SBIR-STTR Award

A dual pressure Euler turbine (dpEt)is proposed to recover energy from a hydrogen membrane raffinate flow. A tradeoff study between using the shaft power to drive an electric generator or the system air compressor will be conducted. A two-stage dpEt nozzle and turbine rotor will be designed and fabricated. Tests will be conducted in an existing casing and high pressure nitrogen test system to verify performance. A full size dpEt and generator and hot gas test system will be designed to qualify the unit for a 500 kW fuel cell system.

Keywords:
Dual Pressure Euler Turbine, Energy Recovery, Fuel Cell Systems, Hot Gas, Steam, Electric Power

A dual pressure Euler turbine (dpEt) will be developed for fuel cell energy recovery and for distributed power generation. The power output will be 500 kW. The developed unit will be available for both military and commercial hybrid fuel cell systems in the1-3 megawatt range and for gas turbine distributed power systems of 500 kW. The dpEt is an efficient, compact prime mover with the advantage of being able to operate with poor quality gas streams and fuels. A compact high speed generator with dual IGBTs will be used enabling black startup and interface with the ship grid or stand alone power.