Compact, Diesel-Jet Fuel Processing Systems and SOFC ... · 4/24/2017 · 72 Conventional MonolithConventional Monolith PCI’s Microlith SubstrateMicrolith ... 3 kWthDiesel/JP‐8

2017 Hannover Messe Group Exhibit Hydrogen + Fuel Cells + Batteries April 24, 2017

Precision Combustion, Inc.Compact, Diesel/Jet Fuel Processing Systems and SOFC Generators

Anthony Anderson, Subir Roychoudhury

Precision Combustion, Inc. (PCI), North Haven, CT

April 24, 2017


• Privately‐held small business/40 employees. Est 1986.

• High performance engineering team: • 9 PhDs, 31 engineers/technicians/admin., large/small co backgrounds

• Focus on Innovation and product development

• Catalytic reactors/systems for Energy sector

• Microlith® Catalytic Reactors, and RCL® Combustors

Reforming: Syngas, H2, Chemicals, W – MW scales

Sorption: Bio/Chem, Sulfur, trace contaminantsSmall Generators: Tactical Power, UAV, UGVCombustion: Gas turbines, burners, augmentation, down‐hole, Stirling

Prototypes: BOP, Controls, packaging

• Customers/partners: U.S. Govt., large & small companies, universities

Precision Combustion, Inc.

38,000 sq ft facility


PCI Technology‐Product‐Application Space

Power

Fuel Cell SystemsAPUs/GensetsVehicles/Ships/Soldier portable

IC EnginesTactical Gensets

UXV Fuel Cell Systems

Reformers for Industrial Systems

Combustion

Kitchen Burners

Stirling BurnersTEG Burners

Fuel Cell System Oxidizers

Catalytic Combustors

•Gas Turbines•Steam generators

Air Cleaning

Oxidizers

Adsorbers

Desulfurization

Other

H2 generation•Still Gas Processor

Catalytic ignitors

Chem. Manf.•Sabatier Methanation

•Shale Gas to Chem.•CO2 to Fuels

Chemical Sensors


PCI Jet Fuel, Diesel Power Generation Solutions

Fuel Cell

20 – 50 W (Wearable/Packable)

1 – 2 kW (APU, UAV)

10 kW

IC Engine

Included Technologies Won Army SBIR Achievement Awards in 2008 & 2010

350 W

1 kW

2 kW

Stirling

2 kW

135 W

3 kW


Microlith® Reactor Technology

Small, durable, catalytically coated metal mesh with very high surface area

Continuous catalyst coating line with batched furnace and rigorous QA, QC in place

Microlith® Catalytic ReactorsLow cost

Ultra compact Short contact time

Rapid thermal responseHigh heat & mass transfer

High surface area/unit volume

PCI holds multiple patents on catalyst structure, reaction methods and apparatus.


Microlith Substrate vs. Monolith

Cells/in 2

GSA (m 2/l)Channel Length (in)

Length to Diameter Ratio (L/d)Operating Temperature ( oC)

Frontal Open Area

4002.64

3.0 - 5.070 - 120

1050 - 120070

25006.3

0.0030.3

1050 - 120072

Microlith®Conventional MonolithConventional Monolith PCI’s Microlith Substrate

Monolith wall

Monolith wall

Monolith wall

Boundary layer formation

Mixing regions

Boundary layer formation

400 Cells / in2 25002.64 GSA (m2 / liter) 6.3

3.0 – 5.0 Channel Length (in) 0.0031200 Material Limit Temp (°C) 120070 Frontal Open Area (%) 72

Benefits of Microlith® substrate:

• High surface area per unit volume

• High heat & mass transfer rates

• Low catalyst usage & small size

• Lower ∆P vs. pellet catalyst bed

• Comparable ∆P vs. monoliths

• Design flexibility (e.g., planar, radial)

• Modular design, easily scalable


Reforming (for Fuel Cells, H2 Gen)

1. Catalytic Partial Oxidation (CPOX)

2 CH4 + O2 4 H2 + 2CO {H2O + CO2 ‐ ∆H}

2. Catalytic Autothermal Reforming (ATR)

3 CH4 + O2 + H2O 7 H2 + 3 CO {H2O + CO2 ‐ ∆H}

3. Catalytic Steam Reforming (CSR)

CH4 + H2O 3 H2 + CO {H2O + CO2 + ∆H}

Application specific reformers, using Microlith® Technology

5 kWth DieselFor Automotive

5 MWth Nat. Gas

3 kWth Diesel/JP‐8 ATR Module 1 MWth Liquid HC Reformer

3 ‐ 10 kWth Diesel SR‐ Exo/Endo sections

7


PCI Innovation: Diesel/Jet‐A Reformer with Sulfur Cleanup

• Ultra‐compact, high efficiency, water‐neutral reformer for producing stack‐quality reformate

