Accomplishments

• Compact onboard reforming kerosene-based fuels for auxiliary power units

• Revolutionary strategy for converting syngas to liquid fuel

• Feedstock-flexible reformer for biomass-derived gas

• Improved emission control catalysts

Patent Disclosures

• Fixed Output of Catalytic Reformer Under Variable Feed Compositions 

• Process using Microwave Energy to Remove Carbon from the Surface of a Reforming Catalyst

• Process using Microwave Energy to Remove Sulfur from a Reforming Catalyst

• Microwave-assisted NOx Abatement

• Carbon and Sulfur Tolerant Alloy Catalysts for Direct Reforming

• Feed Manipulation Strategies in the Fischer-Tropsch Process

 Awards 

On April 23, 2009 Professor Johannes Schwank received the James and Judith Street Professor of Chemical Engineering Award.  This is an Endowed Chair position established to honor distinguished Chemical Engineering faculty.

Professor Schwank started his career at the University of Michigan, College of Engineering as a post doctoral scholar in 1978, was promoted to assistant professor in 1980, associate professor in 1984, and professor in 1990. He served as Chairman of Chemical Engineering from 1990-1995, as a member of the Chemical Engineering Executive and Advisory Committee, as a Chemical Engineering Graduate Program Advisor, an Associate Director of the Electron Microbeam Analysis Laboratory and is currently the Director of TEC.

In addition to the Street Award, Professor Schwank received the Giuseppe Parravano Award for Excellence in Catalysis Resarch (1994) and the Research Excellence Award from the U-M College of Engineering (1989).  He has over 156 publications, seven patents, and six patents pending. 

Energy Technology Components

Executive Brief: Auxiliary Power Unit Development

Background

The auxiliary power unit (APU) is an electricity-generating device that provides energy for various functions other than vehicle propulsion. Current APU technology relies on combustion engine-based generators, but these units are noisy and face increasing restrictions due to anti-idling ordinances. Both the commercial trucking industry and the military are extremely interested in APUs that can use fuel onboard for operating a fuel cell. The fuel cell technology that is most applicable as an APU device is the solid oxide fuel cell (SOFC). The SOFC is a high temperature design that can be operated on hydrogen and carbon monoxide (syngas), which allows for considerable less stringent requirements for fuel reforming. The fuel reformer is a device that converts liquid transportation fuels to hydrogen-rich syngas. APUs based on SOFC technology have yet to become commercially viable because of the technical hurdles associated with onboard reforming of diesel and of Army logistic fuel.

ETC Fuel Reforming Leadership

ETC reformer technology is the result of research breakthroughs achieved by scientists and engineers in the Transportation Energy Center at the University of Michigan (UM-TEC).  Supported by more than $10 million in funding from the US Departments of Defense and Energy, UM-TEC has made major progress in solving the fundamental technical issues that have up to now prohibited the use of kerosene-based fuels in fuel cell based APUs. ETC is a leading developer in the following:

•    Small-scale compact reformers for 5kW of continuous power.
•    Concepts for heat generation for startup and control of transient operations.
•    Carbon- and sulfur-tolerant reforming catalysts.
•    Systems for automated management of the reforming process.
•    Catalyst regeneration while the APU is operating.

ETC’s designs utilize compact and lightweight reformer technology that allows for improved thermal integration of the reformer with the SOFC that leads to high efficiency of the overall system. ETC has access to a unique, proprietary method for catalyst regeneration allowing the catalyst to be cleaned while in operation. ETC has acquired the understanding and experience for designing the fuel reformer in a duel-use mode where syngas is supplied to the fuel cell and simultaneously to the emission control system for NOx abatement. This allows for hydrogen rich gas to be used both for generating electricity and for improving diesel emissions.

ETC’s APU Development Project

ETC has been selected by the University of Michigan as the technology transfer partner for reformer development and commercialization. We have established a partnership with the U.S. Army TARDEC’s National Automotive Center (NAC) and Conway-way, Inc. to develop and demonstrate fuel cell APU’s for heavy duty trucks within the next 2 years. Phase I of this effort involves the development and demonstration of fuel cell APUs on diesel trucks and Phase II involves transferring this know how to Army vehicles. The steps required for the Phase I reformer technology project are given below.

1. Engineering design study to define the technical specifications for integrating a reformer and SOFC unit on the truck chassis.
2. Design and construction of prototype reformer in a compact configuration that can interface with a diesel truck’s fuel supply system and convert diesel fuel into SOFC-quality syngas.
3. Joint venture partnership with SOFC developer to design and engineer a thermally integrated reformer/SOFC unit with balance of plant.
4. Laboratory testing and validation of diesel-fuel based APU prototype
5. Field demonstration of the APUs onboard heavy-duty diesel truck platforms. 
6. Comprehensive engineering design of an APU as an integrated part of a heavy-duty truck power train and diesel emissions system. 

Project Funding Status

ETC estimates that funding required to for developing and demonstrating SOFC APUs on diesel trucks and Army vehicles is the range of $10 to $12 million.

We will initiate this venture with a $3 million line item in the Draft FY 2010 Defense Appropriation Bill that will fund this project beginning in April of 2010. We expect to receive $250,000 this fall from the Michigan Economic Development Corporation (MEDC) to fund the Step 1, Engineering Design Study. In addition, ETC is exploring the possibility of receiving investment capital from industrial partners in exchange for equity in ETC.

 

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