Global Thermoelectric

Competition, on similar lines, arises from Global Thermoelectric, Calgary, Canada (see web site), licensee of Forschungs Zentrum Julich (FZJ). Global Thermoelectric produces flat square cell SOFC stacks, in which the MEAs have 6 xm electrolyte. The stacks are integrated with a concentric module, which incorporates preheat of natural gas, water/steam and air, reform, exhaust combustion and heat utilisation, in the twin preheaters. These cells are widely used by other manufacturers for their stacks. 

Whereas most patents refer, irrationally, to the fuel cell as an energy converter (a heat engine is an energy converter). Allied Signal correctly referred to the direct electrochemical generation of electricity (power). The hallmark of the firm, now owned again by Honeywell, was maximum current per unit MEA area. 

Allied Signal had a gas turbine integration scheme, in which the gas turbine coped with peak demands without disturbing the output of the fuel cells, and avoiding thermal stress. The intentions for the future of Honeywell are unclear. 

Silver Coil Spring Connector Small for Internal Anode Large for External Cathode Sintered on to Electrode Surface 

5mmdia 1/2 mm Wall tube Fuel Elow in Bore, Air How Outside 

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Global Thermoelectric of Calgary, Alberta, Canada, has successfully completed the testing of several latest generation prototype residential 2-kW fuel cell systems. The project is part of an alliance with Enbridge, Inc., and will help to commercialize residential fuel cell systems. 

All are focused on small to medium sized distributed generation and on-site generation markets. Only Global Thermoelectric (Calgary, Canada) has been active in the application of its technology to APUs. A recently conducted a detailed conceptual design and cost estimate of a 5-kWnet SOFC-based truck APU conclude that, provided continued improvement in several technology areas, planar SOFCs could ultimately become a realistic option for this mass-market application. 

Grobal Thermoelectric Inc., SOFC developments at global thermoelectric, in Abstracts of 2002 Fuel Cell Seminar, 2002, p. 974. 

In the SOFC, the thickness of the electrolyte layer is a vital consideration, as is any additional biconductor interface 20-50 jtm is referred to as a thick electrolyte film, a design compromise between the minimisation of electrical losses and freedom from defects. Thin films may go down to nanometres and are more difficult to make without defects. Global Thermoelectric (Kuo etal., 1999) is in SOFC production at 6 xm and InDEC (Section 4.12) at 5 p,m. In the small-tube SOFC the membrane thickness is about half a millimetre. It is difficult to see the latter thickness coming down for improved efficiency to 6 xm, impossibly delicate tubing. 

The Rolls-Royce fuel cell modules and stacks are devoid of compliant features, as the cross-section in Figure 4.3 shows, unless one counts the gap as compliant. Cell improvement is clearly possible via thin (say 6 p.m) electrolyte layers, as employed in a planar IT/SOFC by Global Thermoelectric (Section 4.9) and Steele etal. (2000a, b). Alternatively, modern reduced temperature electrolytes could be used. 

The world s first 100 kW stack was built by Siemens Westinghouse and operated by Petten utilities. InDec makes MEAs with 5 p,m electrolyte, compared with Global Thermoelectric at 6p,m. An anode of Ni/CGO gave 15% better performance than NiA SZ. 

In the economics-insensitive niche market of the luxury automobile, the development of a high-output SOFC alternative to the lead-acid battery and engine-driven alternator is well advanced at BMI/Delphi Corp (Williams, 2002). BMW is a partner in the project, which uses a Global Thermoelectric planar SOFC stack. The gain would be air-conditioner operation independent of the vehicle engine. 

Borglum, B. (2003). From cells to systems Global Thermoelectric s critical path approach to planar SOFC development. Presentation at "S Grove Fuel Cell Symposium 2003", http //www.globalte.com. 

Ghosh, D. (2003). Development of stationary solid oxide fuel-cells at Global Thermoelectric Inc. In "M World Hydrogen Energy Conference", Montreal 2002, File BOOlg, 5 pp. CD published by CogniScience Publ. for TAssociation Canadi-enne de I Hydrogene, revised CD issued 2003. 

Similar concepts are pursued e.g. by Global Thermoelectric, PNNL/Delphi and Ris0 National Laboratory. ECN and its spin-off company InDEC (Innovative Dutch Electrochemical Cells) manufacture electrolyte supported cells as well as anode supported cells. 

Canada Global Thermoelectric (now part of FCE) 80 planar, metallic 1C, anode substrate materials, cells, stack, manufacturing, system... 

We believe that our CPS differs advantageously from the thermoelectric CPS available in Russian and world markets with the electrical output of 12-160 W (for example, of the GT-G-10-12 / 30-12 / 160-12 and other types fabricated in Russia by the company Pravdinsky current sources experiment plant - POZIT) and of 15 to 550 W (for example, like 5015 / 5030 / 5060 / 5120 / 5220 / and 8550-24 models fabricated in Canada by the company Global Thermoelectric ). 

BMW, Delphi, Global Thermoelectric (c) passenger car 1-5kWnet Gasoline, SOFC Technology development program... 

Global Thermoelectric Canada IkW 2000 Planar SOFCs, 5000 hours fuel cell test... 

Allied Signal, SOFCo, Ztek, Global Thermoelectric Rolls Royce and the various Japanese developers of SOFC are all at the laboratory stage with stacks of up to about 1 kW... 

Figure 13.30 Thermoelectric field generator. (Courtesy of Global Thermoelectric)...

Global Thermoelectric of Calgary, Canada, has also produced a few 2 kW size prototype residential SOFC units using planar cells for operation on natural gas or propane [57],... 

Global Thermoelectric delivers prototype residential solid oxide fuel cell system to Enbrigde, European Fuel Cell News, 8(3) (November 2001) 27. 

Fig. 13 shows a 2 kW natural gas system, realized in 2001 at Global Thermoelectric. 

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