U.S. Department of Energy - Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy

Fuel Cell Technologies Office

MCFC and PAFC R&D Workshop

A two-session workshop—one session on molten carbonate fuel cells (MCFC) and the other on phosphoric acid fuel cells (PAFC)—was held November 16, 2009, before the 2009 Fuel Cell Seminar in the Palm Springs, California, at the Palm Springs Convention Center.

Both sessions brought together technical experts from industry, academia, and the DOE national laboratories to address future development of advanced MCFC, PAFC, and polybenzimidazole (PBI) fuel cell technologies.

Each workshop began with formal presentations from industry representatives, who addressed the current state-of-the-art and technology gaps that are barriers to cost reduction. After the presentations, two breakout groups were formed in each session to discuss cell stack technology improvements and system cost and manufacturing improvements.

Meeting Summary

• MCFC and PAFC R&D Workshop Summary Report

Presentations

• DFC Technology Status, Mr. Pinakin Patel, FuelCell Energy, Inc.
• DFC Opportunities, Dr. Mohammad Farooque, FuelCell Energy
• MCFC in Europe and Elsewhere, Dr. J. Robert Selman, Illinois Institute of Technology
• PAFC History and Successes, Mr. John Ferro, UTC Power, LLC
• PAFC Cost Challenges, Mr. Sridhar Kanuri, UTC Power, LLC
• PBI-Phosphoric Acid Based Membrane Electrode Assemblies: Status Update, Mr. Emory De Castro, BASF Fuel Cells