Metrology for Fuel Cell Manufacturing Eric Stanfield MEL

Metrology for Fuel Cell Manufacturing Eric Stanfield MEL Fuel Cell Project Manager Metrology for Fuel Cell Manufacturing

Background Information Currently Most Popular: PEMFC DMFC(PEM) SOFC Others: MCFC PAFC Applications: Transportation – PEM, Stationary – SOFC, PEM, Portable & Aux - All Metrology for Fuel Cell Manufacturing

Precompetitive Manufacturing Issues Engineering Data → Tolerance Determination Measurements, Standards, and Approaches to Meeting Contractual Traceability Requirements Process Control: Sensor Evaluation and Techniques Reference Metrology Catalyst Coated: Membranes (CCM) Gas Diffusion Layers (GDE) Metrology for Fuel Cell Manufacturing Bipolar Plates Metal Carbon

Metrology for Fuel Cell Manufacturing

Effort Overview Timeline Overall Budget October 1, 2007 September 30, 2011 • Barriers 1 • B. Lack of High-Speed Bipolar Plate Manufacturing Processes F. Low Levels of Quality Control and Inflexible Processes Manufacturing R&D and Fuel Cells sections of the DOE Hydrogen, Fuel Cells and Infrastructure Technologies Program Multi-Year Research, Development and Demonstration Plan Past Funding • 1 • • FY 07 – DOE $0 K – NIST (ATP) $200 K FY 08 – DOE $300 K – NIST $300 K Under New Interagency Agreement FY 09 -FY 11 FY 09 – DOE $500 K (9/09) – NIST Est. $100 K+ FY 10 – DOE $500 K (~3/10) – NIST $100 K + FY 11 – Metrology for Fuel Cell Manufacturing DOE $500 K (Anticipated)

Subprojects and Objectives • P 1 Cause-and-Effect: Flow Field Plate Manufacturing Variability and it’s Impact on Performance Objective: Develop engineering data relating performance variation to manufacturing process parameters and variability. • P 2 Non-Contact Sensor Evaluation for Bi-polar Plate Manufacturing Process Control and Smart Assembly of Fuel Cell Stacks. Objective: (1) Identify and evaluate the capability and uncertainty of commercially available non-contact, high-speed scanning technologies for applicability to bi-polar plate manufacturing process control. (2) Using capabilities identified in (1) demonstrate smart assembly concept. • P 3 Optical Scatterfield Metrology for Online Catalyst Coating Inspection of PEM (Fuel Cell) Soft Goods. Objective: (1) Evaluate the suitability of Optical Scatterfield Microscopy as a viable measurement tool for in-situ process control of catalyst coatings. (2) Provide reference metrology support under the NREL/NIST Collaboration Metrology for Fuel Cell Manufacturing

Funding Breakdown by Subproject Metrology for Fuel Cell Manufacturing

Subproject #1 Overview Cause-and-Effect: Flow Field Plate Manufacturing Variability and its Impact on Performance Approach: Using a statistically based design-of-experiments, fabricate experimental “cathode” side flow field plates with various well defined combinations of flow field channel dimensional variations; then through single cell fuel cell performance testing using a well defined protocol, quantify the performance affects, if any, and correlate these results into required dimensional fabrication tolerance levels. NIST • Dimensional Metrology • Manufacturing Metrology • Statistical Engineering Metrology for Fuel Cell Manufacturing LANL • Operational Knowledge • Advanced Testing Facilities

Design of Experiments: Full Factorial 24 -1 Metrology for Fuel Cell Manufacturing

Reference Metrology for Reverse Engineering and Mfg Parameter Verification Metrology for Fuel Cell Manufacturing

MEL/EEEL Single Cell Performance Testing Metrology for Fuel Cell Manufacturing

Subproject #2 Overview Non-Contact Sensor Evaluation for Bipolar Plate Manufacturing Process Control and Smart Assembly of Fuel Cell Stacks. Approach: The development and/or evaluation of high-speed non-contact sensors and systems for application in process control of bipolar plates. The evaluation will include: • Suitability based on typical plate materials and methods of fabrication • Dimensional parameters of interest • Development of measurement protocols • sensor evaluation • plate evaluation • Accuracy evaluation as a function of scan speed • Approaches to achieving contractual traceability requirements • Demonstrate Smart Assembly Concept Metrology for Fuel Cell Manufacturing

Common Bipolar Plate Manufacturing Processes and Materials Processes Conventional Stamping Kinetic Stamping Etching Compression Molding Injection Molding Hydroforming Materials: Metallic (Coated) Carbon Composite Metrology for Fuel Cell Manufacturing

Non-Contact Sensor Evaluation Testbed Metrology for Fuel Cell Manufacturing

Subproject #3 Overview Optical Scatterfield Metrology for Online Catalyst Coating Inspection of PEM (Fuel Cell) Soft Goods Approach: Using catalyst coated samples provided by manufacturers with variations in critical parameters (i. e. Pt loading, porosity, particle size, defects) characterized using standard industry methods (XRF, SEM); evaluate the Optical Scatterfield Metrology Tool’s sensitivity to these parameters. Parameter #1: Catalyst Loading (mg/cm 2) If successful, then: • CCMs from various manufuacturers • GDEs from various manufacturers and on both woven cloth and paper. • CCMs where platinum is in the presence of other metallic alloys. • Future parameters: Work in progress! • NIST/NREL Collaboration • Relationships with CCM & GDE manufacturers. Metrology for Fuel Cell Manufacturing

Interrelationship Between NIST/NREL Collaboration and OSM Project Metrology for Fuel Cell Manufacturing

Examples of Results NIST/NREL Collaboration NREL Defect Study OSM Project – Tool Sensitivity to Pt Loading 150 X, snap-snap NIST Helios Dual-Beam FIB SEM Generated 100 um Diameter Hole Defect in Membrane Material with Gallium Rastered Surface for Gallium Contamination Testing Metrology for Fuel Cell Manufacturing 150 X, 3 locations avg Experimental data acquired on a fully custom scatterfield microscope platform. This instrument uses tailored illumination designed to optimize scanned illumination at the conjugate back focal plane.

More Information Precision Engineering 2009 Program Technical Accomplishments, pp 42 -45, 2010 http: //www. nist. gov/mel/ped/index. cfm Past DOE Project Reports Related to “Metrology for Fuel Cell Manufacturing” http: //www. hydrogen. energy. gov/pdfs/progress 08/vi _3_stanfield. pdf For all NIST Fuel Cell and Hydrogen Activities: www. nist. gov/hydrogen Multi-Year Research, Development and Demonstration Plan: Planned Program Activities for 2005 -2015 (Manufacturing Section 3. 5)(2009) http: //www 1. eere. energy. gov/hydrogenandfuelcells/ mypp/pdfs/manufacturing. pdf Manufacturing the Future: Federal Priorities for Manufacturing R&D, http: //www. manufacturing. gov/pdf/NSTCIWGMFGR D_March 2008_Report. pdf Metrology for Fuel Cell Manufacturing