The U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) Advanced Research Projects Agency-Energy (ARPA-E) recently announced nearly $15 million for six projects in Phase 2 of the Jumpstart Opportunities to Unleash Leadership in Energy Storage with 1K Energy Storage Systems (JOULES-1K) program. The goal of the program is to develop entirely new kinds of energy storage systems that are far more powerful and compact than current technology.
Among the projects is one that is being led by Chao Wang, a professor of chemical and biomolecular engineering who is also a core researcher with the Ralph O’Connor Sustainable Energy Institute (ROSEI). The project, titled “High Density Energy Storage Using Cyclic Hydrogen Carriers” aims to develop a high-energy, fast-refueling liquid fuel cell that can deliver lightweight, efficient electric power for demanding mobile and national security applications.
“This award recognizes the potential of our direct liquid fuel cell technology to fundamentally change how we deliver electric power to mobile and transportation systems,” said Wang. “By combining high energy density with rapid refueling, our work aims to overcome key limitations of today’s battery and fuel cell technologies. Being selected for this program is great encouragement on our research and enables us to accelerate development toward real-world demonstrations.”
See below for the official description of Wang’s selected project:
John Hopkins University will develop a Direct Liquid Fuel Cell (DLFC) designed to meet JOULES-1K targets by using a refuellable liquid energy storage concept. The approach is based on Liquid Organic Hydrogen Carriers (LOHCs), which are chemicals (e.g. hydrocarbons) that can store and release hydrogen. The DLFC is expected to deliver 1 kWh/kg at the system level. A key advantage is fast replenishment compared to long electrical charging times because the LOHC can be refilled in less than 10 minutes through liquid pumping. Phase 2 work will focus on optimizing the cell design, scaling up manufacturing of cell stacks, building the balance of plant (BOP), and demonstrating a 1 kW prototype. This research will deliver high-density, high-efficiency electric power generation for mobile and transportation applications. Marine and ground vehicles for national security missions are a strong fit: the lower operating temperature enables a lower thermal signature than diesel systems, and the fast liquid refueling enables shorter recharge times than traditional battery systems.
This article was originally posted by the Ralph O’Connor Sustainable Energy Institute.