See discussions, stats, and author profiles for this publication at: https://www.researchgate.

net/publication/299974408

RECENT DEVELOPMENTS OF REGENERATIVE FUEL CELL SYSTEMS FOR

SATELLITES

Conference Paper · April 2014

CITATIONS READS

8 2,351

6 authors, including:

Jarle Farnes Arild Vik

Prototech AS Prototech AS
7 PUBLICATIONS 22 CITATIONS 52 PUBLICATIONS 470 CITATIONS

SEE PROFILE SEE PROFILE

Dmitry Bokach Tjalve Svendsen

Christian Michelsen Research Christian Michelsen Research
13 PUBLICATIONS 94 CITATIONS 3 PUBLICATIONS 13 CITATIONS

SEE PROFILE SEE PROFILE

All content following this page was uploaded by Jarle Farnes on 29 April 2016.

The user has requested enhancement of the downloaded file.

 RECENT DEVELOPMENTS OF REGENERATIVE FUEL CELL SYSTEMS FOR SATELLITES
Jarle Farnes (1), Arild Vik (2), Dmitry Bokach (3), Tjalve Svendsen(4), Max Schautz (5), Xavier Geneste(6)
(1)
Researcher at CMR Prototech AS, Fantoftvegen 38 PO Box 60345892 Bergen Norway, Jarle.farnes@prototech.no
(2)
Technology Director at CMR Prototech AS, Fantoftvegen 38 PO Box 6034 5892 Bergen Norway,
arild.vik@prototech.no
(3)
Researcher at CMR Prototech AS, Fantoftvegen 38 PO Box 60345892 Bergen Norway, Dmitry.bokach@prototech.no
(4)
Researcher at CMR Prototech AS, Fantoftvegen 38 PO Box 60345892 Bergen Norway,
Tjalve.svendsen@prototech.no
(5)
European Space Agency, ESTEC - Keplerlaan 1, 2201 AZ Noordwijk Zh, The Netherlands, max.schautz@esa.int,
(6)
European Space Agency, ESTEC - Keplerlaan 1, 2201 AZ Noordwijk Zh, The Netherlands, xavier.geneste@esa.int

