Small Business Innovation Research/Small Business Tech Transfer
High Efficiency Direct Methane Solid Oxide Fuel Cell System, Phase I
Project Description
NASA has a defined need for energy dense and highly efficient energy storage and power delivery systems for future space missions. Compared to other fuel cell technologies, solid oxide fuel cell (SOFC) based systems are better suited to meeting NASA's efficiency targets while operating directly on methane and oxygen reactants. SOFC power systems for lunar landers and other exploration vehicles are an ideal application for this technology, as well as for power generation on the moon or on Mars. NexTech Materials has established SOFC technology that offers high power density with direct internal fuel reforming and high single-pass fuel utilization, making it uniquely suited for achieving NASA's performance and efficiency requirements. In this project, NexTech will establish a process model for an SOFC system that operates with oxygen and methane reactants, design a lightweight and high efficiency SOFC stack, refine the stack design via modeling and analysis, validate the design and performance predictions via stack testing.
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Anticipated Benefits
Solid oxide fuel cells have promise to meet some of NASA's emerging power generation system needs. An SOFC power system using the same reactants as the propulsion system (cryogenically stored oxygen and methane) can provide exceptional energy density. Lunar landers or other exploration vehicles are an ideal application of this technology. SOFC systems also may find uses on the moon or on Mars for generating power from hydrocarbons produced from In-Situ Resource Utilization technologies. The lightweight and high efficiency SOFC technology to be developed on this project is specifically geared toward meeting the demanding requirements of NASA applications, but will have near-term applicability to energy systems for unmanned underwater vehicles. Meeting the robustness requirements (i.e., thermal cycles and rapid start-up) for NASA applications will make NexTech's SOFC technology suited for other military applications, such as gen-sets, auxiliary power units for silent-watch vehicles, and unmanned aerial vehicles. Additionally, the internal reforming stack technology to be developed in this SBIR project is directly applicable to residential micro-combined heat and power systems.
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Project Library
Primary U.S. Work Locations and Key Partners
| Organizations Performing Work | Role | Type | Location |
|---|---|---|---|
| NexTech Materials, Ltd. | Lead Organization | Industry | Lewis Center, Ohio |
Glenn Research Center
(GRC)
|
Supporting Organization | NASA Center | Cleveland, Ohio |
Primary U.S. Work Locations
-
Ohio
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