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| Catacel Current Projects |
| Heat Exchange, Reforming, Catalytic Combustion |
Catacel is developing several projects with 1-5 year commercial timelines, has several active partnerships, and is installing additional manufacturing capacity in Ohio. The following details these activities.
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Stackable Structural Reactor (SSRTM): Catacel is in the final testing stages of a new coated foil reactor that will be used as a direct
replacement for ceramic packed bed catalysts in hydrogen plants. The technology is also expected to be useful in ammonia and other catalytic processes that are heat transfer limited. SSR offers increased throughput in plants by significantly improving the heat transfer between catalyst surface and tube wall. Being made of metal foil, the SSR structure will not break or crush like ceramic pellets. Field trials will begin in early 2007, followed by rapid manufacturing scale-up.
Development on this project was partially funded by Phase I and Phase II grants from EMTEC and EERE under EFC-H1-09-1A and -2A. Product testing was peformed under a GATE Partership Award from NASA Glenn. Read about it in this NASA Glenn Success Story.
High Temperature Heat Exchanger: Catacel is testing a new low-cost heat exchanger concept targeted at balance-of-plant applications for fuel cells. The exchanger also forms
a low-cost platform for reforming, shift, and other reactions when inserts are coated with appropriate catalyst. Traditional heat exchangers used in this high-temperature environment are large, heavy, and very expensive. Initial tests of Catacel's technology show that about 2.5kw of heat can be exchanged in a durable device about the size of a large toothpaste carton. Expected manufacturing cost will be well within SECA program limits.
Work on this project is currently being funded by the State of Ohio under the Third Frontier Project under TECH 06-049.
Flexible Fuel Reformer: Catacel is developing a novel Low Density Flexible Fuel Reformer (FFR) for use with fuel cells which produce from 5 to 20 kW of power. The FFR is a unique compact, modular, lightweight, low cost hybrid steam reformer capable of use as a discrete component that is assembled with other components into a fuel cell APU system or as an integrated component of a manufactured fuel cell APU system. It uses the low-cost Catacel high temperature heat exchanger as a support platform. It will be able to process a variety of distillate fuels, such as gasoline and diesel fuel, and provide a constant fuel supply of predictable quality to the fuel cell. The FFR design implements a novel solution to the coking and sulfur problems associated with some distillate fuels, resulting in long-term operation of the Reformer. The FFR is extremely compact, and it will have a manufactured cost significantly under the 2010 SECA target of $31.70/kW for APU reformer/sulfur treatment components.
This work has been partially funded by Phase I and Phase II grants from the National Science Foundation under DMI-0419608 and OII-05487677.
Integrated Fuel Reforming for Solid Oxide Fuel Cell: Catacel is teamed with two solid oxide fuel cell integrators, providing reforming solutions that integrate tightly with their cell stacks. This tight physical integration provides for maximum thermal integration, leading to improved system thermal efficiency.
Catalytic Combustor for NASA: Catacel has provided several novel catalytic combustor modules to NASA Glenn Research Center. These modules are used to combust unused jet fuel that is exhausted from an NASA's injector and reformer test stand. This work was done under the terms of a STTA Space Act Agreement. Read about the project in this NASA Glenn Success Story.
Novel Catalyst Supports: Catacel has several ongoing catalyst support projects with catalytic material suppliers, catalytic converter manufacturers, and some end users. Catacel provides honeycomb supports to these customers with unusual characteristics, such as size, shape, base material, or channel design.
Gas Turbine Catalytic Combustion: Catacel is a major player in a 13-member international consortium of manufacturers, laboratories, and universities, including a major gas turbine manufacturer. The consortium was formed to explore and commercialize a novel catalytic combustion system concept for industrial gas turbines. Catacel provides know-how regarding catalytic materials and monolith design, makes catalyzed monolith samples for testing, and will eventually be the manufacturer of the cataylzed metal monoliths used in the combustion system.
Technical papers relating to this project:
Manufacturing: Catacel has a catalyst development lab near Philadelphia, and a manufacturing and product development operation in Northeast Ohio. We have an ongoing project to add or upgrade production and test equipment at our Ohio facility to support the growth in our business.
Partnerships: In addition to the specific project partnerships mentioned above, Catacel maintains active partnerships with 1) well-known catalytic materials suppliers, 2) materials developers, 3) testing facilities, and 4) several major universities. These partnerships leverage our work, assuring early results and early commercialization of our projects.
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Last Update 8/15/06
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