Mark A. Hoberecht

Glenn Research Center, Cleveland, Ohio

NASA’s Planned Fuel Cell Development

Activities for 2009 and Beyond in Support

of the Exploration Vision

NASA/TM—2010-216106

May 2010
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Mark A. Hoberecht

Glenn Research Center, Cleveland, Ohio

NASA’s Planned Fuel Cell Development

Activities for 2009 and Beyond in Support

of the Exploration Vision

NASA/TM—2010-216106

May 2010

National Aeronautics and

Space Administration

Glenn Research Center

Cleveland, Ohio 44135
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NASA/TM—2010-216106 1 

NASA’s Planned Fuel Cell Development Activities for 2009 

and Beyond in Support of the Exploration Vision 

Mark A. Hoberecht 

National Aeronautics and Space Administration 

Glenn Research Center 

Cleveland, Ohio 44135 

Background 

NASA’s Energy Storage Project is one of many technology development efforts being implemented 

as part of the Exploration Technology Development Program (ETDP), under the auspices of the 

Exploration Systems Mission Directorate (ESMD). The Energy Storage Project is a focused technology 

development effort to advance lithium-ion battery and proton-exchange-membrane fuel cell (PEMFC) 

technologies to meet the specific power and energy storage needs of NASA Exploration missions. The 

fuel cell portion of the project has as its focus the development of both primary fuel cell power systems 

and regenerative fuel cell (RFC) energy storage systems, and is led by the NASA Glenn Research Center 

(GRC) in partnership with the Johnson Space Center (JSC), the Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL), the 

Kennedy Space Center (KSC), academia, and industrial partners. The development goals are to improve 

stack electrical performance, reduce system mass and parasitic power requirements, and increase system 

life and reliability. 

Introduction 

Fuel cells were used to generate power during the Gemini and Apollo programs, and are presently in 

use on the Shuttle (Ref. 1). Conventional alkaline fuel cell (AFC) technology used on the Shuttle is the 

only existing space-qualified fuel cell technology, but has a number of drawbacks. These include 

extensive operations requirements, limited life, high costs, and increasing obsolescence. PEMFC 

technology promises many advantages over existing AFC technology, including enhanced safety, 

increased robustness, higher peak power levels, longer life, lower weight, improved reliability and 

maintainability, reduced ground and missions operations support requirements, ability to share common 

reactants/tankage with hydrogen-oxygen propulsion systems, and lower costs. These advantages are the 

reason NASA is pursuing development of PEMFC technology for future Exploration missions. 

NASA’s development approach leverages the extensive commercial development of PEMFC 

technology, while also addressing the unique NASA requirements for space fuel cell applications. These 

more stringent space requirements include operation with pure oxygen (instead of air), and water 

management in reduced and zero-gravity environments. Over the past several years, NASA’s initial 

PEMFC development efforts were focused on advancement of stack technology (Ref. 2). NASA’s current 

development approach is still aimed at optimizing stack technology, but now has the additional focus of 

advancing the balance-of-plant technology for PEMFC systems, specifically the electrical components 

that monitor and control the system and the mechanical components that perform reactant and thermal 

management functions. 

Development Areas 

The NASA fuel cell development effort is focused on both primary fuel cell power systems and RFC 

energy storage systems. A RFC system is a combination of a primary fuel cell system and an electrolysis 

system, along with associated integration hardware (Ref. 3). The fuel cell and RFC work are categorized 
NASA/TM—2010-216106 2 

into three major areas: non-flow-through primary PEMFC development, high-pressure electrolysis 

development, and advanced membrane-electrode-assembly (MEA) development. A description of the 

work planned for 2009 and beyond in each of these three areas is presented below. 

Non-Flow-Through Primary PEMFC Development 

Compared to more traditional flow-through PEMFC technology in which ancillary components are 

required for reactant feed and product water separation, non-flow-through technology minimizes the 

ancillary system components required, resulting in a system with lower mass and volume, increased 

reliability, and longer life. In non-flow-through PEMFC technology, reactants are fed into the stack 

through diffusion; the product water that is generated at the electrode surface wicks across the adjacent 

gas cavity, through a hydrophilic membrane and into a water cavity (internal to each cell of the stack), as 

shown in Figure 1. 

ETDP work to date in the area of non-flow-through PEMFC technology has been focused on both 

stack and balance-of-plant development. Stack development is taking place under small business 

innovative research (SBIR) contracts with several vendors, including Infinity Fuel Cells and Hydrogen, 

ElectroChem, Giner Electrochemical Systems, and Proton Energy Systems. Infinity is conducting a 

Phase III SBIR contract based on success during the Phase II program. Presently, their technology is 

considered the baseline non-flow-through stack technology. The stack technologies being developed by 

the other vendors under Phase II SBIR contracts are all considered to be alternative non-flow-through 

stack technologies because of their lower level of maturity. Balance-of-plant development is being 
NASA/TM—2010-216106 3 

conducted in-house at NASA GRC. The focus of this work is the development of ancillary components 

required to perform the fluid and thermal management of the stacks as well as all electrical monitoring 

and control. Significant reductions in weight, volume, and parasitic power of these components are the 

goal. This balance-of-plant development is generic, in concept, to all non-flow-through stack technologies 

under development, however required modifications specific to each vendor’s technology are being 

factored in where necessary. 

