Eric Stuve
2006 Catalyst Article
It was really a thrill to be a part of the department’s centennial year! There seemed to be an extra spring in everybody’s step as we all felt a sense of accomplishment. That said, I’m glad it’s over and that we can get down to the business of making the second century fulfill the promise of the first.
During the past year I taught the fuel cell survey course (CHEM E 345) and co-taught the two fuel cell engineering courses (CHEM E 445 and 446) with Stu Adler. I really enjoyed having all the students for both courses. This year, Stu and I worked out a new format to the fuel cell courses in which we compare and contrast a proton exchange membrane (PEM) fuel cell with a solid oxide fuel cell (SOFC) as we discuss single cell, stack, and system engineering. This produced a number of surprising “A-ha!” moments, as we each learned something new about fuel cells. We also worked with Dave Daggett at Boeing to do a paper design study of a solid oxide fuel cell for use as an auxiliary power unit for a Boeing 777 airplane. There are some very interesting possibilities to this project!
Our research group continues to study hydrocarbon oxidation for fuel cells, funded by the Office of Naval Research. Dr. Valentin Medvedev continues his studies of oscillatory reactions on solid oxide fuel cells. Laura Roen continues her studies of direct methanol oxidation at low temperatures and presented her work at the Gordon Research Conference on Fuel Cells. Liney Arnadottir continues her combined theoretical and experimental studies of methanol oxidation. She spent the summer in Iceland working for her other research advisor Hannes Jonsson. Ravi Manghani continues his work on field ionization of water and is starting studies of direct oxidation of hydrocarbons on solid oxide field emitter tips.