ABSTRACT CMR Prototech has conducted a series of projects

Next generation telecommunication satellites will
demand increasingly more power. Power levels of 30
kW or more are foreseen for the next 10 years. Battery
technology that can sustain 30 kW for eclipse lengths of
up to 72 minutes will represent a major impact on the
total mass of the satellite, even with new Li-ion battery
technologies. Regenerative fuel cell systems (RFCS)
were identified years ago as a possible alternative to
rechargeable batteries. CMR Prototech has investigated
this technology in a series of projects initiated by ESA
focusing on both the essential fuel cell technology,
demonstration of cycle performance of a RFCS,
corresponding to 15 years in orbit, as well as the very
important reactants storage systems. This paper includes
the main results from this work from the past 5 years.
1. INTRODUCTION
A Regenerative Fuel Cell System (RFCS) based on
hydrogen and oxygen consists of a storage system for
reactants (H2, O2 and H2O), a fuel cell, and an
electrolyser. During charging, the electrolyser converts
water to hydrogen and oxygen by supply of photovoltaic
power. During discharge the fuel cell converts hydrogen
and oxygen to water and generates electrical power and
waste heat. Within the ESA Technology Research
Programme (TRP) and ARTES 5 programs activities
have been undertaken to develop and test a
Regenerative Fuel Cell System to replace batteries on
GEO telecommunication satellites in the long term. A
first order comparison has been performed of a fuel cell
system with Li-ion batteries [8] and it showed a
significant mass advantage for large platforms with
power levels approaching 20 kW. Next generation
telecommunication satellites will put increasingly
higher requirements on the power supply system. Power
levels of 30 kW or more are foreseen for the next 15
years. Today, rechargeable batteries serve as secondary
power, but battery systems that can sustain >30 kW for
eclipse lengths of up to 72 minutes will represent a
major impact on the total mass of the satellite, even with
new Li-Ion battery technologies, thus increasing launch
cost correspondingly.
(studies and hardware tests) for ESA which have been
relevant in the development of an energy storage system
for satellites based on fuel cells (FC). In the project
Hydrogen Storage Technologies [1] the objective was to
establish state of the art hydrogen storage technologies
for space. Further activities included design,
manufacture and test of critical functions of a metal
hydride based system. The project Regenerative H2/O2
Fuel Cell [3] focused on a review of existing fuel cell
systems capable of supporting future ESA missions. The
project Innovative Gas Storage on Satellites [4] had as
main objective to design and manufacture a breadboard
model of a metal hydride compressor and storage
system. The project Advanced Energy Storage System
[5] was added to this contract with the objective to
design and test a closed-loop rechargeable system based
on available unitised regenerative fuel cell (URFC)
technology. CMR Prototech also participated as
subcontractor in a TRP activity; Fuel Cells for Telecom
Systems – System Study [2], where Thales Alenia
Space was the main contractor. The study concluded
that it is expected that the RFCS will be more attractive
than batteries on a performance point of view, for
telecom satellites with bigger payloads. The study
pointed out a number of things that needed to be
addressed, and the recent projects were related to many
of these subjects.
In the ESA project “Demonstration of a closed loop
H2/O2 RFCS”, [6], CMR Prototech was the prime
contractor, and Astrium (Friedrichshafen) was the
subcontractor. The main objective was to perform a
Breadboard Demonstration of a closed loop H2/O2
RFCS. Closed loop implies that a fixed amount of
reactants were introduced in the system, which should
be converted between water and gaseous H2 and O2 for
the complete lifetime of the system. The goal of the
demonstration was to perform a life cycle test
corresponding to 15 years in orbit (1350 charging
cycles). The ESA project “Metal Hydride Hydrogen &
Heat Storage System [7] is currently on-going, where
CMR Prototech is the prime contractor, and
FOTEC/FHWN is the subcontractor. This project aims
to demonstrate the potential RFCS mass savings from
using Metal Hydride (MH) Storage tanks to store kW/dm3. The efficiency of fuel cells is also high
hydrogen and waste heat from the FC. The main compared to internal combustion engines, but much
development of the RFCS has been performed in the lower than that of batteries if electricity is the primary
latter two projects described above. This paper is mainly energy source.
focused on the results from these projects.
There is still some specific adaptation in the technology
