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Title: Fuel cells

Technical Report ·
OSTI ID:5738091

This report documents the status of the US Department of Energy's Fuel Cells Program as of the end of FY 87. The report consists of (1) an overview of the Fuel Cells Program including a brief discussion of how fuel cells work; (2) a synopsis of the Phosphoric Acid Fuel Cell (PAFC), Molten Carbonate Fuel Cell (MCFC), and Solid Oxide Fuel Cell (SOFC) Programs and their 1987 projects; (3) a discussion of the Fuel Cells Advanced Research and Technology Development (AR and TD) Program and projects; and (4) a summary of the Fuel Cells Systems and Applications Program. A common direction of fuel cell development has been to combine individual cells into groups called stacks'' or modules'' in order to increase power output. AR and TD provided information on reaction mechanisms and materials for MCFC's, SOFC's, and PAFC's. Systems Analysis and Applications development provided engineering and economic guidelines for MCFC's, SOFC's, and PAFC's to be used in a variety of utility and industrial settings. Stack development and testing continued to be the major thrust for the Phosphoric Acid Fuel Cell Program in FY 87. The Molten Carbonate Fuel Cell Program focused on stack development with supporting technology base research. A shift toward stack integration with power generation systems was initiated. The Advanced Concepts Program continued development of the Solid Oxide Fuel Cell which primarily focused on continual refinement of fabrication processes and diagnostic cell analysis to insure increased performance and longevity. The development of Advanced Fuel Cell Concepts was also initiated. 31 refs., 23 figs., 2 tabs.

Research Organization:
USDOE Morgantown Energy Technology Center, WV (USA)
Sponsoring Organization:
DOE/FE
OSTI ID:
5738091
Report Number(s):
DOE/METC-89/0266; ON: DE89000983
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English