Electrochem, Inc. — National Aeronautics and Space Administration SBIR Phase I: Z1

Description

ElectroChem Inc. proposes a Regenerative Fuel Cell (RFC) system which will provide innovativenbsp;solutions with high energy density storage and discharge.nbsp;nbsp; The system would store energy, in form of hydrogen and oxygen generated from an electrolyzer during the lunar day and discharge for duration surface operations by using these fuels in a fuel cell during darkness. The proposed system would incorporate the key attributes required for NASA lunar surface exploration while maintaining simplicity of design, safety of operation and high reliability. nbsp;Incorporated in the design, fabrication and testing of the proposed system will be our extensive technical and commercial product-oriented expertise which has been entirely directed toward PEM fuel cell, electrolyzer and related balance of plant technologies.The proposed system is a compact, lightweight, rugged, and safe solution to the lunar mission.nbsp; These positive attributes stem from three key factors: (1) technical innovation at ElectroChem which developed Non-flow-through fuel cells that permit RFC design simplification, (2) most efficient and reliable Nel Hydrogen self-pressurized high pressure electrolyzer and (3) integration of compressed hydrogen and oxygen in a sealed system with passive ancillary components. Our regenerative fuel cell modeling expects that system specific energy can exceed 800 Wh/kg and round trip efficiency can exceed 50%.