SBIR Phase II: High Efficiency Electrochemical Compressor Cell to Enable Cost Effective Small-Scale Hydrogen Fuel Production and Recycling

这个小型企业创新研究第二阶段项目解决了目前氢气压缩方面的局限性，并通过回收废气中含有氢气的水和其他良性杂质，减少了几种应用对氢气的需求。在第一阶段中，基于质子交换膜(PEM)的设备作为高效电化学压缩机/净化器的可行性被证明在高达3A/cm2的条件下运行。在第二阶段，将对微孔板进行精细化，以实现最佳的水分布，从而实现更均匀的流体分布和高电流密度。此外，还将开发耐中毒催化剂，以实现更广泛的应用。这一阶段的目标还包括对试验台进行额外改造，以实现更广泛的测试条件，通过分析来证明气体纯度以确定分离效率，以及开发系统原理图和产品要求。预计的结果将是改进的氢气回收器，这将使氢气生产成本大幅降低和新的市场机会。该项目的更广泛的影响/商业潜力包括从发电厂到热处理到备用电力和燃料的应用。例如，全球超过16,000家发电厂在涡轮机绕组中使用氢气作为冷却液。目前，露点的增加会导致冷却效率的显著下降，并使风损增加几个百分点，这就需要净化氢气室并增加回填的产量。因此，产生了大量的能源浪费。目前的氢气压缩解决方案也存在噪音大、体积大、效率低等问题。在评估氢作为替代燃料的应用中，需要高压存储。拥有一台体积和材料成本仅为家用燃料或备用动力设备一半的机械压缩机在商业上是不可行的。与从水中生产额外的氢气相比，所提出的装置有机会将生产纯氢所需的能量降低75%，并且即使在高电流密度下，也可以以低至200 mV的过电势压缩氢气。这些领域的进展将带来直接的商业利益，并解决政府议程上与节能和绿色技术相关的关键战略领域。

This Small Business Innovation Research Phase II project addresses current limitations in hydrogen compression and enables reduction in hydrogen requirements for several applications through recycling of exhaust hydrogen containing water and other benign impurities. In Phase 1, feasibility of operating a proton exchange membrane (PEM)-based device as a high efficiency electrochemical compressor/purifier was demonstrated at up to 3 A/cm2. In Phase 2, refinement of the microporous plate will be performed for optimal water distribution, which will enable more uniform fluid distribution and high current densities. Poison-tolerant catalysts will also be developed to enable a broader range of applications. The objectives of this phase also include additional test stand modifications to enable a broader range of test conditions, demonstration of gas purity through analysis to determine the separation efficiency, and development of system schematics and product requirements. The anticipated result will be an improved hydrogen recycler which will enable substantial reduction in hydrogen production cost and new market opportunities.The broader impact/commercial potential of this project includes applications ranging from power plants to heat treating to backup power and fueling. For example, over 16,000 power plants worldwide use hydrogen as a cooling fluid in the turbine windings. Currently, increases in dew point cause significant decreases in cooling efficiency and increase windage losses by several percent, requiring purging of the hydrogen chamber and increased production to backfill. Thus, significant energy waste is generated. Current solutions for hydrogen compression are also noisy, bulky, and inefficient. In applications where hydrogen is being evaluated as an alternative fuel, high pressure storage is needed. Having a mechanical compressor that represents half of the size and material cost of a home fueling or backup power device is not commercially feasible. The device proposed has the opportunity to decrease the energy required to produce pure hydrogen by 75% over generating additional hydrogen from water, and to compress the hydrogen with as little as 200 mV of overpotential even at high current density. Advances in these areas would find immediate commercial interest, and address key strategic areas on the government agenda related to energy savings and green technology.