Session: 1.1.2 - Fuels, Combustion & Material Handling

Paper Number: 108936

108936 - Investigation of Ammonia as a Fuel for Solid Oxide Fuel Cells 

Decreasing the generation of CO₂ from energy production is a key area in energy research and environmental sustainability. Fuel cells represent a solution to reducing CO₂ generation through the use of hydrogen fuel to generate electricity. However, the widespread use of hydrogen fueled fuel cells is generally limited by difficulty of hydrogen storage, transportation, and synthesis. The primary issue with hydrogen storage is that gaseous hydrogen contains low energy per unit volume. This means that it must be highly compressed in order to achieve energy levels that are competitive with other fuels for similarly sized storage spaces. An example of where this is critical would be in a hydrogen fuel cell powered vehicle, where fuel storage space is very limited. One promising option to address these difficulties is the use of ammonia (NH₃) in solid oxide fuel cells (SOFCs), which allows for storage of a liquid fuel source, rather than the highly compressed gaseous fuel. Sourcing hydrogen from ammonia rather than from fossil fuel reformation eliminates the possibility of CO₂ generation from SOFC usage. Previous work has proven the ability to generate hydrogen from ammonia at high temperatures in a micro flow reactor (MFR) at high equivalence ratio. In the MFR setup, hydrogen production is dominated by the reaction of ammonia and the hydrogen radical to form molecular hydrogen and the amino radical (NH₂). Hydrogen consumption is dominated by the reaction of hydrogen and hydroxide radical to form water and hydrogen radical. The current work seeks to apply a similar methodology directly to standard SOFCs for electricity generation. Construction of the planar SOFC includes a nickel-yttria stabilized zirconia (Ni-YSZ) anode, YSZ electrolyte layer, and lanthanum strontium manganite-YSZ (LSM-YSZ) cathode layer. The nickel within the SOFC, along with the very high operating temperatures, assists in the thermal cracking of ammonia. This process occurs in the bulk of the anode layer and provides the hydrogen required for operation. Hydrogen then oxidizes at the triple-phase boundary (TPB) as it typically would in an SOFC. Oxidation is allowed by the transport of oxygen ions from the cathode-electrolyte TPB to the anode-electrolyte TPB. Testing is completed in a tubular furnace in order to maintain a controlled temperature, with oxygen being supplied to the cathode by ambient air. SOFC performance results will be discussed, along with an analysis of exhaust composition using gas chromatography and mass spectroscopy to demonstrate utilization of ammonia relative to fuel cell electrical performance at various operating temperatures.

Presenting Author: Cole Wilhelm Syracuse University

Presenting Author Biography: Current position: Ph.D. student in Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering at Syracuse University and researcher at Combustion and Energy Research (COMER) laboratory.

Education and Degrees
• BS in Mechanical Engineering with Advanced Energy Concentration, May 2020, Ohio Northern University
• MS in Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, December 2022, Syracuse University
• PhD in Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, in progress, Syracuse University

Awards
• Syracuse University Collaboration for Unprecedented Success and Excellence (CUSE) Grant Program, “Exploration of the Viability and Manufacturability of a Porous Solid Oxide Fuel Cell”, June 2021
• NASA Ohio Space Grant Consortium Scholarship, April 2020
• Tau Beta Pi Engineering Honor Society - Ohio Iota Chapter, November 2019
• Alpha Lambda Delta National Honor Society, April 2017
• Phi Eta Sigma National Honor Society, April 2017
• Ohio Robotics Xtreme BOTS Competition Best Engineering Documentation, Ohio Northern University Team, April 2017

Publications and Conference Proceedings
• “Effects of Synthesis Gas Concentration, Composition, and Operational Time on Tubular Solid Oxide Fuel Cell Performance,” Alexander Hartwell, Cole Wilhelm, Thomas Welles, Ryan Milcarek, and Jeongmin Ahn, Sustainability, vol. 14, p. 7983, 10.3390/su14137983 (2022).
• “Experimental Investigation of the Manufacturing of Porous Solid Oxide Fuel Cells,” Cole Wilhelm, Evan Schaffer, Thomas Welles, and Jeongmin Ahn, ASME Conference Proceedings, IMECE2021-69235 (2021).

Conference Presentations and Posters
• “Development of Porous Solid Oxide Fuel Cells for Electricity and Syngas Co-Generation,” Cole Wilhelm and Jeongmin Ahn, Syracuse University, ECS Research Day (2022).
• “Experimental Investigation of the Manufacturing of Porous Solid Oxide Fuel Cells,” Cole Wilhelm, ASME Conference Presentation, IMECE2021-69235 (2021).
• “Stage Automation,” Kaci Kidder, Cole Wilhelm, Jacob Kieckhafer, and Kimberly Partridge, Ohio Northern University Mechanical Engineering Capstone Design Showcase (2020).

Professional Societies
• American Society of Mechanical Engineers
• Order of the Engineer
• Tau Beta Pi

Activities
• Immersive Design Experience sponsored by KEEN Innovation and Ohio Northern University, May 2018
• Ohio Northern University Battle Bots Team, 2016 - 2018