research advances towards low cost, high efficiency pem electrolysis dr. katherine ayers presented...
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Research Advances Towards Low Cost, High Efficiency PEM Electrolysis
Dr. Katherine Ayers
Presented by: Larry Moulthrop
NHA 2010, Long Beach, CA
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Outline
• Proton Capabilities– Strong product history– Advanced technology and reliability
• Near Term Strategy– System development– Materials research
• Recent Advances and Future Directions
2
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Capabilities
• Complete product manufacturing & testing
• Containerization and hydrogen storage solutions
• Turnkey product installation for industrial and energy applications
• World-wide sales and service
3
Power PlantsLaboratories SemiconductorsHeat Treating
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• New laboratory line also launched at Pittcon 2010• Over 1200 commercial units currently fielded
S Series H Series StableFlow®
HOGEN® Hydrogen Generators Hydrogen Control Systems
Commercial Industrial Products
4
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Specialty Products
FuelGen line HP products (2400 psi electrolysis)
Indoor and outdoor versions
5
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Proven Cell Stack Reliability
Projected Cell Stack Life
1.4
1.8
2.2
2.6
3.0
0 5,000 10,000 15,000 20,000 25,000 30,000 35,000 40,000 45,000 50,000
Operating Time (Hours)
Average Cell Potential
(Volts, 50oC)
10 µV/cell hr Decay Rate30 µV/cell hr Decay Rate
3-Yr Life (27,000 hr) 5-Yr Life (45,000 hr)
15 µV/cell hr Decay Rate
4 µV/cell hr Decay Rate
Cell Stack End of Life Voltage
25-cell stacks1200 ASF (1.3 A/cm2)200 psi H2 / 10 psi O2
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Product Strategy• Leverage strong history and technology base to
provide reliable customer solutions • Address real world technology problems for
commercial and military applications – Increased H2 generation capacity for fueling and
industrial applications– Materials research towards lower cost, higher
efficiency electrolyzers– High pressure, integrated solutions for small fueling
applications
• Balance business goals with stewardship of environmental and educational responsibility
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$5/kg H2 pathway: Electrolysis scale upHamilton
Sundstrand
TARDEC Phase 2
TARDEC Phase 1
Missile Defense Agency
0.23 ft2 Stack Development
CostReduction of 0.23 ft2
Stack
65 kg/day System
Development
ProtonInternal
R&D funding(+$2 Million)
0.6 ft2 Cell Design & Validation
150 kg/day System
Development
Scale-up0.6 ft2 High Efficiency
Stack
DOETrade Study
DOEUNLV
Subcontract
DOEBipolar Plate
Program
Cost Reduction & Efficiency
Improvements
500 kg/day System
Development
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Volumes and stack advancements lead to further cost reductions
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HOGEN® C Series• Maximum Capacity: 30 Nm3/hr H2
• Prototypes operational with full commercial availability in Q1 2011.• 5 times the hydrogen output of the H-Series yet only 1.5x the foot print.• Uses stack platform developed for Navy with Hamilton Sundstrand.• Also allows entry in to higher capacity heat treating, food processing and
glass manufacturing.
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0.6 ft2 Stack Development• Bipolar plate design• Demonstrated 200 and 425 psi operation
– Single and multi cell stacks tested
1.751.801.851.901.952.002.052.102.152.202.252.30
0 1000 2000 3000 4000
Ce
ll P
ote
nti
al
(V)
Run Time (hours)
0.6 SQFT 3 Cell (1032 amps, 425 psi, 50oC)
Cell 1 Cell 2 Cell 3
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$-
$2
$4
$6
$8
$10
FuelGen65, current stack
150 kg/day system, next
generation stack
150 kg/day system,
advanced stack*
$/kg
H2,
H2A
mod
el
*Assumes volumes of 500 units/year
Hydrogen Cost Progression
, product
introduction
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Materials Technology Roadmap
Membrane
6-12 months 1-2 years 2-3 years 3-5 years
0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
60%
70%
80%
90%
100%
Original <12 months 1-3 years >3 years
Cel
l co
st
Implementation timing
Cell materialsFrames and gasketsSeparatorsO2 flow fieldsH2 flow fieldsAnode catalystCathode catalystMembrane
Catalyst
Flow fields
PFSA materials, reduced thickness
Process improvements/reduced loading
Higher activity catalysts
Next generation materials
Other parallel activities:Increased operating temperature/pressureLarger active area designsAutomation/high speed processing
New membrane chemistries, further thickness reduction
