustainable Energy; Russ Keller, South Carolina Research Authority; Michael McKay, Ohio Department of Development; and Rick Ross, Connecticut Clean Energy Fund, told how these efforts were working.

Japanese Government FC Programs. The Ministry of Economics and Trade (METI) is responsible for a coherent strategy for research, development, and deployment for residential systems and fuel cell vehicles. Following on a three-year demonstration project of 1kW PEMFCs for 3,300 homes, a subsidy program sold 1,500 commercialized units in 2009. A new demonstration project of SOFC residential combined heat and power (CHP) is being conducted in 132 homes. Automakers and oil companies have agreed to a commercialization scenario for fuel cell vehicles and hydrogen stations for 2015.