2. RFCS System description that that can improve the performance of the HT-PEM
fuel cell for use in space. The precious metal cost of the
The principle of a Regenerative Fuel Cell System
electrodes is no restriction for the feasibility of the
(RFCS) is to decouple the energy storage from the
technology, which means that high performance
electrochemical electrodes in an electrochemical energy
electrodes with high platinum loading can be used. The
storage system and thus store energy as element with
fuel and oxidant in the RFCS are pure pressurized H2
low mass such as hydrogen and oxygen instead of
and O2 instead of H2-rich reformate gas and air, which is
Lithium and transition metal based oxides. While
also advantageous for the performance. The benefit of
Lithium batteries has a maximum storage capacity of
the high performance electrodes should be used to
about 250 Wh/kg on cell level, a RFCS may store up to
increase efficiency rather than specific power density.
1000 Wh/kg for system with long discharging cycles.
By increasing the operation voltage from 0.7 V to 0.9 V,
However, when used in relevant applications, both the
the efficiency increases from 48% to 62% of high
Li-ion batteries and the RFCS will meet limitations
heating value (HHV), which means less waste heat to
which reduces their effective storage capacity.
dissipate, less reactants and smaller storage tanks.
For telecom satellites, the longest discharging period is
72 minutes, which is too short to obtain the maximum
While regular fuel cells operate at ambient pressure, the
energy density of a RFCS. However, the studies have
fuel cell in the RFCS will be pressurized. The HT-PEM
still shown a potential for significantly reduced system
has a potential of operating at 10 bar without significant
mass by replacing Li-ion batteries with the RFCS, if the
losses due to cross-over leakages. The heat management
heat management is handled in an efficient way.
of the HT-PEM is most efficient by introducing a
dedicated cooling medium. Liquid cooled fuel cells
The main components are the fuel cell, the electrolyser,
have more homogeneous temperature distribution than
the storage tanks and the water collectors. In additions,
reactant cooled fuel cells, meaning that the fuel cell
there are several pumps, pressure controllers and tubing
stack operate closer to optimum conditions and is less
for operating the system. Of equal importance is also the
subjected to degradation. The heat is easily moved to
thermal hardware to dissipate excess heat from the fuel
other components with small temperature differences
cell and the condenser.
and the cooling effect can be controlled in transient
operation modes.
The HT-PEM (High Temperature Proton Exchange
Membrane) fuel cell is a fuel cell technology utilizing
The RFCS electrolyser will operate between each fuel
phosphoric acid-impregnated membrane and operating
cell cycle and produce the required oxygen and
above 150°C. The major terrestrial application area is
hydrogen. Current state of development allows
foreseen to be auxiliary power, transport and CHP
generating hydrogen and oxygen directly by the ELY at
(Combined Heat and Power). For these applications, its
100-200 bar pressure. It makes it possible to exclude
advantages compared to the regular PEM are better CO
heavy and power-hungry gas compressors from the
tolerance and single phase reactant flows, meaning no
system. High pressure generation is also beneficial
liquid water. The higher temperature also means that the
because it helps to avoid high level of water impurities
excess heat can be used for reforming of methanol or
in the hydrogen. The operating temperature of the ELY
releasing hydrogen from a metal hydride based storage
should also be limited to minimize the evaporation of
system. The HT-PEM is also advantageous compared to
water into the hydrogen. Since the current through the
the regular PEM in space applications, mainly because
electrolyser will be around 6 % of current of the fuel
of the thermal management becoming much easier at
cell, the ELY mass and size will be small, even
higher temperatures. Since radiations from a black body
considering the combined electrolysis and
increases with fourth square of the absolute temperature
pressurization.
(~T4), an increase in temperature from 50°C to 180°C
increases radiation with a factor of almost 4.
Condensation and separation of water from the oxygen
stream in microgravity is required in a RFCS.
For use in transport applications, the development of the
Condensation of water is obtained by cooling the
PEM and HT-PEM fuel cell is driven towards high
oxygen stream to a level where the water vapour
gravimetric and volumetric power density, which is a
pressure is acceptable. A good compromise with
requirement for space applications. Expected power
