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Pulsed Controlled Operation Direct Methanol Fuel Cell Power System

Award Information
Agency: Department of Defense
Branch: Army
Contract: W911NF-07-C-0016
Agency Tracking Number: A062-066-0077
Amount: $69,978.00
Phase: Phase I
Program: SBIR
Solicitation Topic Code: A06-066
Solicitation Number: 2006.2
Timeline
Solicitation Year: 2006
Award Year: 2006
Award Start Date (Proposal Award Date): 2006-11-07
Award End Date (Contract End Date): 2007-05-07
Small Business Information
89 Rumford Avenue
Newton, MA 02466
United States
DUNS: 066594979
HUBZone Owned: No
Woman Owned: No
Socially and Economically Disadvantaged: No
Principal Investigator
 Cecelia Cropley
 Director, Matls/Systems Engineering
 (781) 529-0506
 ccropley@ginerinc.com
Business Contact
 Anthony Vaccaro
Title: President/Chief Operations Officer
Phone: (781) 529-0504
Email: avaccaro@ginerinc.com
Research Institution
N/A
Abstract

The Direct Methanol Fuel Cell (DMFC) is a promising candidate for a high-energy, lightweight, compact power source for military applications, particularly as a replacement for the 20W primary LiSO2 batteries currently used to power the electronic equipment of individual soldiers. With further development DMFCs are expected to provide significantly higher specific energy and energy density than primary batteries, reducing the number of batteries the soldiers must carry. Performance of state-of-the-art DMFCs is primarily limited by the high overpotential for methanol oxidation due to formation of an adsorbed CO species on the Pt surface. These species act as a catalyst poison, blocking active sites required for methanol dehydrogenation. Laboratory half-cell studies have indicated that the adsorbed CO species are oxidatively removed by frequent short-duration pulses of the anode to high potentials, but there are a number of safety, lifetime and operational concerns in applying this to a practical DMFC stack and system. Giner, Inc. proposes to conduct single-cell and stack testing and system design studies to evaluate these concerns and tradeoffs. The feasibility of implementing anode pulsing in a practical 20W DMFC system that meets the Army requirements will be evaluated.

* Information listed above is at the time of submission. *

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