Jun 19 2006
Researchers at the CAS Dalian Institute of Chemical Physics (DICP) have scored important progress in their studies on a 75kW fuel cell system fuelled by hydrogen from catalytic reforming of methanol.
They were successful in an integration of a CO resistant proton exchange membrane fuel cell system with a hydrogen source system of catalytic reforming of methanol on June 7 with a steady electricity generation for 3 hours.
This proved that the fuel cell system could adapt to hydrogen generated by methanol reformers and contained trace amount of CO, according to experts. The operation showed that the maximum power output attained 75.5kW, and stable hydrogen supply from the methanol reformer was 70.5Nm3 H2/h. In the reforming gas, the hydrogen content was 53 v%, and CO was ca. 20ppm.
As a key project of the CAS Knowledge Innovation Program conducted by DICP researchers, its integration experiment confirmed the feasibility of employing in-situ hydrogen generation from hydrogen-rich liquid fuels by proton exchange membrane fuel cells. It also made DICP become one of the organizations that possesses a proprietary technology of integrating hydrogen sources generated by catalytic methanol reformer with large power fuel cells. The latest advance in this kind of technology was the methanol-reformer fuelled NECAR5 type fuel cell sedan by Daimler-Chrysler Co. of USA.
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