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IKTS research is expected to use natural gas to generate electricity and heat.
In order to reduce household dependence on the power grid, many researchers around the world are looking for alternative energy sources such as fuel cells. Fuel cells are more efficient than internal combustion engines but emit less. In view of this, the Fraunhofer Institute (IKTS) in Dresden (city of eastern Germany) has joined forces with heater manufacturer Vaillant (Germany) to develop a domestic fuel cell system using natural gas. .
The history of fuel cells can be traced back to 1838. For a long time, it seems to be a powerful contender for future energy. However, commercial fuel cells did not appear until the 1960s (used in spacecraft).
In the 1990s, the automotive industry started some applications for fuel cells. In 2009, Japan introduced the world's first commercial Ene-Farm home fuel cell system.
Unfortunately, this technology still cannot be widely adopted. There are two main reasons that hinder its popularity: they are complex and expensive. Because to some extent, they need to use expensive metal platinum as a catalyst.
In addition, such catalysts are also easily contaminated with impurities, so the "reliability" of fuel cells is also very fragile.
Fraunhofer’s idea is to develop a simple domestic fuel cell system—it can be very simple to install and maintain—because it uses natural gas as fuel, so it can work like a domestic gas water heater.
Like the Bloom Box and SOFC systems developed by the Finnish National Technical Research Center (VTT), Fraunhofer's system is also based on Solid Oxide Fuel Cell (SOFC) technology. It generates electricity (hydrogen and oxygen) through a ceramic electrolyte.
Compared with other fuel cell systems, SOFCs have been designed to operate at higher temperatures (eg for automotive use). The "Proton Exchange Membrane Fuel Cells" (PEMFCs) used in vehicles can only reach 80°C. The SOFCs system can reach 850°C.
In other applications, "overheating" is always a problem. But in home situations, families can take advantage of this "heat" - such as heating water or room temperature.
Due to the high temperature resistant ceramics, the design of the IKTS system can be simpler and the cost of use can be lower (the use of platinum or other precious metals as catalysts is avoided).
As with most fuel cell systems, the IKTS system's single-cell battery does not generate a very high amount of electricity (which is less than 1V) and therefore needs to be assembled into stacks before it can be put into practical use.
The Fraunhofer Institute stated that its current goal is to design a compact gas heater with a power of 1 kilowatt to meet the daily needs of a family of four.
In addition, the technology is being tested in 150 units in Europe (as part of the Callux field trial) to see if the system can adapt to the local conditions of use.
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