SBIR/STTR Award attributes
AE proposes to use this Phase II effort to produce two 300W+ TRL6-7 PCFC Fuel Cell Systems for testing and evaluation by the US Army. Critical to achieving this delivery is the optimization of PCFC performance and the high production rate of PCFC cells through AE’s unique thermoplastic extrusion manufacturing process. Given the breadth of knowledge gained in the Phase I work, the AE/CSM team are confident in the ability to meet metrics, and therefore meet delivery objectives. An additional benefit to this Phase II work is the advancement of PCFC technology and manufacturing methods, which may enable future development activities, such as intermediate temperature PCFC operation and materials selection. This proposed work is intended to both continue and expand on the developments in the Phase I STTR work. Of particular interest in this Phase II proposal is the successful pilot scale production maturity of CSM’s PCFC technology. The production rates enabled by pilot scale manufacturing are required for large subsequent Phase II PCFC stack and system testing. In parallel, CSM and AE will focus on optimization of PCFC performance. Success is determined by both qualified production metrics (rate of production and yield of production) as well as minimum acceptable PCFC performance metrics (surface power density using partial oxidation of propane reformate as a fuel) to meet target power system mass and volume goals. To meet this goal, the Phase II development will have three main Objectives: PCFC Optimization, Pilot Manufacturing, and System Testing & Delivery. These objectives are described in detail in the following sections.
