Natural Gas Fuel Cell

They are now most common as a power source for buildings and remote areas but continual improvements in technology are quickly bringing them into wider use.

Natural gas fuel cell.

Reforming low cost natural gas can provide hydrogen today for fuel cell electric vehicles fcevs as well as other applications. What are the benefits of running your home on a natural gas fuel cell. Bluegen is powered by the fully integrated fuel cell module which by using solid oxide ceramic fuel cells ranks among the most efficient energy conversion systems currently available on the market. A fuel cell uses the chemical energy stored in fuels like natural gas and converts it into usable electricity.

This technology can make a world of difference to our customers so we re working on bringing it to you. While a typical battery has a fixed supply of energy fuel cells continuously generate electricity as long as fuel is supplied. A commercially working cell is called ene farm in japan and is supported by the regional government which uses natural gas to power up the fuel cell to produce electricity and heated water. The residential system will be based on watt s current imperium tm system a 1kw hybrid sofc unit converted to operate on readily available natural gas.

Over the long term doe expects that hydrogen production from natural gas will be augmented with production from renewable nuclear coal with carbon capture and storage and other low carbon domestic energy resources. The prototype hybrid system actually uses both fuel cells and a micro gas turbine. The system splits natural gas into hydrogen and carbon monoxide which are then used to provide electrical power. Natural gas fuel cells 101 fuel cells might sound futuristic but they were invented in 1932 and put to commercial use by nasa in the 1950s.

The system takes advantage of our proprietary lower temperature higher power cells and stacks as well as an innovative fuel processor. When a hydrogen rich fuel such as clean natural gas or renewable biogas enters the fuel cell stack it reacts electrochemically with oxygen i e. Ambient air to produce electric current heat and water. The waste heat of bluegen produced by the process of generating electricity can optionally be used to heat water.

The economic case for fuel cells on a levelized cost basis for remote areas where natural gas supply is high and with low economic value like at gas drilling sites fuel cells are more cost effective than grid supplied power.