TransForum Vol. 3, No. 1

CATALYST FOR CHANGE

Reactions were largely negative when Argonne's Chemical Technology Division began exploring the catalytic conversion of liquid fuel to hydrogen inside a fuel-cell system. Conventional wisdom in the late 1980s held that the sheer difficulty of finding the right catalyst made such work too risky.

Over the next decade, diligent work by an Argonne team, led by Michael Krumpelt and Shabbir Ahmed, would uncover a class of new materials to support the chemistry for partial oxidation the primary reaction by which the hydrocarbon fuel is converted into hydrogen (TransForum, Vol. 2, No. 1). That discovery would lead to the development of a partial oxidation catalyst that efficiently converts a wide variety of hydrocarbon fuels, including gasoline, natural gas, diesel, and methanol, into hydrogen-rich gas to power automotive fuel-cell systems.

The bottom line is that the novel catalyst contained within a fuel processor that is only about two gallons in size will allow fuel-cell-powered cars to run on conventional fuels. Such a breakthrough means the era is approaching when ultra-efficient, environmentally benign electric cars can compete with the internal combustion engine for consumers' affections.

Catalyst pellets made by Sud-Chemie

As might be expected, interest in Argonne's patented catalyst has grown. Last fall, Sud-Chemie, Inc., a Louisville, Kentucky-based supplier of catalysts used in fuel-cell processors, signed a licensing agreement to manufacture and distribute the partial oxidation catalyst. The company has already shipped prototypes to virtually every fuel-processor developer in the automotive and stationary applications industries. "Clearly, the partial oxidation catalyst is a leading-edge technology,"says Scott Osborne, business development manager for Sud-Chemie's fuel-cell catalyst technology division. "Its greatest attribute is its ability to process gasoline and heavy feeds, which eliminates the need to produce straight hydrogen fuel for fuel-cell applications. In addition, the catalyst offers impressively high tolerance for sulfur in hydrocarbon fuels, and it eliminates or reduces coke formation. Such successful performance is critical to the reliable, long-term operation of the processor."

Krumpelt agrees. "The fuel cell itself had progressed far enough to build vehicles, but what was missing was the technology to convert gasoline to hydrogen-rich gas for the fuel cell. The partial oxidation catalyst has provided that missing link. Others have developed catalysts to compete, but this is the first and by far the best application."

More work on the partial oxidation catalyst is needed. Although industry response to the catalyst has been favorable, current interest appears to be limited largely to demonstration programs and additional research. That could change, but large-scale production is still at least several years away.

At Argonne, the work has now entered what Krumpelt calls the "clever engineering"phase. The emphasis will be on sharply reducing the cost of the fuel processor by making it smaller, lighter, and more efficient. Key tasks will include trimming the size and weight of the catalyst by half and boosting efficiency by improving thermal integration. All are difficult, but not insurmountable, challenges.

Meanwhile, the agreement with Sud-Chemie is expected to spawn new cooperative research, which could lead to the development of a whole new generation of fuel-processor catalysts.