Engineering topics
Publications and source records attributed to Hoover, D. Q., Jr..
The phosphoric acid fuel cell module (stack) development which culminated in an 80 cell air-cooled stack with separated gas cooling and treed cooling plates is described. The performance of the 80 cell stack was approx. 100 mV per cell higher than that attained during phase 1. The components and materials performed stably for over 8000 hours in a 5 cell stack. The conceptual design of a fuel conditioning system is described.
The results of pretesting and performance testing of Stack 564 are reported. The design features, progress in fabrication and plans for assembly of Stack 800 are given. The status of endurance testing of Stack 560 is reported. The design, fabrication, test procedures and preliminary tests of the 10 kW double counterflow reformer and the reformer test stand are described. Results of vendor contacts to define the performance and cost of fuel conditioning system components are reported. The results of burner tests and continuing development of the BOLTAR program are reported.
The design features and plans for fabrication of Stacks 564 and 800 are described. The results of the OS/IES loop testing of Stack 562, endurance testing of Stack 560 and the post test analysis of Stack 561 are reported. Progress on construction and modification of the fuel cell test facilities and the 10 kW reformer test station is described. Efforts to develop the technical data base for the fuel conditioning system included vendor contacts, packed bed heat transfer tests, development of the BOLTAR computer program, and work on the detailed design of the 10 kW reformer are described.
The results of the completed tests on Stack 561 and the on-going tests of 562 (23 cell stacks of the MK-1 and M-2 designs respectively) are reported and their performance is compared. Results of the on-going endurance test of Stack 560 (5 cell, MK-2) are reported. Plans for fabrication of Stacks 563 and 564 (23 cell stacks of the MK-1 and MK-2 design) are summarized. Results of the burner tests are given. Excellent performance was achieved on simulated anode exhaust gas over very wide load and air/fuel ranges.
The test results of and post test analysis of Stack 559 are reported. The design features and construction status of Stacks 560, 561, 562 and 563 are described. The measurements of cell materials compressibility are rationalized and summarized and an explanation of their uses is given. Preliminary results of a manifold material/coating survey are given. The results of shift converter catalyst performance tests and reforming catalyst aging tests are reported. State points for full load and part load operation of the fuel conditioning subsystem tabulated. Work on the data base for the fuel conditioner ancillary subsystems is summarized.
Measurements of stack height changes with temperature and cell material characteristics were made. Stack 559 was assembled and components were fabricated for 560, 561, and 562. Stack 425 was transferred from the parallel DOE program and installed in the OS/IES simulation loop for mechanical and electrical testing. Construction and preliminary checkout of the 2 kW test facility was completed and design and procurement of the 8 kW test facility was initiated. The fuel conditioning subsystem design continued to evolve and the state points for the current design were calculated at full and part load conditions. Steam reforming catalyst activity tests were essentially completed and aging tests and CO shift converter tests were initiated.
The computer code for the detailed analytical model of the MK-2 stacks is described. An ERC proprietary matrix is incorporated in the stacks. The mechanical behavior of the stack during thermal cycles under compression was determined. A 5 cell stack of the MK-2 design was fabricated and tested. Designs for the next three stacks were selected and component fabrication initiated. A 3 cell stack which verified the use of wet assembly and a new acid fill procedure were fabricated and tested. Components for the 2 kW test facility were received or fabricated and construction of the facility is underway. The definition of fuel and water is used in a study of the fuel conditioning subsystem. Kinetic data on several catalysts, both crushed and pellets, was obtained in the differential reactor. A preliminary definition of the equipment requirements for treating tap and recovered water was developed.
Stack tests indicate that the discrepancies between calculated and measured temperature profiles are due to reactant cross-over and a lower than expected thermal conductivity of cells. Preliminary results indicate that acceptable contact resistance between cooling plane halves can be achieved without the use of paper. The preliminary design of the enclosure, definition of required labor and equipment for manufacturing repeating components, and the assembly procedures for the benchwork design were developed. Fabrication of components for a second 5-cell stack of the MK-2 design and a second 23-cell stack of the MK-1 design was started. The definition of water and fuel for the reforming subsystem was developed along with a preliminary definition of the control system for the subsystem. The construction and shakedown of the differential catalytic reactor was completed and testing of the first catalyst initiated.