Franklin Fuels Direct Oxidation SOFC's

Franklin Fuel Cells Inc. (FFC) is an early stage company that is commercializing a unique solid oxide fuel cell (SOFCs) technology operates directly on today's hydrocarbon fossil fuels as well as future fuels such as, biofuels and hydrogen. This technology will enable (SOFCs) to become price-competitive with existing generation products while having higher energy efficiency and fuel flexibility. The company is a privately held Delaware corporation founded in November 2001 and capitalized in April 2002. FFC intends to address both the stationary and mobile markets.

Fuel cell advocates promise the world cleaner, more efficient and more reliable power, but widespread adoption of existing fuel cell technologies depend on the establishment of a "hydrogen economy." Without the infrastructure to support hydrogen distribution and storage, current fuel cell systems are too inefficient, too large and too expensive for most applications. Franklin Fuel Cell technology, acquired from the University of Pennsylvania through an exclusive licensing agreement, overcomes most of these issues. This technology is designed to:

1. Accelerate the rate of fuel cell commercialization by using conventional fuels and the existing energy infrastructure (such as gasoline, diesel, kerosene, etc).
2. Be competitive now with conventional modular power generating systems in terms of manufacturing cost.
3. Provide a product that can be fuel flexible to facilitate the transition to the hydrogen economy.

Franklin is the only fuel-cell development company to offer patented Copper-Ceria anode technology, a technology that offers several unique benefits over the common Nickel anode, including:

• No need for reformation
• Not prone to Carbon fouling and contaminations that dramatically reduce fuel cell life and efficiency, thus enabling cheaper, smaller and more efficient power generating systems.
• Can achieve conversion efficiencies up to 56% higher than standard SOFCs, up to two times higher than internal combustion engines

Franklin Fuel Cells has reported that it has successfully “tested, demonstrated, and proven” its patented, proprietary SOFC technology on 16 different hydrocarbon fuels: “virtually every current, commercially-available liquid and gaseous hydrocarbon fuel; done without the need for reformers or de-sulfurizers, and without requiring cell modifications from one fuel to the next.”

The tests were performed on all of the following hydrocarbon fuels: BP/Amoco 93-octane pump gasoline, E85, Methanol, Ethanol, Propane, 2006 commercial Diesel (30ppm S), Kerosene, Natural Gas, Butane, Methane, Hexane, Decane, Dodecane, Hexadecane, JP-8, and Heavy Naphtha. Performance graphs of the tests are available from Franklin.

In the traditional SOFC, Nickel is used in the anode to perform two functions: it’s the catalyst that breaks the fuel down, and it’s also the conductor of electrons. The problem with Nickel is that it is such a good catalyst that it catalyzes the carbon in a hydrocarbon fuel and “fouls” – which destroys the cell.

Next, the common Nickel-based anode is very sensitive to Sulfur, which is contained in all of our readily-available hydrocarbon fuels. In fact, Nickel cannot handle the Sulfur levels in our most common fuels like gasoline, diesel and kerosene.

Franklin’s singularly-unique, proven technology solves the problem in several key ways.

First, Franklin’s unique approach was to separate the two functions of Nickel with Copper to handle electronic conductivity and Ceria (CeO2) to act as an oxidation catalyst.

The advantage of Franklin’s proprietary Copper-Ceria anode technology is that it does not “foul” when exposed to hydrocarbon fuels, AND has a Sulfur tolerance as high as 500ppm, resulting in much better system efficiency and fuel flexibility! (Copper is inert to hydrocarbon fuels and does not “foul” like Nickel; Ceria is an excellent catalyst used in automotive applications and has a high Sulfur tolerance.

Next, Franklin’s DOSOFC (Direct Oxidation Solid Oxide Fuel Cell) technology allows direct oxidation of the hydrocarbon fuel by feeding it directly into the fuel cell with no reforming, de-Sulfurization, or addition of steam - resulting in much greater system simplicity which reduces system size, capital costs, complexity and maintenance. (See diagram below)

Under the appropriations bill, $1 million has been directed to Franklin Fuel Cells for Copper-Ceramic Solid Oxide Fuel Cell Technology research.