• Reformer includes catalyst, steam generator, HX, sulfur cleanup, fuel/air/steam mixer, igniter

• Value: • Allows SOFC’s to use diesel/Jet fuels (up to 3,000 ppmw Sulfur)• With PCI’s WGS, allows HT‐PEM fuel cells to use diesel/military fuels • With H2 separation, demonstrated to produce PEM quality hydrogen

We put the fuel in fuel cells®

100 We 1 kWe 1 kWe – High Sulfur 2 kWe 10 kWe 300 kWe

8


Unique Approach for Reformation & Cleanup of High Sulfur JP‐8

A simple, compact, lightweight approach w. small logistic footprints & high efficiency

Approach: Microlith catalyst tailored w. optimum reactor design & operating conditionsSulfur Tolerant Reformer followed by gas phase desulfurization

• In‐situ sulfur cleanup (types of sulfur, fuel types, sensors,….)

• Produce SOFC‐quality reformate from JP‐8 w. up to 3000 ppmw sulfur

9


• High capacity, low DP sorbent bed removes sulfur from reformate stream (US Patent 7,964,023)

• High sulfur sorption capability due to increased sorbent surface area & dispersion High volumetric sorption capacity results in long life (200 cc for 3200 hrs. with ULSD) Implemented as non‐regenerative to avoid complexity

Sulfur Removal

Sharp breakthrough curve allows longer periods between change‐outs10

H2S breakthrough conc. = 3 ppmv

Low bed utilization

Improved bed utilization


H2 Purification

• Water Gas Shift Reactor (WGSR)CO + H2O H2 + CO2 {CH4 ‐ ∆H}

• Preferential Oxidation of CO (PROX)CO + ½ O2 {H2} CO2 {H2O ‐ ∆H}

• Membrane Separation IntegrationPd/Ag/Polymer on metal/ceramic supports

• Pressure Swing Adsorption (PSA)H2 selective sorbents

PCI has experience in HT‐PEM and LT‐PEM Quality Reformate Generation


Commercial Applications

Aircraft APU Truck APU Marine APU

Fuel Cell Range Extenders RV APU Industrial Syngas


PCI Reformer Benefits

• Compact

• Lightweight

• Simple design & packaging

• Enables water neutral operation

• Readily integrated with Fuel Cells

• Modular components – readily serviceable

• Sulfur tolerant (ATR and CPOX) with sulfur cleanup cartridge filter

• Durable

• Stack‐quality reformate

• COTS BOP and controls

• Tested with different stacks

• Fuel flexible (distillate, biofuels, gaseous fuels)

• TRL 4‐8


Fuel Reformer & Fuel Processor Test Carts

• Ultra‐compact high efficiency reformer able to convert fuels to sulfur‐free syngas (H2+CO) for SOFC stack testing

• Add WGS for HTPEM testing and Pd membranes for LTPEM testing

• Packaged with BOP, MFCs and software to enable push‐button operation

• CPOx, ATR and SR versions available


Turnkey Syngas Generation Skids

Stand alone syngas generators with PLC controls operating on Natural Gas

Over 5,000 combined operating hours to date making over 60,000 Nm3 syngas


1 MWth Microlith® Autothermal Reformer to reform VOC compounds from process waste streams

Scale‐up: 1 MWth VOC Reformer


CPOX Scale‐up: 5 MW(th) Natural Gas Processor

• Performance testing successfully completed.

• 1000 hrs of sub‐scale durability completed (Target 8000 hrs).

5 MWth reactor to reform natural gas to produce syngas


• High heat flux due to conductive heat transfer enhanced by Microlith catalyst packing

• Microlith based design provides low DP and high bed utilization compared to packed beds

• Rapid thermal response coupled with high conductive heat transfer results in compact size

• Catalytic burner instead of flame‐stabilized improves thermal uniformity, distribution, durability, control

Microlith Based Thermally Integrated Steam Reformer

18

Catalyzed Microlith


Conductive vs. Convective Heat Transfer

Constant Heat Flux across the wall

Wire mesh packing

Empty channel

Chemical and Process Engineering, 2010, 31, 119‐134

Wire mesh packed channel

Empty channel

Wire mesh packed channel

Empty channel

19

Significantly higher heat flux can be achieved via efficient conductive heat transfer


