Backgrounder: Western Economic Diversification Canada invests in fuel cell research underway at UVic

A fuel cell is an electrochemical engine that converts hydrogen and oxygen into electricity. Its only by-products are water and heat. Fuel cells are a key enabling technology for the hydrogen economy—a vision where electricity and its stored form, hydrogen, are the dominant energy currencies in a future sustainable energy system no longer dependant on fossil fuels. All automotive manufacturers world-wide have major fuel cell engine research and development programs racing to introduce commercially available fuel cell powered vehicles.

Many other applications of fuel cells will soon power items such as cell phones, laptops and even entire buildings. Canadian companies such as Ballard (a leading developer of Proton Exchange Membrane (PEM) fuel cells) and Stuart Energy Systems (a leading developer of electrolytic hydrogen generators) are at the forefront of this emerging technological revolution.

Two new research projects, funded by Western Economic Diversification Canada, will be undertaken by IESVic:

Micro PIV System (Micro Particle Imaging Velocimetry System): The micro PIV is a laser imaging system capable of probing the inner workings of a fuel cell. Special fuel cells, designed to allow laser light to penetrate and probe, will be fabricated in the IESVic laboratory. The PIV system will be used to provide high-resolution pictures and measurements of fluid and gas flow in the fuel cell micro-channels. Initial experiments using this unique system are planned for this summer.

These new experiments will help further the development of a sophisticated 3-D fuel cell computer model. Major fuel cell developers from North America and Japan are now partnering with IESVic on this project. Along with leading software developers, IESVic will undertake a challenging research program to model the detailed physical processes taking place inside a fuel cell and to develop powerful computer design tools that can be used to optimize fuel cells.

Understanding the processes at work inside a fuel cell will lead to improved performance. However, to achieve these goals, computer models need to be calibrated — precise measurements of key parameters like temperature and the concentration of hydrogen, oxygen or their byproduct, water, are needed to test the model predictions. Standard measurement techniques using sensors or probes would interfere with the very processes taking place inside the fuel cell, rendering the measurements useless. Non-intrusive measurement techniques such as those provided by the PIV system are required.

IRENE (Integrated Renewable Energy Experiment): IRENE is a modular energy system, designed to supply the electrical needs of a typical British Columbia residence. The system will be constructed over the summer in IESVic’s laboratory. Renewable energy from solar cells, wind turbines, micro-hydro or tidal systems will be used to evaluate the ability of these intermittent sources to supply a typical residence. Crucial to these types of systems is the need to store energy for times when the renewable energy source is not available.

IESVic researchers, in partnership with a local Victoria company, Soltek Power Systems, will assemble the main components of the stand-alone energy system. The key energy storage elements will be integrated into the system: a prototype hydrogen generator provided by Stuart Energy Systems in Toronto and a NEXA fuel cell from Ballard Power Systems in Burnaby. (NEXA is the world’s first commercially available PEM fuel cell.)

The renewable system will supply the electrical needs of a residence while at the same time generating and storing hydrogen for later times when the renewable supply is insufficient or absent. During those times the stored hydrogen will be supplied to a fuel cell that will silently generate electricity, producing water in the process. This small-scale system will test key elements that are critical in the development of the so-called hydrogen economy. Such stand-alone (off-grid) energy systems may have near-term application in remote communities, such as those found in many parts of coastal BC and northern Canada. Application in developing countries is also of interest.

Future experiments planned by IESVic include developing a bio-hydrogen generator to power the fuel cell. Such a system could, for example, turn municipal or agricultural waste streams into a sustainable, clean energy supply while mitigating the harmful effects of the waste material. In addition, IRENE will be modified to evaluate the potential of renewable energy systems to provide energy to desalination equipment for potable water production.