sufficient oxygen concentration in the fuel cell and
density for this technology is around 1 kW/kg and 1
sufficient operating temperature on the condenser
radiator is to assume that the condenser reduces the
water concentration from 80% to 50%. It may sound
disadvantageous to have more than 50% steam in the
oxygen loop, but it is not very different from having
80% nitrogen in the oxidant, which is the situation for
air operating fuel cells. The pressure in the oxygen loop
will determine the temperature at which the vapour
pressure is reduced to 50 %. Thus, a higher pressure will
increase the condensation temperature, and reduce the
need for radiator surface to dissipate the latent heat of
condensation.
3. System analysis and target values
The specific energy target for a battery cell is 250
Wh/kg at 80% DOD (Depth of Discharge), resulting in a
storage capacity of 200 Wh/kg. The RFCS targets set as
a 30% improvement from this level, ending up with 260
Wh/kg, or 60 kg for a 13 kW RFCS, 120 kg for a 25 kW
RFCS and 180 kg for a 39 kW RFCS. To meet these
targets, optimization on both component level and
system level must be performed.
Since fuel cell systems generate more heat than battery
systems during eclipse, better heat management has
been identified as a key measure to reduce the mass of
RFCS [2]. In RFCSs with pressure tank hydrogen
storage, system analyses show that massive thermal
hardware (mainly radiators) constitute up to 50 % of the
total mass budget. Recent ongoing activities in the ESA
project “Metal Hydride Hydrogen & Heat Storage
Systems” [7] have therefore been initiated to study the
possibility of using metal hydride (MH) hydrogen
storage. Since heat is required to desorb hydrogen from
a MH material, a MH tank can absorb most or all of the
heat generated in the fuel cell, and simultaneously
provide hydrogen to the fuel cell. During electrolysis,
when the MH tank is filled with hydrogen, the heat is
released from the tank through the exothermic reaction
of hydrogen absorption in the material. However, since
electrolysis takes place in equinoxes of typically 20
hours instead of 72 minutes, the rate of the heat release
is only about 6 % of the heat release rate from the fuel
cell. Thus, the size of radiators can be reduced
accordingly, leading to overall mass savings of the
RFCS.
In order to develop suitable MH hydrogen and heat
storage, it is important to find MH material which has
the right properties. Previous studies and the common
interest in the field of metal hydride material research
focuses mainly on the reduction of the enthalpy of the
material, to desorb hydrogen as efficiently as possible.
In the present system, a low enthalpy is not considered a
desirable property, since it is necessary to store a certain
amount of heat from the fuel cell in the metal hydride
during hydrogen desorption. One therefore needs to find
a material which conventionally would be considered as
having unfortunate thermal properties. FOTEC/FHWN
presents in more detail MH material choice, preliminary
tank design, and test of effect of water vapour in the
hydrogen supply in a separate Digest for the ESPC 2014
conference.
A preliminary system study has been initiated for larger
satellite platforms, up to 38kW satellite power
requirement. Using the System Study by Thales [2] as
baseline, the RFCS was scaled up to 38kW, and the
impact of Metal Hydride based hydrogen storage on
RFCS was included. The performed system analysis
identifies main contributors to RFCS mass and potential
ways to optimize the system.
Figure 3-1 RFCS mass distribution on base case
Optimization of the RFCS will potentially result in an
energy density of 260Wh/kg or higher. In order to
optimize the system, the following measures are
suggested (but not limited to): Increase FC operating
temperature (>200°C); increase FC reactant pressure to
10 bars to increase FC efficiency and reduce the
condenser mass; find optimum MH material to reduce
MH tank and thermal hardware mass. The study is
currently proceeding, and will further focus on solutions
to specific challenges with the RFCS. It will also further
analyse the impact of a MH based RFCS on satellite
subsystems, and sensitivity of the RFCS mass to FC
efficiency. These results are expected to be ready during
spring 2014.
4. Development activities
In order to increase the Technology Readiness Level
(TRL) of the RFCS several development activities must
be conducted. The RFCS consists of several
components which must be further developed from the
current state. The main components, like the fuel cell
and electrolyser, needs further development in order to
reach the mass targets and performance. In parallel an
innovative reactant storage system is needed, together
with other balance of plant components, which need to
