Zing | Abstracts | Submission
Control and Experimental Characterization of a Methanol Reformer for a 350 W High
Temperature Polymer Electrolyte Membrane Fuel Cell System
Søren Juhl Andreasena,*, Søren Knudsen Kæra,
Hans-Christian Becker Jensena and Simon Sahlina
a, Department of Energy Technology, Aalborg University,Pontoppidanstræde 101, Aalborg
East , 9220,Denmark * Corresponding Author sja@et.aau.dk.
This work involves the an experimental characterisation and the development of control
strategies for the methanol reformer system used in the Serenergy Serenus H3 E-350
high temperature polymer electrolyte membrane (HTPEM) fuel cell system. The system
consists of a fuel evaporator utilizing the high temperature waste gas from a cathode air
cooled 45 cell HTPEM fuel cell stack. Different aspects with similar fuel cell stack types
have been described in [1,2]. The MEAs used are BASF P2100 which use phosphoric acid
doped polybenzimidazole type membranes; an MEA with high CO tolerance and no
complex humidity requirements. The methanol reformer used is integrated into a compact
unit that allows the use of waste heat from the fuel cell stack in the reformer system, and a
burner unit is also integrated to supplement provide heat using the stack anode hydrogen.
The reformer is initially placed in an experimental system (shown in Figure 1 (Left))
capable of emulating the interfaces to the fuel cell system, i.e. cathode and anode gas
flows and temperature by using mass flow controllers and controlled heaters.
Figure 1: Left: Schematic of the experimental setup Right: The Serenus H3 E-350
HTPEM FC Methanol Reformer unit [X]
Using this system the methanol reformer is characterized in its different operating points,
both steady-state but also dynamically. Methanol steam reforming is a well known
process, and provides good advantages when used together with HTPEM fuel cells [4,5]
Many challenges exist in properly controlling such reformer systems and ensuring that key
system states are controlled also during transients. The key system states monitored are
different critical system temperatures in the evaporator, reformer and burner and the
behaviour of the CO concentration of the reformate gas.
References
1. S. J. Andreasen and S. K. Kær, Int. J. Hydrogen Energy, 2008,33,4655-4664
2. S.J Andreasen, J.L.Jespersen, E. Schaltz and S. K. Kær, Fuel Cells,2009,4,463-473
3. A. Qi, B. Peppley and K. Karan, Fuel Processing Technology,2007,88,3-22
4. C.Pan,R.He,Q.Li,J.Jensen,N.Bjerrum,H.Hjulmand and A.Jensen, J. Power
Sources,145,392-398
5. S. J. Andreasen, S. K. Kær and M. P. Nielsen, ECS Trans. 2008, 5, 197-207.
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