Development of Prototype Pultruded Structural Fuel Cell

摘要

Multifunctional composite materials offer the opportunity to combine features and introduce multiple functions in a single structure. The combination of structural support with the ability to produce power will be especially useful in many applications. Thoughtfully integrating these material advantages will lead to reductions in part count, installation effort, system weight, and cost. Fully-integrated, holistic design, material specification, fabrication, and assembly processes can offer tremendous gains in productivity in the manufacture of composite structures integrating multifunctionality. The current research focuses on the production of a multifunctional fuel cell through the pultrusion process. This product combines fuel cell technology with composite material technology to achieve a design that produces electrical power while displaying mechanical integrity. A design such as this, which would serve both to provide an electrical power source and to oppose mechanical loads that the system may experience during its operation, could prove beneficial for many space-restricted systems such as unmanned aerial vehicles or mobile military housing. Even further functionality could be achieved by utilizing the excess heat generated during fuel cell operation to heat a thermal reservoir or interior space in cold climates. This paper describes the manufacturing of a pultruded structural fuel cell and the characterization of the resulting functionality.