[en] The objective of this paper is to provide an overview of the copper-chloride thermochemical cycle and to discuss, in some detail, recent improvements in the hydrolysis reaction. The rationale behind the development of the Cu-Cl thermochemical cycle has been to offer a moderate temperature (< 550C) option for hydrogen production. If successfully developed, this chemical process could be coupled with several types of Gen IV nuclear reactors, e.g., the super critical water reactor or the Na-cooled fast reactor, or with a solar heat source such as the solar power tower with molten salt heat storage. The use of these lower temperature heating sources is expected to place less demand on materials of construction

[en] 'Full text': The polymer electrolyte membrane (PEM) fuel cell has been increasingly an enabling technology for the development of future energy systems for sustainable development and energy security. Water and thermal management are two critical issues for the commercialization of PEM fuel cell technology. In this presentation, the importance, the physical origin, the current practice and the potential technical solutions tackling water and thermal management in PEM fuel cells will be described. (author)

[en] 'Full text': This presentation outlines the basic concepts and the technology status of catalyst-layers of PEM fuel cells. It covers catalyst-layer materials, fabrication approaches versus resulting microstructures, microstructures versus macro-properties, and macro-properties versus performances. The mass and heat transport phenomenon is discussed in detail from the perspectives of modeling and experimental characterization. The failure modes of the catalyst-layers are also addressed with a focus on microstructure changes and deformation resulting from load cycling. The technological challenges to bridge the gap between the existing catalyst-layer technologies and the commercialization requirements are discussed, and then future research needs and research directions are pointed out. (author)

[en] In this study, the effects of cell voltage, initial water content and distribution, and cell temperature on the cold start performance of a single polymer electrolyte membrane fuel cell (PEMFC) is investigated numerically by using a three-dimensional multiphase model. Numerical results indicate that the heating-up time can be significantly reduced by decreasing the cell voltage, and purging the cell after each operation is critical for PEMFC cold start. The water freezing in the membrane is only observed after the cold start has failed. The results also show that the cold start becomes much more difficult from lower startup temperatures. (author)

[en] To achieve hydrogen enriched and low-tar producer gas, multi-stage air-blown and air-steam gasification were studied in this research. Results showed that the tar content from multi-stage air-blown and air-steam gasification was lower compared to the average value of that from downdraft gasification. It was also seen that an air-steam gasification process could potentially increase the hydrogen concentration in the producer gas in the expense of carbon monoxide; however, the summation of hydrogen and carbon monoxide in the producer gas was increased. (author)

[en] Canada produces the most hydrogen per capita of any Organization of Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) country. The majority of this hydrogen is produced by steam methane reforming for industrial use (predominantly oil upgrading and fertilizer production). Canada also has a world leading hydrogen and fuel cell sector. This sector is seeking new methods for making hydrogen for its future energy needs. The paper will discuss Canada's hydrogen and fuel cell sector in the context of its capabilities, its demonstration and commercialization activities and its stature on the world stage. (author)

[en] 'Full text': ECD has developed a new technology to produce hydrogen from various organic matters. In this technology termed Ovonic Renewable Hydrogen (ORH), base material such as NaOH is used as a reactant to facilitate the reforming of the organic matters to hydrogen gas. This Base-Facilitated Reforming (BFR) process is a one-step process and has number of advantages over the conventional steam reforming and gasification processes including lower operation temperature and lower heat consumption. This paper will describe the ORH process and discuss its technological and economics advantages over the conventional hydrogen production processes. ORH process has been studied and demonstrated on variety of renewable fuels including liquid biofuels and solid biomass materials. Results of these studies will be presented. (author)

[en] This study is focused on the province-wide emissions in Ontario, Canada and urban air pollution in the city of Toronto. The life-cycle impacts of utilizing alternative fuels for transportation purposes is considered in terms of six major stressors for climate change, acidification and urban air quality. The two types of vehicle considered are plug-in hybrid electric vehicles and fuel cell vehicles. Modeling of the penetration rates for both types of vehicles has been completed based on the maximum capacity of the electrical grid including planned improvements. Results show that the reduction in greenhouse gas emissions from adoption of either vehicle type will exceed 3% of the current emissions from the transportation sector in Ontario. Both vehicles exhibit similar impacts on the precursors for photochemical smog although the province-wide effects differ significantly. (author)

[en] 'Full text': The Nuclear Hydrogen Initiative requires a sophisticated understanding of the operation of a nuclear reactor as a high temperature heat source for hydrogen production. Accurate prediction of the behavior of a nuclear reactor coupled to a thermo-chemical cycle is essential to the safe operation of a nuclear reactor in steady state, off-normal, and accident conditions. A simplified transient model of the Sulfur-Iodine (SI) and Hybrid Sulfur (HyS) thermo-chemical cycles is developed. A control volume approach is used in analysis of the production schemes, and a study based on several reaction chamber assumptions is presented. Steady-state solutions of the control volume approach are extended to a fully transient model of both cycles. Transient results for simple initiating events are presented for both cycles. Concepts for continuing future work are suggested. (author)

[en] This paper examines cupric chloride solid conversion during hydrolysis in a thermochemical copper-chlorine (Cu-Cl) cycle for hydrogen production. The hydrolysis reaction is a challenging step, in terms of the excess steam requirement and the decomposition of cupric chloride (CuCl₂) into cuprous chloride (CuCl) and chlorine (Cl₂). The hydrolysis and decomposition reactions are analyzed with respect to the chemical equilibrium constant. The effects of operating parameters are examined, including the temperature, pressure, excess steam and equilibrium conversion. A maximization of yield and selectivity are very important. Rate constants for the simultaneous reaction steps are determined using a uniform reaction model. A shrinking core model is used to determine the rate coefficients and predict the solid conversion time, with diffusional and reaction control. These new results are useful for scale-up of the engineering equipment in the thermochemical Cu-Cl cycle for hydrogen production. (author)