Fuels Cell Systems and Reforming

Electricity and Heat from Liquid Energy Carriers

Maintenance work on the test bench of a fuel cell system. Photo: OWI

The OWI develops systems and components for power generation with fuel cells. Its core competence is the reforming of liquid energy sources such as diesel, gasoline or methanol of fossil or biogenic origin into a hydrogen-rich gas for use in fuel cells. OWI also has expertise in the evaporation of liquid fuels, in the formation of mixtures and in gas purification. OWI’s services include prototypes, subsystems and complete systems and their controls as well as numerical and experimental investigations.

The processes used are steam reforming (water and fuel), autothermal reforming (water, air and fuel) and partial oxidation (air and fuel). For processes involving air, mixture formation can optionally take place under the influence of “Cool Flames” as an exothermic pre-reaction.

Fuel cell systems are used wherever efficient power generation with low emissions is required. The OWI has experience in mobile and stationary fuel cell systems. Fuel cell systems offer the advantages of higher efficiency and lower CO2 emissions as well as significantly lower noise and pollutant emissions compared to diesel generators with internal combustion engines, which are commonly used in mobile power generation applications.

OWI works on projects in the following areas, for example