Hydrogen fuel-cell technology for automobiles can create pollution-free vehicles, a nearly unlimited fuel source, and an alternative to dependence on foreign oil supplies. However, designers of fuel-cell-powered cars face a number of challenges – from designing a new fuel tank to planning the gradual conversion of the fueling infrastructure from gasoline to hydrogen. One of the biggest questions is how to get hydrogen to the fuel cell in the first place.
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DFMA analysis software helped Directed Technologies produce this proposed layout for a steam methane reforming system to transform gas stations into hydrogen stations for fuel-cell-powered cars.
"There are already gas stations throughout the world," says Gregory Ariff, a senior engineer at Directed Technologies Inc. "A sensible place to start is finding out what it would cost to provide those stations with the ability to offer hydrogen."
Directed Technologies is a technical consulting firm that evaluates new and emerging technologies for industry and the government. According to the company, the new hardware necessary for gas stations to make the conversion to hydrogen would include a reforming and purification system to create hydrogen from natural gas, a compressor to pressurize the hydrogen gas for storage, storage vessels, and a pump to dispense it to cars.
To find out what these new pieces of equipment would cost, the company completed a cost comparison for the Department of Energy. The comparison focused on two different natural gas reformer technologies: autothermal and steam methane.
"The autothermal reformer was known to be a lower capital-cost system, but the steam methane reformer was more efficient," Ariff says. "The question was, at a fuel station scale, which technology would produce lower-cost hydrogen for the consumer."
The company used Design for Manufacture and Assembly (DFMA) software from Boothroyd Dewhurst Inc. for the cost comparison. The software was used to compare potential manufacturing and machining methods for parts.
The researchers established assembly times for subassemblies and estimated how much it would cost for the labor. From that point, it was simply a matter of identifying the best possible combination of assembly design and manufacturing processes. The software also helped identify the most cost-effective materials for each reformer. The researchers used DFMA to analyze the cost of the different materials by volume needed, process costs, and assembly times and costs. They were also able to evaluate alternative processes.
The software's analysis showed that a well-designed steam methane reformer could produce hydrogen more cost-effectively than an autothermal reformer. But that's just the beginning. Ariff says more work is needed before hydrogen is as cost-effective as fossil fuels. As the search continues, he says, his team will continue to analyze the process with the help of DFMA and other design analysis tools.
More information on DFMA software is available by contacting Boothroyd Dewhurst Inc., 138 Main St., Wakefield, RI 02879, calling 800-424-3362, visiting www.dfma.com, writing in 300 on our reader service card, or replying online at www.pddnet.com.
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