Open Competition 2 - Electronics and Photonics

Solid Oxide Fuel Cells (SOFC) Promise to Revolutionize Small-to-medium-scale Power Generation

Sponsor: TIAX LLC

• Project Performance Period: 7/1/2003 - 6/30/2006
• Total project (est.): $4,156,434.00
• Requested ATP funds: $1,966,635.00

Solid oxide fuel cells (SOFC), which produce electricity from chemicals, could provide clean, efficient sources of power for distributed and mobile applications with a wide range of capacities. However, existing SOFC designs have a low tolerance for repeated heating cycles that make startup and shutdown difficult, and lead to low power densities. TIAX LLC (Cambridge, MA) plans a three-year project to design and demonstrate durable, low-cost SOFC stack technology that uses novel materials to interconnect components to overcome thermal cycling deficiencies. The company will identify and characterize novel materials that can handle thermal cycling variations and are compatible with the ceramics used in a fuel cell's electrolyte electrode assembly. The use of these materials in interconnects would overcome the problem of mismatched thermal expansion of conventional fuel cell materials that reduces durability. Use of these materials also would allow bonding of the stack materials, thereby reducing the number of interfaces. This will increase stack integrity and conductivity. In addition, minimizing internal resistance would produce high power density at relatively low temperatures, enabling rapid startup. The project faces difficult technical challenges, including assuring that the materials remain stable in the fuel cell operating environment and have precisely matched thermal expansion over a wide temperature range. Once the components are designed, TIAX will construct and demonstrate a 1-kilowatt power generation system. Saint-Gobain Ceramics & Plastics Inc. (Northboro, MA), a subcontractor, will provide support in the areas of material property estimation and characterization. The ATP funding is necessary because private sources are unwilling to invest until a working prototype is demonstrated. If successfully developed and commercialized, the new technology would increase reliability and could allow SOFC costs to be competitive with most small and stationary diesel technologies and enable more efficient, flexible, and reliable delivery of electric power. The fuel cells could be used in a wide range of applications, from portable generators for residential and small commercial installations to hybrid electric sport utility vehicles. Target markets are expected to be worth a combined total of $3 billion to $6 billion annually. In addition, the technology could be a valuable export and help reduce oil imports.

For project information:

Twig Mowatt, (617) 498-7366
mowatt.twig@tiax.biz

ATP Project Manager

Gerald Castellucci, (301) 975-2435
gerald.castellucci@nist.gov