John Law, Franklin’s CEO, commented on the latest funding. “This is going to fund a Phase-Two program with our first Navy appropriation begun last year. The most important thing for us is that it is a tangible acknowledgment of our success in Phase One – and you had better show measurable successes in order to merit a ‘Phase Two’. Among those successes were our demonstration of 500+ hours of continuous operation on hydrocarbon fuels at high fuel utilization, increase in average single cell power density of more than 50%, and reduction by two-thirds in cell fabrication cost.

Deployment of fuel cells creates the potential for greatly reduced military fuel costs and distribution logistics. However, current fuel-cell technologies must use either hydrogen or zero-/low-sulfur fuels that render them impractical for military deployment. Franklin Fuel Cells’ project will design, fabricate and demonstrate a 2kW copper-ceramic solid-oxide fuel cell (SOFC) auxiliary power unit prototype to be delivered to the Navy before July 2007

Franklin Fuel Cells, Inc., Malvern, PA USA

Comments

[amazingdrx]

This could make a backup generator for electric cars based on fuel cell/microturbine technology a reality.

True multi-fuel capability, high efficiency, low weight, and low cost; all the qualities that are needed to replace internal combustion.

Since the new nano tech lithium ion batteries are so very expensive, only about a 50 mile range for an electric car is practical on batteries alone.

That is enough for most driving miles, but a good backup generator is needed to make electric cars able to compete in terms of utility with internal combustion. This sounds like the technology that will do it.

Coupled with a microturbine and electric drivetrain in an economy car it could give 200+ mpg on liquid fuel alone. And it would run on the cheapest liquid fuels.

And the whole design would fit into the space normally dedicated to an ICE (internal combustion engine), transmission, and related systems, at equal to or less that the ICE weight.

[Engineer-Poet]

You know, Delphi has had an SOFC APU in R& D since before 2000.  Mechanical Engineering had a feature on the subject.

How can someone who calls himself "amazing" be so ignorant?

[Jim Baerg]

I notice the components in the diagram all have operating temperatures of several 100 °C.

Doesn't that mean it takes a long time to start the system up? Which would be a problem for using it to run cars.

[amazingdrx]

That's the beauty of using it in a battery electric car as a backup generator. It has plenty of time to get up to operating temperature because the car runs on the battery power for the first 50 miles or more.

This is the first high temp fuel cell to overcome the sulfur and contamination problems and it is done with a common, inexpensive substance.

[JN2]

How can someone who calls himself "amazing" be so ignorant?

How can anyone who calls himself a poet be so unpoetic?

[amazingdrx]

Could CeO2 for these fuel cells be recycled from catalytic converters? The platinum recovery might pay for the process.

The high melting point of the material could be attained with a solar furnace.

Surface contaminants and the remaining platinum could be vaporized from the surface with concentrated solar power, then the CeO2 melted and purified and formed into the appropriate shape.

Technology that feeds off of recycled internal combustion vehicles to produce new fuel cell electric vehicles could be very cost effective.

Rather than a whole new vehicle, remove the ICE parts then install the fuel cell electric parts recycled from parts from other applications, like three phase industrial motors, turbo chargers, and catalytic converters.

It looks like first adopters of these new systems will be do it yourselfers not large industrial automakers.

[Engineer-Poet]

JN2:  Prosaic matters call for, well, prose.

The only way a retrofit of current vehicles will pay off is if it's mass-produced as a kit.  If you want to bet otherwise, I'll be happy to take that bet.

[amazingdrx]

Yep that Calcar call for a 5k retrofit Prius plugin kit is a good step.

But I think assembley lines could be created for conversions to electric plugin vehicles. Do Toyotas of a certain model one week, Hondas the next, even (uggh) Fords.

That way a conversion could cost 7k all done for you. Not a compromise like a plugin hybrid either, but a full 100+ mile range, 15 minute charge, 75 cent per "gallon" electric conversion.

[amazingdrx]

17 million cars are bought in the US per year. To convert to electric that way would take 15 years.

By using half mass production, assembly line conversions the crucial job in this war on global climate disaster could be won in less than a decade.

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