Catalysts for Fuel Cells Grant Technology News Daily

Oxford Catalysts Group PLC has been awarded c. £118,000 from the Carbon Trust to help finance a two year project to develop reforming catalysts for fuel cells. This award is part of a £150,000 joint grant to both the Company and a leading UK-based Solid Oxide Fuel Cell ("SOFC") company, that was initially awarded in March 2006, subject to contract which has now been agreed.
The work programme will focus on the development of two catalysts for the reforming of Liquid Petroleum Gas ("LPG") and natural gas, based on the Company's patented metal-carbide catalyst platform. The project will also involve the optimisation of the new catalysts, as well as the development of a process for their deposition directly onto an appropriate surface.
Reforming is an important process for the operation of fuel cells that use conventional hydrocarbon fuels. Oxford Catalysts believes that its patented metal carbide catalysts will offer improved reforming performance at a lower cost, and that the new deposition process could facilitate more efficient catalyst performance and more effective heat transfer in the catalyst active area, thereby enhancing the overall efficiency of the fuel cell system.
The other partner in the Carbon Trust project (a leading UK-based SOFC company) will utilise its experience in fuel cell systems using LPG and natural gas to define the specifications for the new catalysts and to test their performance.