Metrology for Fuel Cell Manufacturing

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

2. Background Information Currently Most Popular: PEMFC DMFC(PEM) SOFC Others: MCFC PAFC AFC Applications: Transportation – PEM, Stationary – SOFC, PEM, Portable & Aux - All

3. Precompetitive Manufacturing Issues Engineering Data → Tolerance DeterminationMeasurements, Standards, and Approaches to Meeting Contractual Traceability RequirementsProcess Control: Sensor Evaluation and TechniquesReference Metrology Catalyst Coated: Membranes (CCM) Gas Diffusion Layers (GDE) Bipolar Plates Metal Carbon

5. Effort Overview Timeline Overall Budget October 1, 2007 September 30, 2011 Past Funding • FY07 • DOE $0K • NIST (ATP) $200K • FY08 • DOE $300K • NIST $300K Under New Interagency Agreement FY09-FY11 • FY09 • DOE $500K (9/09) • NIST Est. $100K+ • FY10 • DOE $500K (~3/10) • NIST $100K + • FY11 • DOE $500K (Anticipated) Barriers1 • Lack of High-Speed Bipolar Plate Manufacturing Processes • Low Levels of Quality Control and Inflexible Processes 1 Manufacturing R&D and Fuel Cells sections of the DOE Hydrogen, Fuel Cells and Infrastructure Technologies Program Multi-Year Research, Development and Demonstration Plan

6. Subprojects and Objectives • P1Cause-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. • P2Non-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. • P3Optical 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

7. Funding Breakdown by Subproject

8. 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 • LANL • Operational Knowledge • Advanced Testing Facilities

9. Design of Experiments:Full Factorial 24-1

10. Reference Metrology for Reverse Engineering and Mfg Parameter Verification

11. MEL/EEELSingle Cell Performance Testing

12. 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

13. Common Bipolar Plate Manufacturing Processes and Materials Processes Conventional Stamping Kinetic Stamping Etching Compression Molding Injection Molding Hydroforming Materials: Metallic (Coated) Carbon Composite

14. Non-Contact Sensor Evaluation Testbed

15. 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/cm2) • 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.

16. Interrelationship Between NIST/NREL Collaboration and OSM Project

17. Examples of Results NIST/NRELCollaboration NREL Defect Study OSM Project – Tool Sensitivity to Pt Loading 150X, snap-snap-snap 150X, 3 locations avg NIST Helios Dual-Beam FIB SEM Generated 100 um Diameter Hole Defect in Membrane Material with Gallium Rastered Surface for Gallium Contamination Testing 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.

18. 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/progress08/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://www1.eere.energy.gov/hydrogenandfuelcells/mypp/pdfs/manufacturing.pdf Manufacturing the Future: Federal Priorities for Manufacturing R&D, http://www.manufacturing.gov/pdf/NSTCIWGMFGRD_March2008_Report.pdf