Alternate deposition techniques and engineered nanostructures
Supplier qualification, near term cost reductions
Bipolar plate, next generation design
Integrated frame/flow field, part count reduction
Alternate materials/ precious metal reduction
Unitized parts
• Overall Strategy: maintain projects in varying stages of development
0%
20%
40%
60%
80%
100%
Current <1 year 1-3 years >3 years
% B
asel
ine
cost
Implementation Timeline
MEABalance of cellBalance of stack
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Collaboration Strategy• Develop and strengthen relationships with key materials
companies, universities, and national labs– Leverage proposal collaborations and access to new materials
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Cell Polarization Model
• Largest opportunities for efficiency improvements are in membrane and anode catalyst development
0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
60%
0 500 1000 1500 2000 2500
% O
verp
ote
nti
al
Current Density, mA/cm2
Activation and Ohmic Overpotentials
Cathode Activation
Anode Activation
Ionic
Electronic
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Catalyst Research• Reduce overpotential through
improved oxygen evolution catalysts– Improve utilization: higher surface area– Optimize composition: mixed metal oxides
0.00
1.00
2.00
3.00
4.00
5.00
6.00
7.00
8.00
9.00
10.00
Baseline,nominal
T1, atm 1 T1, atm 1,treated
T1, atm 2,treated
T2, atm 1 T2, atm 1,treated
T2, atm 1,treated
T2, atm 2 T2, atm 2,treated
T3, atm 2
Catalyst
No
rmal
ized
Su
rfac
e A
rea
vs. B
asel
ine Surface area vs.
synthesis and post treatment conditions
Baseline
Design-Expert® Software
Cell potential - 1 A/cm2Design Points1.92
1.57
X1 = A: IrX2 = B: RuX3 = C: Ta
A: Ir1.000
B: Ru1.000
C: Ta1.000
0.000 0.000
0.000
Cell potential - 1 A/cm2
1.57
1.57
1.60
1.65
1.65
1.70
1.80
1.902.00
Contour plot: oxide composition vs. voltage
3M nanostructured
thin film electrode
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Catalyst Process Optimization• Achieved 55% reduction in anode loading, 66% reduction in
cathode loading with no performance loss
1.00
1.20
1.40
1.60
1.80
2.00
2.20
0 100 200 300 400 500
Ce
ll P
ote
nti
al
(V)
Run Time (hours)
Catalyst Loading Test: 160 Amps, 80oC
Baseline
20% loading reduction
55% loading reduction
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Impact on MEA Costs
Relative Cost
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Membrane Research Directions
Membrane support structure
Reinforced membranes: e.g. WL Gore, Dupont
Hydrocarbon membranes (e.g. Hickner, Penn State)
Proton Focus:
Alternate approach
0.00
0.20
0.40
0.60
0.80
1.00
1.20
0 50 100 150 200 250 300
Membrane thickness (microns)
No
rmal
ized
res
ista
nce
Standard PFSA MEAs, commercial supplier
Reinforced membrane MEAs
No impact of reinforcement material on membrane conductivity
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Durability vs. Thickness
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Efficiency Improvements
1
1.1
1.2
1.3
1.4
1.5
1.6
1.7
1.8
1.9
2
2.1
2.2
0 500 1000 1500 2000 2500 3000
Pote
ntial
(Vol
ts)
Current Density (mA/cm2)
Demonstrated >5000 hours
Next Generation Materials - projected
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Flow Field Improvements
• Prototype flowfields fabricated using production tooling and techniques
• Reduction in part count• Improvement in cell robustness
Separator
H2 Frame
H2 Flowfield
O2 Frame
SeparatorO2 FlowfieldO2
Frame
H2 Frame
MEA
H2O H2OO2
H2
H2O
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Next Generation Materials
• Approach: reduced cost base material with protective coating
• Test wafers imbedded within modified cell parts
• Preliminary results:– Slight corrosion observed at
defect sites– Stable operational
performance
300 µm
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In-Cell Performance: Potential Stress Testing
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• Maintained stable performance above 2 Volts for 500 hr testT
emp
eratu
re (°F)
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Cell Cost Reductions
Relative Cost
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Conclusions
• Proton is leveraging robust product development history in advanced designs– Enables rapid time to market and reliability on product
launch
• Strong materials competencies and collaborations are being applied towards cost reductions and efficiency improvements
• Pathways have been defined for meeting DOE fueling targets and customer requirements
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Funding Sources
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