Water rocket - Electrolysis propulsion and fuel cell power

Water Rocket is the collective name for an integrated set of technologies that offer new options for spacecraft propulsion, power, energy storage, and structure. Low pressure water stored on the spacecraft is electrolyzed to generate, separate, and pressurize gaseous hydrogen and oxygen. These gases, stored in lightweight pressure tanks, can be burned to generate thrust or recombined to produce electric power. As a rocket propulsion system, Water Rocket provides the highest feasible chemical specific impulse (-400 seconds). Even higher specific impulse propulsion can be achieved by combining Water Rocket with other advanced propulsion technologies, such as arcjet or electric thrusters. With innovative pressure tank technology, Water Rocket's specific energy [Wh/kg] can exceed that of the best foreseeable batteries by an order of magnitude, and the tanks can often serve as vehicle structural elements. For pulsed power applications, Water Rocket propellants can be used to drive very high power density generators, such as MHD devices or detonation-driven pulse generators. A space vehicle using Water Rocket propulsion can be totally inert and non-hazardous during assembly and launch. These features are particularly important for the timely development and flight qualification of new classes of spacecraft, such as microsats, nanosats, and refuelable spacecraft

Lightweight pressure vessels and unitized regenerative fuel cells

Energy storage systems have been designed using lightweight pressure vessels with unitized regenerative fuel cells (URFCs). The vessels provide a means of storing reactant gases required for URFCs; they use lightweight bladder liners that act as inflatable mandrels for composite overwrap and provide a permeation barrier. URFC systems have been designed for zero emission vehicles (ZEVs); they are cost competitive with primary FC powered vehicles that operate on H/air with capacitors or batteries for power peaking and regenerative braking. URFCs are capable of regenerative braking via electrolysis and power peaking using low volume/low pressure accumulated oxygen for supercharging the power stack. URFC ZEVs can be safely and rapidly ( 400 Wh/kg

Optimization and Demonstration of a Solid Oxide Regenerative Fuel Cell System

Single cell solid oxide regenerative fuel cells (SORFCs) have been demonstrated for over 1000 hours of operation at degradation rates as low as 0.5% per thousand hours for current densities as high as 300mA/cm{sup 2}. Efficiency levels (fuel cell power out vs. electrolysis power in) have been demonstrated in excess of 80% at 100mA/cm{sup 2}. All testing has been performed with metallic based interconnects and non-noble metal electrodes in order to limit fabrication costs for commercial considerations. The SORFC cell technology will be scaled up to a 1kW sized stack which will be demonstrated in Year 2 of the program. A self contained SORFC system requires efficient thermal management in order to maintain operating temperatures during exothermic and endothermic operational modes. The use of LiF as a phase change material (PCM) was selected as the optimum thermal storage medium by virtue of its superior thermal energy density by volume. Thermal storage experiments were performed using LiF and a simulated SORFC stack. The thermal storage concept was deemed to be technically viable for larger well insulated systems, although it would not enable a high efficiency thermally self-sufficient SORFC system at the 1 kW level

Integrated Modular Propulsion and Regenerative Electro-energy Storage System (IMPRESS) for small satellites

The IMPRESS is a significant advancement in space system technology as it is able to operate alternately as a fuel cell to produce electrical power from stored hydrogen and oxygen and as a water electrolyzer using electrical power to produce hydrogen and oxygen from stored water. The electrolysis of a controllable fraction of stored water can provide high Isp rocket propellants on demand. The heart of the IMPRESS is the Unitized Regenerative Fuel Cell (URFC), which produces power and electrolytically regenerates its reactants using a single stack of reversible cells. This integrated approach has several significant advantages over separate (battery) power and propulsion systems

Unitized regenerative fuel cell systems

Energy storage systems with extremely high specific energy (>400 Wh/kg) have been designed that use lightweight pressure vessels to contain the gases generated by reversible (unitized) regenerative fuel cells (URFCs).[1] URFC systems are being designed and developed for a variety of applications, including high altitude long endurance (HALE) solar rechargeable aircraft (SRA), zero emission vehicles (ZEVs), hybrid energy storage/propulsion systems for spacecraft, energy storage for remote (off-grid) power sources, and peak shaving for on-grid applications.[1-10] Energy storage for HALE SRA was the original application for this set of innovations, and a prototype solar powered aircraft (Pathfinder-Plus) recently set another altitude record for all propeller-driven aircraft on August 6, 1998, when it flew to 80,285 feet (24.47 km).[11

Electrolysis Propulsion for Spacecraft Applications

Electrolysis propulsion has been recognized over the last several decades as a viable option to meet many satellite and spacecraft propulsion requirements. This technology, however, was never used for in-space missions. In the same time frame, water based fuel cells have flown in a number of missions. These systems have many components similar to electrolysis propulsion systems. Recent advances in component technology include: lightweight tankage, water vapor feed electrolysis, fuel cell technology, and thrust chamber materials for propulsion. Taken together, these developments make propulsion and/or power using electrolysis/fuel cell technology very attractive as separate or integrated systems. A water electrolysis propulsion testbed was constructed and tested in a joint NASA/Hamilton Standard/Lawrence Livermore National Laboratories program to demonstrate these technology developments for propulsion. The results from these testbed experiments using a I-N thruster are presented. A concept to integrate a propulsion system and a fuel cell system into a unitized spacecraft propulsion and power system is outlined

A switchable pH-differential unitized regenerative fuel cell with high performance

Regenerative fuel cells are a potential candidate for future energy storage, but their applications are limited by the high cost and poor round-trip efficiency. Here we present a switchable pH-differential unitized regenerative fuel cell capable of addressing both the obstacles. Relying on a membraneless laminar flow-based design, pH environments in the cell are optimized independently for different electrode reactions and are switchable together with the cell process to ensure always favorable thermodynamics for each electrode reaction. Benefiting from the thermodynamic advantages of the switchable pH-differential arrangement, the cell allows water electrolysis at a voltage of 0.57 V, and a fuel cell open circuit voltage of 1.89 V, rendering round-trip efficiencies up to 74%. Under room conditions, operating the cell in fuel cell mode yields a power density of 1.3 W cm¯², which is the highest performance to date for laminar flow-based cells and is comparable to state-of-the-art polymer electrolyte membrane fuel cells