The major drawback to the use of fuel cellsas electric generators and auxiliary power units (APUs) by deployed forces istheir inability to directly use battlefield fuels.  Fuel cells require a clean, essentiallysulfur-free feed stream to prevent poisoning of the anode catalyst.  TDA Research, Inc. (TDA) is developing anovel oxidative fuel desulfurization system, a key component of a compact fuelprocessor, to produce a sulfur-free feed for fuel cell power generators thatrun on high sulfur JP-8 fuel.  TDA'sdesulfurization system uses a catalyst to first oxidize the thiophenic sulfurspecies in the fuel to their respective sulfones using molecular oxygen in airand then to remove the oxidized sulfur compounds with a novel regenerable,mesoporous sorbent to deliver essentially sulfur-free fuel to the fuelprocessor. The results from our catalyst and sorbent development efforts willbe presented in the meeting.

Novel oxidative fuel desulfurization system

242nd National Meeting (2011)

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