be gravity-independent and qualified for space.
4.1. The fuel cell
To actually be able to realize the RFCS within the
calculated mass targets, several key issues in the
technology have to be addressed. The most important is
to improve the FC performance, both in respect to
efficiency, power density and increased operating
temperature.
4.2. High pressure electrolyser
Another important element is to develop an efficient
high pressure electrolyser. The oxygen has to be stored
at high pressures, and high pressure hydrogen is
advantageous in order to remove water impurities ahead
of the MH tank. A high pressure electrolyser eliminates
the need of a heavy compressor. The degradation rates
of the electrolyser also need to be significantly lower
than those of the fuel cell. While the fuel cell operation
is estimated to around 1200 hours, the electrolyser shall
operate up to 20 000 hours. Like the fuel cell, the
electrolyser needs to be optimised for use in space. The
optimisation includes a redesign in order to reduce the
mass, and the use of state of the art PEM (Protone
Exchange Membrane) MEAs customized for high
pressure operation.
4.3. Metal hydride material and storage tank design
A third important element is the MH material and
storage tank design. Identification and characterisation
of MH materials with high enthalpy of desorption, high
storage capacity and being able to release hydrogen at
desired pressure by using heat of lower value than that
generated in the fuel cell is required. In addition, the
strategy for heat transfer, the form of the metal hydride
powder and heat exchanger must be developed to a level
where hydrogen can be produced at constant rate for 72
minutes with as little excess storage capacity as
possible. Finally, the MH behaviour during
hydrogenation must be explored. The MH material
should be hydrogenated at a constant rate to avoid
increased power consumption and electrolyser size
increase. If the MH material can be hydrogenated at low
pressures, the mass of the tank can be reduced. Finally,
the MH storage system must be evaluated against an
additional deployable high temperature radiator.
The MH material also implies that heat is produced
during the filling process, so that the heat flow is up to 6
% of the heat produced during normal fuel cell
operation. Some of this heat could be used to maintain
the fuel cell at operating temperature, but part of it has
to be released during refilling.
4.4. Other component development
To reach the final target of power density of 260 Wh/kg,
all RFCS components have to be mass optimised. Some
elements are expected to have a parallel development
that reduces their mass. There are also at least three
places where liquid water should be removed from the
gas streams: a separator is needed in or just after the
condenser to remove the condensed liquid from the
O2/H2O loop; a hydrogen dryer/separator is needed in
the H2 loop after the electrolyser to avoid degradation in
the MH tank, and a separator is needed in the O2 loop
after the electrolyser. The different reactant flows have
different flow rates and purity requirements, so that
each part has to be studied separately. A closer look on
the circulation pumps and pressure controllers, as well
as possible changes in the power electronics is also
required, including a further review of the redundancy
in the system.
5. Fuel cell development
The operating conditions in space are far different from
conditions on Earth, and several development steps have
been undertaken to bring the fuel cell technology
towards use in space. Key development steps which
have been addressed in the last five years to adapt the
technology for space, and to improve system
performance include the following:
 Operation of FC on pure oxygen and hydrogen
 Operation of FC at higher pressure, up to 10
bar
 FC Liquid cooling
 Operation of FC and ELY in closed loop
 Increase of FC power density
 Increase of system efficiency
5.1. Single cell parameter study for HTPEM fuel cell
A parameter study on HTPEM fuel cell and PEM
electrolyser were conducted to determine the optimum
operating conditions under higher oxygen partial
pressures and higher operating pressures.
Single cell tests were conducted on HTPEM fuel cells in
order to quantify the effect of increased oxygen partial
pressure, and increased operating pressure
Single cell tests were performed on PEM electrolyser in
order to determine the effect of increased pressure on
the efficiency.
The parameter studies revealed that the HTPEM fuel
cell efficiency at 0.5 A cm-2 is improved by 20% when
using pure oxygen as cathode feed. At 1.5 A cm-2, the
improvement was 150%. 90% of the performance
increase was obtained already at 50% oxygen content.
The efficiency increased by 25-27% when the operating
pressure was increased from 0 to 10 barg.
 0,62

