Design for Manufacturing and Assembly (DFMA) Cost Estimates of Stationary Fuel Cell Systems

摘要

Stationary applications for fuel cell systems (FCSs) are an active and growing area of fuel ceil product development. Numerous companies already have preliminary products on the market for a variety of sizes and applications1 and research continues into the full range of uses for stationary systems. To better assess the potential usefulness and market-worthiness of the stationary fuel cell concept, this work describes a "Design for Manufacturing and Assembly" (DFMA)~2-style analysis of the cost to manufacture a series of stationary FCSs. Because there is a broad range of applications and fuel cell technologies under the "stationary" umbrella, it is useful to examine the relative cost impact of systems based on several fuel cell technologies at different installed capacities, as well as applications such as combined heat and power (CHP) and grid-independent operation. Finally, the impact of annual production rate on the cost of all systems is examined to assess the difference between a nascent and a mature product manufacturing base.