H2 Generation System

Feed Pretreat & Mixer Steam Reforming WGS Water Recovery

PSA / MembraneBurnerFuel

Heat Recovery

Tail Gas

Steam

Water

Heat integration for maximized efficiency

H2

AirBurner Exhaust

20

Water

Steam


• Endothermic (CSR) fuel: natural gas, <5 ppmw sulfur distillate fuels

• Exothermic (burner) fuel: diesel, distillate fuels, waste fuels (e.g., High S fuels, Tail Gas)

• Readily scalable; Tested at up to 10 atm on endothermic side; includes heat integration & mixing

• Completed ~500‐hr durability testing and 250‐hr integrated testing w. H2 separator

21

Integrated Steam Reformer Prototypes

H2 generationPower generation


H2 Generator

%65.7710021.5716.75100

(SLPM) H Reformate(SLPM) UPH%) ,Efficiency Separation(

2

Avg. Reformate composition (mole%, dry basis)

Reformate flow rate (SLPM) Raffinate composition (mole%, dry basis) Raffinate flow rate (SLPM)

H2 56.18 21.57 22.06 4.82

CH4 12.21 4.69 21.69 4.74

CO 8.06 3.09 15.57 3.4

CO2 18.34 7.04 31.52 6.89

N2 5.21 2 9.15 2

H2 Generation rate of ~17 slpm

Steam Reformer MembraneFuel + Water

H2, CO, CO2, CH4, H2O , N2

Permeate (UPH)

Raffina

te

H2COCO2CH4H2O N2

Reformate

N2 as internal standard

Heat


Steam Reformer + H2 Separator Setup

23

Modular SR and Separator


Packaged 1 kWe Diesel/Jet Fuel Reformer/Desulfurizer

• Fully‐packaged 1 kWe Fuel Reformer System• Includes all balance‐of‐plant (BOP) components & control

• Capable of stand‐alone, facility independent operation• Includes safety interconnects & stack interface control

Approximate dimensions:7.5” (19 cm) x 15” (38 cm) x 18” (46 cm);

Includes Fuel Reformer, sulfur trap, fuel/water/air pumps, sensors/meters, fuel tank, water tank, HEX & control electronics.


Maturation Timeline

BOP‐based Reformer Test Systemw. Lab Controls

MFC‐based Reformer Test Systemw. Lab Controls (2 ft x 2.5 ft x 3 ft)

c. 2012

Packaged Reformer w. BOP & single control board

National Instrument (NI) cRio

2015c. 2010

Facilities Supported Standalone Minimized, Packaged

2019

Integrated

Integrated Fuel reformer Fuel Cell System


1 kWe Reformer + SOFC Testing (Breadboard Integration)

• 1 kWe (3 kW thermal) reformer, desulfurizer with all BOP components used for test

• Powered 1 kW SOFC @ 25% Fuel to electric efficiency (gross).

• Operated fuel cell system for 500 hours with Jet fuels.

• Operated reformer for a total of 1500 hours on Jet fuels (containing up to 3000 ppmw sulfur).

1 kW Fuel Reformer, Desulfurizer

Compact, lightweight diesel/Jet fuel Fuel Cell Generator with high efficiency & long mission duration

SOFC:

1 kW SOFC


Operation w. 400 ppmw Sulfur Jet Fuels

Performance Mapping of reformer @ 3, 2.25 & 1.5 kWth to evaluate turndown (0.5 – 1 kWe)

Reformate composition (mole %, wet basis) 3 kWth 2.25 kWth 1.5 kWth

H2 23.5 23.4 23.4

CO 14.0 13.1 11.9

CO2 5.8 6.5 7.5

N2 38.9 39.3 39.8

CH4 0.14 0.14 0.10

H2O 17.7 17.6 17.2

C2s (ppmv) 50 40 32

C3s (ppmv) 0 0 0

Fuel conversion to C1 products (%) 100 100 100

LHV‐based reforming efficiency (%) 81 79 78

• Increasing sulfur levels in fuel requires higher O/C, resulting in lower reforming efficiency.• Complete fuel conversion w. ≥~78% reforming efficiency & ≤50 ppmv HHC in reformate.

Stable operation, high reforming efficiency & turndown capability w. sulfur fuels


1 kWe Reformer Specifications

• Includes ATR, injector, steam generator, HEX, desulfurizer, Sensors, Controls, Pumps, blower.

• Compact & lightweight (<10 kg)

• Fuel flexible (diesel, Jet fuels, other distillates, alcohols, gaseous & bio‐fuels)

• Sulfur tolerance (up to 3000 ppmw fuel sulfur)

• Sulfur cleanup to <<0.5 ppm

• Non‐Regenerable high capacity sulfur trap (200 cc for 3,200 hrs. w. ULS diesel)

• Durable (1500‐hr w/o failure demonstrated with up to 3000 ppm S fuels)

• High reforming efficiency of 75 – 85% (LHV based)

• SOFC‐suitable reformate stream (<50 ppmv HHCs; <<1 ppmv sulfur)

Visit the PCI Booth (D33) for details.