0,6
U (V) @ i = 0,5A/cm2

0,58

0,56

0,54

0,52

0,5
0 20 40 60 80 100 120
Oxygen content, %
Figure 5-3: Stack assembly showing three out of 38
Figure 5-1: Dependence of HTPEM fuel cell voltage cells.
on oxygen content in the cathode feed at a current
density of 0.5 A cm-2.
Dependence of current density on pressure, PBI FC, 160C

0,8

0,7

0,6
U (V) @ i = 0,5 A/cm2

0,5
H2 - air

0,4 H2 - 50%O2 in N2
H2 - O2
0,3 Poly. (H2 - air)
Poly. (H2 - 50%O2
0,2 in N2)
Poly. (H2 - O2)

0,1

0
0 2 4 6 8 10 12
pressure, barg

Figure 5-2: Dependence of HTPEM fuel cell voltage

on operating pressure at a current density of 0.5 A Figure 5-4: 38 cell liquid cooled HTPEM fuel cell
cm-2. stack by Prototech AS

5.2. Liquid cooled HTPEM Fuel Cell development In Phase 1 of testing an overall of 137 cycles (approx.
51min/cycle) including 24 full thermal cycles were
A 1 kW class liquid cooled HTPEM fuel cell stack was performed during the 24 days of actual testing from
developed to be used in the long term closed loop test. 15.04.2011 to 17.06.2011. The stack operated in a stable
The terrestrial, air cooled design was changed to and reliable manner. The liquid cooling of the stack by
incorporate liquid cooling channels, knowing that the oil circulation worked satisfactory, giving precise and
power density on this design was far too low for a space efficient temperature control.
unit. The idea was to first focus on functionality rather
than performance. This design demonstrates the In order to use this fuel cell stack in a closed loop
feasibility, and the performed change was needed for a system, the stack needed to be installed in a pressure
space stack at a later stage. tight vessel. A cylindrical pressure vessel was designed
and manufactured to enclose the fuel cell. This
The stack consists of MEAs clamped between bipolar enclosure was designed to allow higher operating
plates, current collectors, insulating plates and end pressures (up to 3 bar), and worked also as an external
plates as shown in Figure 5-3 (MEAs are not shown). oxygen manifold to the stack. The vessel was partly
Current collector plates form the positive and negative made of glass to allow visual inspection of the stack
ends of the stack. Uniform clamping pressure is during the long term test.
provided by the end plates with corresponding spring
bars.

Figure 5-5: 3D Model of HTPEM FC stack inside a
pressure vessel with glass cylinder
6. Demonstration of a closed loop H2/O2
Regenerative Fuel Cell System (RFCS)
Under ESA Contract no. 22556/09/NL/PM the activities
aimed to design, manufacture and set-up a closed-loop
regenerative fuel cell system (RFCS) for the
demonstration of functionality, durability, cycle life and
obtaining performance data. The objective was to
perform a breadboard demonstration of a closed loop
H2/O2 RFCS. Closed loop implied that a fixed amount
of reactants was introduced in the system once before
the start, which should then only be converted between
water and gaseous H2 and O2 for the complete lifetime
of the system. In addition to the FC and the ELY, the
system included water management and thermal control.
It was designed to model a RFCS cycle life of 15 years
in orbit, corresponding to 1350 charging cycles.
The following test requirements were defined:
 Target number of eclipse cycles: 1350 (lasting
from 11 to 72 minutes, around 51 minutes in
average per cycle)
 Output power in FC mode: 1 kW-class
 Output pressure of ELY: up to 10 bar
 Reactants: pure O2, pure H2, water
 All reactants required for complete lifecycle
supplied before 1st cycle
 Pressures:
o FC mode: 1 - 4 bar-a
o ELY mode: 1 - 10 bar-a
 Temperatures:
o FC: 160 °C
o ELY: 65 °C
6.1. Development of RFCS breadboard
demonstrator
A complete stand alone, fully autonomous RFCS was
developed for the purpose of the closed loop test. It
included all the necessary functions of a RFCS:
 Fuel cell for power generation
 Electrolyser for hydrogen and oxygen
generation
 Electronic load to simulate payload power
demand
 Power supply to simulate photovoltaic power
 Reactant storage tanks
 Liquid cooling loop for the fuel cell
 Pressure controllers for pressure control in the
fuel cell
 Circulation pumps for circulation of reactants
in the fuel cell
 Safety measures to detect and handle
hazardous situations
 Real time control system for autonomous
control and system monitoring
 Thermal hardware for heat removal and water
recirculation
Most of the components used were terrestrial off-the-
shelf components
6.2. Closed loop RFCS test results
Fuel cell stack performance
The closed loop RFCS breadboard demonstrator
operated as a closed loop system for the whole testing
period. Oxygen and hydrogen were generated by the
electrolyser and stored in gas tanks. They were supplied
to the FC stack by means of pressure controllers. Both
oxygen and hydrogen were circulated in their respective
loops by gas pumps, so that a significant amount of gas
was moving through the stack all the time, while fresh
gas was added stoichiometrically to compensate for the
consumption. Fuel cell condensate was returned to the
tanks and re-used by the electrolyser to generate oxygen
and hydrogen.
Figure 6-1 HTPEM FC stack used in testing of
the closed loop RFCS breadboard demonstrator
(here without thermal insulation)
The closed loop RFCS breadboard demonstrator was
successfully operated for two months from 28.09.2012
to 27.11.2012 continuously. It experienced initial
problems at start-up related to migration of phosphoric
acid from the membranes of the FC stack, but they were
resolved by installing ion-exchange filters on the FC
condensate line. Since then the system operated in a
fully automated mode and required minimal operator
attention while producing a total of 1362 fuel cell cycles
and approximately double amount of electrolyser
 cycles. The system behaviour during the test period was Figure 6-3 Effect of reactants pressure
very good and reliable. A total of six thermal cycles was increase on the total FC stack current. Stack voltage
performed on the FC stack during the test period. 25,5 V (0,671 V/cell), cell active area 45 cm2. FC
stack has performed 1362 cycles.
The degradation of the stack performance during testing
is shown on Figure 6-2 Stack current has increased from 8,48 A to 11,76 A
(0,188 A/cm2 to 0,261 A/cm2) with reactants pressure
increase from 1,05 to 1,6 bar and amounted to 38,7 %,
I stack, A

