Senior Vice. President. CTO and. Category: Cathodic. Protection. Dates of. Web site: SOFCs are. site. gas can be. SOFCs have

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1 Title of Innovation: Fuel Cell Powered Cathodic Protection Nominee(s) Dr. Norman Bessettee CTO and Senior Vice President Acumentrics Corporation Category: Cathodic Protection Dates of Innovation Development: Development commenced in 2004 with first units being commercially deployed in early 2011 Web site: Summary Description: Solid Oxide Fuel Cells ( SOFCs ) are state of the art efficient, very quiet and are classified as green energy by power generation devices that produce electrical power from hydrogen. SOFCs are extremely the US Department of Energy due to their only emissions being water vapor and very small amounts of carbon dioxide. Because SOFCs can extract hydrogen for hydro carbon gases (methane, propane etc.) rather than having to use pure hydrogen, they are ideal for remote applications where natural gas is available or bottled gas can be easily transported to the site. SOFCs are continuous run been successfully deployed in extreme cold artic types of environments such as are found in ( 24/7 ) equipment that can provide any voltage required between 5 60 VDC. SOFCs have Alaska as well as extreme hot desert types of environments as are found in west Texas. All SOFCS come with full remote monitoring and control capability. 1

2 Full Description: How does the innovation work? A solid oxide fuel cell (SOFC) is an electrochemical device that converts hydrogen and carbon monoxide from hydrocarbon fuels into electricity. The process is driven by the flow of oxygen ions from a cathode to an anode through an electrolyte that is comprised of solid zirconia. When these ions combine with hydrogen and carbon monoxide from the fuel, electrons are released to an external circuit. This process is replicatedd many timess in the fuel cell, in arrays or stacks, and it results in highly efficient power generationn with virtually no greenhouse gas emissions. In contrast to planar or membrane designs, patented Acumentrics tubular solid oxide fuel cells are constructed from many discreet electrolytic tubes inn parallel. The anodes are on the inside of each tube and the cathodes are on the outside, in an anode supported configuration, as shown in the diagram. Using the exclusive Acumentrics fuel in the tube technology shown in the drawing below, fuel is introduced directly inside the tubes in a high temperature environment, at approximately 750 C. Ambient air (the oxygen source) circulates around the outside of the tubes. The oxygen ions are conducted through the tube,, and an electrical potential is generated between the inside and outside of the tube. This potential difference is tapped as electricall energy. The electrochemical process happens in multiple tubes in a stack, producing power systems that can supply a few hundred watts to 10 kilowatts. 2

3 The net result is a highly efficient system that produces clean electricity, with water, heat, and low levels of carbon dioxide as the only by products. Efficiency is further enhanced when the high grade waste heat is recovered for heating, hot water and processing purposes. This results in total fuel efficiency (LHV) levels exceeding 80 percent for residential and industrial cogeneration applications. Because operation is below the high temperature of internal combustion engines or turbines, fuel cells have nearly undetectable levels of nitrous oxides (NOx). Sulfur oxides (SOx) are reduced due to the high efficiency of our fuel cells that also provide near silent operation and none of the maintenance associated with legacy engine or turbine based gensets. When and how was the innovation developed? Acumentrics has been developing the underlying Solid Oxide Fuel Cell (SOFC) technology behind its RP Series Fuel Cells (i.e. RP 500: RP stands for remote power, 500 signifies the power output in watts of electrical power; 500 watts ) since 2004 using internal resources and funding as well as development funds provided by several DOE and DOD agencies. When the technology reached satisfactory performance and durability levels in 2009, the first generation of the RP 500 was designed, developed and deployed to actual customer sites starting in Since its initial deployment, Acumentrics has developed four distinct models with power output from 250 watts up thru 1500 watts. How or why is the innovation unique? Fuel cell technology has been around for many years, but the Acumentrics RP 500 is the first fuel cell based power system which was designed from the ground up to meet the specific needs of corrosion protection customers in the oil and gas industry. What type of corrosion problem does the innovation address? Corrosion protection systems in the oil and gas industry are often deployed in areas where commercial AC power is not economically available. Acumentrics SOFCs are a clean, quiet and reliable DC power source which can enable low maintenance, cost effective corrosion protection at these off grid sites. What is the need that sparked the development of the innovation? For many years the thermoelectric generators ( TEGs ) or solar based systems ( solar ) were the only feasible options available to power corrosion protection equipment and other loads at remote, off grid oil and gas sites. For years, corrosion engineers have been searching for a viable alternative to TEG or solar primarily because of the negative impact of several of its inherent characteristics: 3