2 kWe Fuel Cell Generator (Breadboard Integration)

• Operated 2 kWe Fuel Cell Generator @ Fuel to electric efficiency of 25%;

• Thermally‐integrated, water‐neutral system operated for 270 hrs w. Jet Fuels & Diesel.

Reformer + desulfurizer

Hotbox consisting of SOFC, burner & heat recuperators

Dual‐fuel Burner

2.25ʺ


SOFC Performance (w. Tier II Diesel)

• Fuel Cell System evaluation using Tier II Diesel for ~125 hrs.

• Steady state operation at 1.5 kWe demonstrated stable system performance (reformer, fuel cell & burner).

• Stack voltage was stable at ~60 V, 25 Amps; anode & cathode temperatures were also stable.

• Test was stopped after ~125 hrs to replace fuel with Jet‐A.

Stack Temp vs. Time Stack Power & Voltage vs. Time

Stack heat‐up & OCV

Stack OCV & cool‐down


SOFC Performance (w. 100 – 400 ppmw Sulfur Jet Fuel)

• Fuel Cell System evaluation using up to 400 ppmw sulfur Jet Fuels for ~50 hrs.

• Stable system operation (reformer, fuel cell & burner) at steady state, producing 1.5 kWe.

• Stack voltage was stable at ~60 V, 25 Amps; anode & cathode temperatures were also stable.

• System shutdown alarm triggered ~20 hrs; no observable performance degradation after re‐start.

Stack Temp vs. Time Stack Power & Voltage vs. Time

Stack heat‐up & OCV

Stack OCV & cool‐down

Shutdown due to mains power fluctuation


Dual Fuel Burner

• Required for start‐up & steady state operation

• Liquid fuel (Jet fuels/diesel) for start‐up

• Anode Tail Gas + liquid fuel during steady state

• Integrated w. anode/cathode inlet/outlet HX

Features:

• Reliable start‐ups with consistent temperature profile;

• Stable temperature & simple controls;

• Dual fuel capability (i.e., starts with liquid fuel & then transitions to anode exhaust or co‐fuels).

8 kWth burner: weight = 0.9 kg, vol. = 0.8 L


Sabatier Methanation Reactor

• Sabatier reactionCO2 + 4H2 CH4 + {2H2O ‐ ∆H}

• Demonstrated at laboratory scale

• Compact unit with less pressure drop than pellets or foams

Suitability for Power to Gas Systems


• Packaged reformer system demonstration: Reforming eff. ~75 – 84% (Fuel sulfur dependent)

• Advanced a simple approach for compact reformation & desulfurization of high sulfur fuels:• Avoids upstream liquid‐fuel desulfurization sub‐systems• Demonstrated durability for 1000 hrs w. 1000 ppmw sulfur Jet fuel; 1500 hrs w. various JP‐8• Near complete fuel conversion to C1 products (<150 ppmv C2s & C3s w. 1000 ppmw sulfur fuel)

• Developed BOP components & packaging:• Demonstrated stand‐alone operation with complete BOP system• Low steady state parasitic power needs demonstrated (70 We for 1 kWe Reformer System)• Automated startup, transient w. 3:1 turndown capability & shutdown• Demonstrated 1500 hours durability of BOP components

• Developed dual fuel burner capable for operation w. JP‐5/JP‐8/diesel & anode tail gas

• Successful demonstration of stack integrated solutions:• Flexible reformer design being integrated w. stacks• Successfully demonstrated stable reformer + stack operation with & without sulfur fuels• Packaged Jet fuel/Diesel generator systems being matured

Summary


Come See Us!

Precision Combustion, Inc.Booth# D33We put the fuel in fuel cells®

Subir RoychoudhuryVP Research and Engineering

sroychoudhury@precision‐combustion.com+1 203‐287‐3700 Ext.267

Tony AndersonDirector, Marketing & Business Development

aanderson@precision‐combustion.com+1 203‐287‐3700 Ext.290

http://www.precision‐combustion.com

Twitter: @_PCI

Linked In: www.linkedin.com/company/precision‐combustion‐inc.

Documents

Compact, Diesel-Jet Fuel Processing Systems and SOFC ... · 4/24/2017 · 72 Conventional MonolithConventional Monolith PCI’s Microlith SubstrateMicrolith ... 3 kWthDiesel/JP‐8