MORGANTOWN, W.VA. - The Department of Energy’s
High Temperature Electrochemistry Center (HiTEC) announced its award today
of $1.4 million to support five research projects that will foster novel
electrochemical-based power generation and energy storage technologies
for use in large, central coal-fired power plants. Advances in electrochemistry
- the interconversion of electrical and chemical energy - will enable
the power industry to maximize efficiency while minimizing the environmental
effects of using fossil fuels.
The selected projects will focus primarily on solid oxide fuel cells,
a technology that employs clean and efficient electrochemistry to produce
electricity. Coal-based power production systems that incorporate solid
oxide fuel cells have the potential for significantly higher efficiencies
and lower emissions than conventional technologies. In addition, high-temperature
electrochemical systems can enhance energy storage in central coal power
plants, reducing the impact felt during hours of peak demand and making
the plants more cost effective.
HiTEC is a research collaboration managed by two Department of Energy
national laboratories: Pacific Northwest National Laboratory and the National
Energy Technology Laboratory (NETL). Its focus is on the technical breakthroughs
needed to accomplish the Department of Energy’s vision for higher
efficiency, near-zero-emissions energy plants of the future.
Project results are expected to benefit the President’s FutureGen
and Global Climate Change Initiatives, which seek to reduce and then eliminate
power plants emissions, advance hydrogen as a viable source of electric
power, and reduce greenhouse gases while building U.S. and global economies.
Expected benefits include:
- Highly efficient energy technologies and expanded energy choices.
- Power generation and energy storage technologies with near-zero emissions.
- Low-cost electrochemical process materials and systems that are modular
and scalable to help meet a growing worldwide demand for energy.
The projects will be conducted in two phases. During Phase I, each team
will investigate the technical feasibility and commercial viability of
its proposed approach. Projects that demonstrate merit may move into Phase
II and advance their concepts to a sufficient maturity for integration
into large, coal-based, power-generation systems.
The projects will be managed for the Energy Department by NETL and are
described below:
- Photo-Activated Low-Temperature Micro Fuel Cell Power Source—Solid
oxide fuel cells (SOFCs) offer greater efficiency and fuel flexibility
than many other power sources. However, current state-of-the-art technology
requires the use of exotic, cost-prohibitive materials to withstand
the high temperatures in which SOFCs operate—on average 800–1,000
°C. The Massachusetts Institute of Technology will investigate
the use of ultraviolet light to enhance SOFC power generation processes,
reducing operating temperatures to about 600 °C and making it possible
to use standard, low-cost materials for fuel cell construction. If successful,
this approach will reduce the cost of SOFC plant fabrication and help
render SOFCs competitive in the energy marketplace. (DOE award: $100,000;
project duration: 18 months)
- The Techno-economic Feasibility of Highly Efficient, Cost-Effective,
Thermoelectric SOFC Hybrid Power-Generation Systems—The
United Technology Research Center will build conceptual models of
hybrid power-generation systems that combine high-temperature SOFCs
with thermoelectric technology. In this approach, the thermoelectric
component of the hybrid system would use waste heat from the SOFC to
generate additional power, increasing the plant’s overall efficiency
to more than 65 percent and reducing the integrated cost-per-kilowatt
to $400 or less. The project team will also establish the technology
maturity targets that must be achieved to make such a thermoelectric-SOFC
hybrid system technically and economically viable. (DOE award: $279,949;
project duration: 24 months)
- The Use of High-Temperature Electrochemical Cells for the Co-generation
of Chemicals and Electricity—Hydrogen production is a critical
technology for achieving a wide range of national and global energy
policy goals, but current costs associated with producing this alternative
fuel are prohibitive to its commercial viability. Northwestern University
will investigate an innovative, electrochemical SOFC that can simultaneously
produce hydrogen and electricity. The ability to co-generate two marketable
products within a single system would significantly reduce the overall
costs of hydrogen production and bring the fuel of the future closer
to market. (DOE award: $280,000; project duration: 24 months)
- A High-Temperature Electrochemical Energy-Storage System Based
on Sodium Beta-Alumina Solid Electrolyte (BASE)—The University
of Utah seeks to develop a sodium-alumina system that would substantially
advance electrochemical energy storage for use by electricity utility
companies. The project team will tackle key challenges that still exist
with the sodium-alumina energy-storage concept, including rapid seal
corrosion, high degradation rates, and the expense of some system components.
If successful, this new system will reduce the cost of electricity for
energy storage by 25 percent and help utilities achieve round-trip (charge
and discharge) energy efficiencies of 60 percent or more. (DOE award:
$399,998; project duration: 24 months)
- The Effect of Coal Contaminants on Solid Oxide Fuel Cell System
Performance and Service Life—Coal gasification represents
a rich source of fuel for SOFCs. However, naturally occurring impurities
in the coal convert to contaminant vapors and fine particles during
the gasification process. These can damage SOFCs, either catastrophically,
if unknown contaminants or higher-than-planned levels slip past coal
clean-up systems, or by accumulation that contributes to long-term deterioration.
SRI International will assess the impact of known trace contaminants
on SOFC performance and investigate how gasification systems can be
designed to avoid harming SOFCs. (DOE award: $279,984; project duration:
24 months)
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