4 The largest TEG available has an output of only 550 watts; oftentimes CP loads require power far more than that amount. While TEGs can be paralleled for higher loads, the cost of doing so can be prohibitive. Low TEG efficiency, on the order of 1 to 3%, meant a relatively high fuel consumption per watt of power produced TEGs emit a significant amount of CO2 as well NOx and SOx air pollutants The exposed flame of the TEG could pose a fire danger as well as making it susceptible to blow outs from high wind conditions Solar systems are also very inefficient and not particularly well suited for CP applications in locations that have either a marginal or poor solar resource. To achieve the power levels required for CP at some sites requires relatively large solar panel arrays. Such configurations not only take up a lot of space, but can also attract unwanted attention at these remote sites; vandalism, theft, etc. To ensure continuous power, solar requires a very large battery (typically a minimum 7 day battery). Such battery systems require a significant amount of maintenance, regular battery replacements, etc. Solar panels are renown for being stolen. Are there technological challenges or limitations that the innovation overcomes? The inherent high efficiency and low emissions of the fuel cell technology at the heart of the SOFC enable it to overcome the operational limits of TEGs to power corrosion protection equipment in a clean, quiet and reliable manner. What are the potential applications of the innovation? In addition to the primary application of supplying DC power to Impressed Current Cathodic Protection (ICCP) systems, the SOFC is also capable of simultaneously powering additional loads at off grid oil and gas sites including: Chemical Injection Pumps SCADA Systems Gas Analyzers & other Instrumentation Remote Control Valves How does the innovation provide an improvement over existing methods, techniques, and technologies? SOFCs provides corrosion protection engineers with a cost effective alternative which is more efficient and cleaner than TEGs and more compact than solar/battery power systems with less overall maintenance requirements. What type of impact does the innovation have on the industry/industries it serves? 4

5 By providing an efficient, clean and reliable power source for off grid sites, the Acumentrics SOFC enables corrosion engineers to deploy protection equipment in places that they otherwise may forego. For example, pipeline CP engineers may deploy more ICCP sites at closer intervals than the usual practice of focusing on high power AC/DC rectifiers only at locations where the pipeline crosses a commercial AC power line. This could result in better overall corrosion protection because it avoids the possibility of overpowering the ICCP system with very high current from AC/DC rectifiers which can lead to coating disbonding and potential corrosion of the exposed pipe. Does the innovation fill a technology gap? If so, please explain the technological need and how it was addressed prior to the development of the innovation. As explained above, for many years TEGs or solar were the only feasible options available to power corrosion protection equipment and other loads at remote, off grid oil and gas sites. Has the innovation been tested in the laboratory or in the field? If so, please describe any tests or field demonstrations and the results that support the capability and feasibility of the innovation. Since its initial qualification deployments in 2010, the SOFC has been deployed at a range of production well head and pipeline sites throughout North America. To date the more than 100 systems have been successfully deployed with: over 700,000 hours of operation overall average availabilities approaching 97% Is the innovation commercially available? If yes, how long has it been utilized? If not, what is the next step in making the innovation commercially available? Yes, Acumentrics SOFCs are commercially available. While form a marketing sense, the RP product line was formally launched at NACE s Corrosion 2012 in Salt Lake City, SOFCs have been successfully deployed at customer sites across North America since 2010, SOFCs have been proven to be an excellent option to supply DC power for a variety of off grid corrosion protection applications. As of this nomination, Acumentrics currently offers 4 different size SOFCs with the following output power capacities: 250 watt 500 watt 1,000 watt 1,500 watt Each model is available to run off either natural gas or propane. Of significant note is thru the use of state of the art electronics, SOFCs come available in 3 distinct operating modes: 5

6 Battery Charge Mode Constant Voltage Mode Constant Current Mode Constant current mode is directly applicable to cathodic protection applications. This mode maintains a constant current while the output voltage of the SOFC adjusts automatically to changes in ground bed resistance. The feature eliminates the need for a separate (and expensive) CP Controller that is required for TEG or solar based CP systems. Are you aware of other organizations that have introduced similar innovations? If so, how is this innovation different? Several companies have developed and deployed solar photovoltaic (PV) based power systems for cathodic protection applications. In recent years, these solutions have had some success and have been deployed in many North American regions in the oil and gas industry. Are there any patents related to this work? If yes, please provide the patent title, number, and inventor. The fuel cell technology used within the SOFC is covered by the following Acumentrics owned issued and/or pending patents: US Patents: , , , , , , Canadian Patents: , ,