20
25 V which is quite prominent. Although the data has not
29 V
been collected above 1,6 bar pressure, the data points
15
were fitted to a curve, and calculation suggests that at 3
bar pressure it would be reasonable to expect an
increase of the stack current to over 16 A, or 93% at
10
25,5 V (average 0,671 V/cell).
In line with earlier single cell experiments, as described
5
above, increased operating pressure of FC stack in a
closed loop RFCS breadboard demonstrator is a very
Cycle number
promising way of increasing stack output.
0
0 200 400 600 800 1000 1200 1400

Figure 6-2 Stack current evolution during 6.3. Electrolyser performance

testing period at fixed voltage of 29 and 25 V
As a mean of accelerating the test the electrolyser was
On-off cycling caused slow and monotonous operating continuously rather than sequentially, as it
performance decline while thermal cycles did not show would do in a real application. The electrolyser was set
a clear trend. After 1362 cycles FC stack total voltage to keep the gas tank pressure within a certain range,
decreased by 2,45 V or 8,4% at a fixed stack current of making sure there was always hydrogen and oxygen
6 A (0,133 A/cm2), corresponding to 0,0018 V / cycle or available for the fuel cell.
0,0062% U / cycle. This is better then 0,01% U per The total number of electrolyzer cycles were at least
cycle requirement set by ESA, and is considered a good twice as many cycles as the FC stack went through,
result. All cells in the FC stack behaved similarly and making it 2700+ cycles. Electrolyser was active
did not show signs of uneven degradation or non- approximately 40% of the time, which makes around
uniform reagents distribution. A monotonous increase in 580 hours of continuous operation for a 2 month-long
stack resistance was seen from the changes in testing period. There were virtually no changes in the
polarization curves from the beginning to the end of electrolyzer current at the same voltage levels, showing
testing. no noticeable performance degradation. The only
variations were due to slightly different operating
Effect of pressure increase temperature. We could conclude that Electrolyser
After the 1350 cycles were completed, the FC stack performance was very stable.
performance at increased reactant gas pressure was
tested. The setpoint of the fuel cell pressure controllers
were increased gradually from 1,05 bar (the value kept
throughout the testing period) to 1,6 bar. The results are
presented on the Figure 6-1.
I stack, A

