Re: [PSUBS-MAILIST] Fuel cells

["John Pier" <caribsub@coqui.net>]

Hi Craig,
Well,  fuel cells DO seem to be "ROSY" at least for the Navy, check out this
link:  http://services.sciencewise.com/content/index.cfm?objectid=4024
The Department of Defense has posted a request for proposals for Oxygen
Source for Underwater Vehicle Fuel Cells.
Their presentation of fuel cell for underwater vehicles is the most
comprehensive and positive text that I ever read. Simple and you don t drawn
with unknown words.
I know these guys, their fuel cell must work pretty damn well for them to
look for an oxygen source manufacturer / supplier.
I am not an expert in fuel cell and  other APUs, PEMFCs, SOFCs which do not
demonstrate anything anyway but it seems that at least  for the DOD that the
problem is NOT in the Fuel cell but the oxygen source.
I will follow up, sounds very interesting for my subs. Fuel cells do work
that s the good news.
Herve Jaubert

----- Original Message -----
From: <CWall@swri.edu>
To: <personal_submersibles@psubs.org>
Sent: Friday, November 10, 2000 11:40 AM
Subject: [PSUBS-MAILIST] Fuel cells


> Herve, I work for a group that designs advanced vehicle systems, and I'm
their
> fuel cell guy.
>
> It's not quite as rosy as the press releases would lead you to believe.
The
> biggest problem is that of the fuel itself- most fuel cells require
hydrogen,
> and hydrogen is bulky.  Reforming other fuels to get that hydrogen
involves a
> lot of additional equipment.
>
> Other fuel cell chemistries are available, and manned submersibles have
been
> built using them....but I really don't think you want to go after
> hydrazine/nitrogen tetroxide systems.
>
> Having said that, there are some opportunities to use small fuel cells as
APUs
> for battery charging, but these are Proton Exchange Membrane Fuel Cells
> (PEMFCs) that require hydrogen- and they aren't cheap.   Nor are they
readily
> available, despite what you see on the websites.
>
> The one real hope is for small SOFCs (Solid Oxide Fuel Cells) that can be
run
> with hydrocarbon fuels following a simplified reforming process.  They are
> unfortunately high temperature cells- in the 700-900C range, and they
aren't
> available yet either- but they may be soon, and in the 3-10 Kw range that
would
>  be useful.   The problem is, you can't start and stop them easily- it
takes a
> day or two, and basically you'd never want to shut them down.    And like
all
> fuel cells they require air or oxygen or at least some oxidizer. They'd
make a
> good trickle charging device for shoreside power, though.
>
> Craig Wall
>
>