Fuel Cell Nation

Hamilton Sundstrand's ILPE - Oops!

U.S. Navy nuclear submarines can travel around the world under water, generating a supply of breathing oxygen as required. Virginia-Class subs generate oxygen utilizing what is called the   Integrated Low Pressure Electrolyzer (ILPE), an electrolytic system made by Hamilton Sundstrand (a unit of United Technologies Corp. (UTX)).The heart of the ILPE involves proton exchange membrane (PEM) electrolyzer technology (right), which uses electricity and distilled water as inputs to create high purity breathing oxygen (and byproduct hydrogen).  In 2009, Proton Energy Systems announced it would provide electrolyzer stacks to Hamilton Sundstrand for the ILPE.

 When the electrolyzers have been integrated into complete ILPE systems, they look like an arrangement of individual tan cabinets that have been bolted together (left). This is because the sections must be transported in pieces through the narrow passageways on a sub, until the ILPE undergoes final assembly in place.

On March 19, 2011, the USS New Hampshire (below), a Virginia-class attack boat that entered service in 2008, was on ICEX 2011 arctic maneuvers. While approaching the Applied Physics Laboratory Ice Station, a floating ice station north of Prudhoe Bay, Alaska, its ILPE oxygen generator failed. According to NAVSEA, the sub switched to its backup oxygen system — using sodium chlorate “candles” — and continued normal operations.

   
Navy Photograph

According to a 3/21/2011 Reuters article:

"Daniel Coulom, a spokesman for Hamilton Sundstrand, confirmed late Monday that company staff would travel to the ship to help repair the oxygen generator, but said it was too early to speculate on what caused the problem."

A 3/28/2011 article in the NavyTimes states:

"The technicians arrived at Prudhoe Bay late March 24, according to Kevin Copeland, spokesman for Submarine Force Atlantic. They flew to the ICEX base March 25 and were to be taken by helicopter to the sub March 26."

No word on if any repairs were conducted, or even if the mode of failure has been discerned.

Giner and Wikipedia

I came across this photo (left) on Wikipedia's High Pressure Electrolysis page the other day. FYI, it is the only photograph of an electrolyzer on the Wikimedia Commons Electrolysis page. It is a picture of a Giner Electrochemical Systems, LLC (GES) electrolyzer that is capable of producing 0.35 kg of hydrogen per hour at 1250 psi, with simultaneous production of ambient pressure oxygen. Wikipedia Commons obtained the photograph from a presentation titled Low Cost, High Pressure Hydrogen Generator made at the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) 2008 Hydrogen Program Annual Merit Review Meeting.

In that presentation, GES presented results on one of its DOE electrolyzer R&D programs. Page 16 includes a photograph (right) of a GES electrolyzer system being benchmarked at the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL). As it turns out, I was the one who traveled to NREL to help them start up the electrolyzer. Also installed at the NREL lab were:

• Solar panels and wind turbines, which were connected to
• An electrical management system, including DC/DC converters, AC/DC converters and batteries,
• With two other commercial electrolyzers, in addition to the GES electrolyzer
• Hydrogen storage, including a hydrogen compressor
• A 60 kW hydrogen-fueled internal combustion engine/generator set.

GES is shipping another electrolyzer system to NREL for testing in the next year.