16

14

12

10

4 Measured
Curve fit y=a+bx+cx2
2

0
1 1.2 1.4 1.6 1.8 2 2.2 2.4 2.6 2.8
P, bar
 7. Conclusion and future work contract no. 18312/04/NL/JD, August 2005
Prime contractor: CMR Prototech
CMR Prototech in partnership with other R&D
Sub contractor: New Energy Systems
companies and Primes have conducted a series of
[4] Ø. Torvanger, “Summary Report”, ESA
projects for ESA related to the development of a RFCS
project: “Innovative Gas Storage on Satellites”, ESA
for telecommunication satellites.
contract no. 19399/05/ NL/PM, November 2007
The experimental tests have shown that RFCS has the
Prime contractor: CMR Prototech
potential to last for the entire lifetime of 15 years in
Sub contractor: IFE
orbit for a satellite, with a satisfactory degradation
[5] H. Weydahl, “Summary Report”, ESA project:
below 0,01 U/cycle. Besides showing the feasibility of
“Advanced Energy Storage System”, CCN 1 to ESA
the technology, an ongoing system study of a RFCS
contract no 19399/05/ NL/PM, November 2007
with MH storage tanks, for storage of hydrogen and
Prime contractor: CMR Prototech
heat, shows that a MH storage tank solution has the
[6] D. Bokach, J. Farnes, “Final Report”, ESA
potential to save significant mass of the thermal
project: “Demonstration of a closed loop H2/O2 RFCS”,
hardware, and thus of the total mass of the RFCS.
ESA contract no. 22556/09/NL/LvH
Preliminary results of the system study covering a
Prime contractor: CMR Prototech
RFCS for a 38kW satellite shows that an optimised
Sub contractor: Astrium (Friedrichshafen)
RFCS will potentially result in an energy density of
[7] ESA project, “Metal Hydride Hydrogen &
260Wh/kg or higher for the entire RFCS.
Heat Storage System”, ESA contract no.
4000105330/12/NL/CLP, Ongoing project
In a current project CMR Prototech has started the
Prime contractor: CMR Prototech
design of a new HT PEM fuel cell and high pressure
Sub contractor: FOTEC/FHWN (Austria)
PEM electrolyser. The aim of this project is to develop
[8] I. Nann, “Technical note 5 – Trade-off Li-ion-
light weight technologies for use in telecommunication
RFCS”, ESA project: Fuel Cells for Telecom Systems –
satellites. The fuel cell operate at 10 bars and
System Study, ESA contract no. 21349/09/NL/LVH,
temperatures up to 200°C. The electrolyser will be
November 2008
designed for operation up to 100 bars. The project
Prime contractor: Thales Alenia Space (Cannes)
includes testing in short stacks. The results from
Sub contractor: CMR Prototech
previous and ongoing projects will give a sound basis
for development of a complete RFCS elegant
breadboard. An optimised RFCS includes further
development on many system elements, including the
fuel cell, electrolyser, reactant storage system, thermal
hardware, balance of plant components, and so on. This
development must be done is a series of parallel
activities, in collaboration between several R&D
environments.

8. Aknowledgement
The work presented here was performed within projects
supported by the European Space Agency. The authors
want to thank the European Space Agency and all the
individual partners in the projects.

REFERENCES
[1] J. Byrknes et.al, “Summary Report”, ESA
project: “Hydrogen Storage Technologies”, ESA
contract no. 17925/04/NL7CP, December 2005
Prime contractor: CMR Prototech
Sub contractor: IFE
[2] I. Nann, H. Weydahl,“Technical Note 4 –
System Design and System Study”, ESA project: Fuel
Cells for Telecom Systems – System Study, ESA
contract (AO/1-5525/07/NL/LvH), September 2008
Prime contractor: Thales Alenia Space (Cannes)
Sub contractor: CMR Prototech
[3] J. Byrknes, J. W. Sørensen, “Final Report”,
ESA project: “Regenerative H2/O2 Fuel Cell”, ESA

View publication stats