PEMFC STACKS FOR POWER GENERATION

Recently, much of the interest in polymer electrolyte membrane (PEM) fuel c ll development has been shifting from transportation to stationary power applications. In contrast to molten carbonate or solid oxide fuel cell technologies which are most appropriate for large-scale power applications, PEM fuel cells are envisioned for small, home-based power sources on the roughly 3- 5 kW level. Plug Power, LLC a fuel cell manufacturer, is primarily pursuing the development of such systems. Technological advances in PEM fuel cells at Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL) are of potential utility for the development of readily manufacturable, low-cost and high performance fuel cell systems operating at near-ambient reactant pressures. As such, the two parties are collaborating on addressing some of the more pressing issues. The primary tasks involve the investigation of both stainless steel and composite bipolar plates, CO tolerant anodes, and novel humidification and stack operation schemes