North Haven, CT (July 18th, 2023) – Precision Combustion, Inc. (PCI) announced selection for a highly competitive Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) Phase I award from the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) to develop and demonstrate simultaneous hydrogen (H2) generation and compression using intermediate-temperature solid-oxide membrane, without moving parts. Leveraging a novel cell architecture, advanced materials, groundbreaking processing techniques and university relationships, PCI's innovation has the potential to improve efficiency and reliability for hydrogen generation and storage.
Advance proof of concept testing of the new cell architecture indicated several advances over state of the art, including lightweight and compact volume, simplified structure, rapid thermal cycle tolerance, and fast start-up. PCI’s multi-functional solid-oxide cell can also be operated in reverse in fuel cell mode, enabling efficient regenerative power generation and high round trip efficiency and potential as a key building block within In-Situ Resource Utilization (ISRU) operations on the moon and planets.
The primary objective will be to produce high-purity compressed hydrogen via electrolysis with minimized energy consumption. By eliminating the need for additional equipment, such as mechanical pumps or gas separators, PCI's solution also streamlines the hydrogen production process for greater reliability.
"By combining hydrogen generation and compression into a single operation, our innovation has potential to transform the landscape of hydrogen production. This can enable more efficient and sustainable energy solutions across many industries," said PCI President, Kevin Burns.
Other NASA applications include power generation, regenerative operation, energy storage (as compressed H2), co-electrolysis of steam and CO2 to produce syngas, and oxidative coupling to produce a key building block for In-Situ Resource Utilization. PCI is also exploring Earth spinoff applications such as compact and efficient distributed hydrogen production, storage, and compression as well as regenerative operation in conjunction with excess peak power like wind and solar. Other opportunities include synthetic chemicals production with CO2 utilization.
Precision Combustion, Inc. is a clean energy and environmental technology company developing new reactors and systems for energy and environmental sector applications.
For further information, please contact:
Anthony Anderson
Director, Marketing and Business Development
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