Microwatt Fuel Cell for Long-Term and Wide Ambient Temperature Range Operation

Chintam, Kavitha; Wilson, Mahlon Scott; Rockward, Tommy; Stariha, Sarah; Baker, Andrew M.; Brosha, Eric Lanich; Hussey, Daniel S.; LaManna, Jacob M.; Jacobson, David L.; Rau, Jon A.; Borup, Rod L.

doi:10.1149/08613.0233ecst

Title: Microwatt Fuel Cell for Long-Term and Wide Ambient Temperature Range Operation

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Abstract

A small microwatt fuel cell stack and system was designed, fabricated, and tested for passive operation with pure H₂ and O₂ to provide continuous power for multiple decades with uncontrolled fluctuating ambient conditions. The stack was designed to operate with dead ended gas flows with water removal via passive membrane diffusion to notches in the bipolar plates. Additional requirements for decades long operation is minimizing H₂ and O₂ consumption, specifically membrane cross-over; to minimize cross-over, stacks were built with layered membranes of 100 µm and 400 µm. Here, the stack spatial water concentration level was monitored during operation by in situ neutron imaging to evaluate the passive water management design. Operation was verified by testing at temperatures ranging from -55 °C to 80 °C, including periodic pulses in power.

Authors:

Chintam, Kavitha ^[1];

^[1];

^[1]; Hussey, Daniel S. ^[2]; LaManna, Jacob M. ^[2]; Jacobson, David L. ^[2];

^[1];

^[1]

Los Alamos National Lab. (LANL), Los Alamos, NM (United States)
National Inst. of Standards and Technology (NIST), Gaithersburg, MD (United States)

Publication Date:: Mon Jul 23 00:00:00 EDT 2018

Research Org.:: Los Alamos National Lab. (LANL), Los Alamos, NM (United States)

Sponsoring Org.:: USDOE National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA), Office of Defense Programs (DP)

OSTI Identifier:: 1542828

Report Number(s):: LA-UR-18-26434
Journal ID: ISSN 1938-6737

Grant/Contract Number:: 89233218CNA000001

Resource Type:: Accepted Manuscript

Journal Name:: ECS Transactions (Online)

Additional Journal Information:: Journal Name: ECS Transactions (Online); Journal Volume: 86; Journal Issue: 13; Journal ID: ISSN 1938-6737

Publisher:: Electrochemical Society

Country of Publication:: United States

Language:: English

Subject:: 08 HYDROGEN; 30 DIRECT ENERGY CONVERSION; Fuel Cell; microwatt

Citation Formats


                    Chintam, Kavitha, Wilson, Mahlon Scott, Rockward, Tommy, Stariha, Sarah, Baker, Andrew M., Brosha, Eric Lanich, Hussey, Daniel S., LaManna, Jacob M., Jacobson, David L., Rau, Jon A., and Borup, Rod L. Microwatt Fuel Cell for Long-Term and Wide Ambient Temperature Range Operation.  United States: N. p., 2018. 
Web.  doi:10.1149/08613.0233ecst.

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                    Chintam, Kavitha, Wilson, Mahlon Scott, Rockward, Tommy, Stariha, Sarah, Baker, Andrew M., Brosha, Eric Lanich, Hussey, Daniel S., LaManna, Jacob M., Jacobson, David L., Rau, Jon A., & Borup, Rod L. Microwatt Fuel Cell for Long-Term and Wide Ambient Temperature Range Operation.  United States.  https://doi.org/10.1149/08613.0233ecst

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                    Chintam, Kavitha, Wilson, Mahlon Scott, Rockward, Tommy, Stariha, Sarah, Baker, Andrew M., Brosha, Eric Lanich, Hussey, Daniel S., LaManna, Jacob M., Jacobson, David L., Rau, Jon A., and Borup, Rod L. Mon .  
"Microwatt Fuel Cell for Long-Term and Wide Ambient Temperature Range Operation".  United States.  https://doi.org/10.1149/08613.0233ecst.  https://www.osti.gov/servlets/purl/1542828.

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@article{osti_1542828,

  title        = {Microwatt Fuel Cell for Long-Term and Wide Ambient Temperature Range Operation},

  author       = {Chintam, Kavitha and Wilson, Mahlon Scott and Rockward, Tommy and Stariha, Sarah and Baker, Andrew M. and Brosha, Eric Lanich and Hussey, Daniel S. and LaManna, Jacob M. and Jacobson, David L. and Rau, Jon A. and Borup, Rod L.},

  abstractNote = {A small microwatt fuel cell stack and system was designed, fabricated, and tested for passive operation with pure H2 and O2 to provide continuous power for multiple decades with uncontrolled fluctuating ambient conditions. The stack was designed to operate with dead ended gas flows with water removal via passive membrane diffusion to notches in the bipolar plates. Additional requirements for decades long operation is minimizing H2 and O2 consumption, specifically membrane cross-over; to minimize cross-over, stacks were built with layered membranes of 100 µm and 400 µm. Here, the stack spatial water concentration level was monitored during operation by in situ neutron imaging to evaluate the passive water management design. Operation was verified by testing at temperatures ranging from -55 °C to 80 °C, including periodic pulses in power.},

  doi          = {10.1149/08613.0233ecst},

  journal      = {ECS Transactions (Online)},

  number       = 13,

  volume       = 86,

  place        = {United States},

  year         = {Mon Jul 23 00:00:00 EDT 2018},

  month        = {Mon Jul 23 00:00:00 EDT 2018}

}

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