NASA’s plans for 2009 call for further advancing the baseline and alternative stack technologies at 

the various vendors, as well as advancing the balance-of-plant technology being conducted in-house. The 

baseline stack technology will proceed with development of small-area short stacks (50 cm2

, 4-12 cells) 

integrated with a balance-of-plant for system testing at the TRL-4 level, followed by initial efforts to scale 

up both the stack cell area and number of cells (150 cm2

, ~40 cells) at the TRL-5 level. This scale-up will 

result in hardware sizes more applicable to those required for actual flight hardware. Balance-of-plant 

development at the TRL-5 level will also begin in late 2009. This advancement in the fidelity of 

component hardware will also result in hardware sizes more applicable for flight hardware. The TRL-5 

effort for both the stack and balance-of-plant will continue through 2010 and conclude in 2011. Should 

the baseline stack technology falter, one of the alternative stack technologies will serve as a substitute. 

Fuel cell technology is baselined for the Altair Lunar Lander descent module. In order to meet 

schedules which call for the Altair Preliminary Design Review (PDR) in late 2013, NASA will need to 

initiate the TRL-6 fuel cell development effort in 2011. At that time, NASA will enter a three-year 

development program for a fully autonomous 2 to 3 kW non-flow-through PEMFC engineering model 

system, culminating in the demonstration of TRL 6 by the end of 2013 through a series of performance 

and environmental tests. 

High-Pressure Electrolysis Development 

Development of high-pressure electrolysis technology will continue in 2009 through existing SBIR 

contracts and an Innovative Patnership Program (IPP). Electrolyzers are a key component of a RFC 

energy storage system. In this system, fuel cells consume reactant hydrogen and oxygen gases to produce 

electrical power, with liquid water as a by-product. An electrolyzer reverses this reaction, consuming 

electrical power to break down liquid water into gaseous hydrogen and oxygen. All work on RFC 

electrolysis development is being performed cognizant of the various requirements for different 

Exploration Mission electrolyzers, including those for extravehicular activity (EVA), in-situ resource 

utilization (ISRU), and environmental control and life-support (ECLS). 

Initial work has been directed at balanced high-pressure electrolysis development, in which product 

hydrogen and oxygen are both delivered at minimum pressures of at least 2,000 psi. These high pressures 

result in smaller and less massive reactant storage tanks. Candidate options include both liquid and vapor 

water-feed electrolysis, on either the hydrogen or oxygen sides of the cell. Operational considerations of 

every option are also being taken into account, as electrolysis development shares the same goal as fuel 

cell development in terms of minimizing the number of ancillary system components required. This 

reduction in electrolysis ancillary components will have the same benefits as with non-flow-through 

primary fuel cell systems—lower mass and volume, increased reliability, and longer life. 

NASA plans to continue SBIR and IPP development through 2011 at the TRL-4 level, and then 

initiate a two-year TRL-5 breadboard electrolysis development effort beginning in 2012. A fully 

integrated RFC development effort at the TRL-6 level would then be initiated in 2014. This effort would 

likely be completed in 2 to 3 years, depending on funding availability. 

Advanced MEA Development 

MEAs are a key electrochemical component within all PEMFC and electrolysis stacks. The physical 

characteristics of the MEA, its chemical composition and catalyst formulations, all play a role in 

determining its electrical performance and durability. The better the electrical performance of any given 
NASA/TM—2010-216106 4 

MEA, the less reactants required to produce that electrical performance, and the lower the mass and 

volume requirements for the reactants and their respective storage tanks. ETDP work to date has been 

conducted by NASA JPL and is directed at making steady improvements in MEA electrical performance. 

Present electrical performance is less than 2 percent lower than that of AFC technology, the performance 

standard for space fuel cells, and is better than the electrical performance of any existing PEMFC 

vendor’s MEA. 

NASA’s plans for 2009 and beyond call for a continuation of MEA development at NASA JPL. It is 

anticipated that the steady performance increases seen to date will continue, and the best available MEAs 

at the time will be inserted into fuel cell and electrolysis stacks, as appropriate, for evaluation. This 

process has been successful to date through 2008. Following continued performance increases which are 

expected to match and then exceed AFC electrical performance, the best MEA technology available at the 

time will be integrated into the fuel cell, electrolysis, and RFC development path from TRL 4 through 

TRL 6. Existing performance goals for eventual flight hardware are 0.92 V/cell for the fuel cell and 

1.44 V/cell for the electrolyzer at 200 mA/cm2

. 

Summary 

The ETDP fuel cell development effort has as its focus the development of both primary fuel cell 

power systems and RFC energy storage systems. The development goals are to improve fuel cell and 

electrolyzer stack electrical performance, reduce system mass and parasitic power requirements, and 

increase system life and reliability. In order to achieve these goals, NASA has segmented the required 

work into three major development areas: non-flow-through primary PEMFC development, high-pressure 

electrolysis development, and advanced MEA development. In all cases, funding availability will dictate 

the degree of technology advancement in any given timeframe. 

In primary PEMFC technology, NASA plans to continue advancing both stack and balance-of-plant 

technologies and to demonstrate these advancements through integrated systems testing. TRL-5 

development and testing will conclude in 2011, with a three-year TRL-6 engineering model development 

effort concluding in 2013 to match the Altair PDR. In high-pressure electrolysis technology, NASA plans 

to develop a common, balanced high-pressure electrolyzer, if appropriate, for EVA, ISRU, ECLS, and 

RFC Exploration Mission applications. Common technology advancement will continue through 2011 at 

the TRL-4 level, followed by a two-year TRL-5 breadboard development effort concluding in 2013. In 

2014, NASA will initiate a three-year engineering model RFC development effort, culminating in the 

achievement of TRL 6 by the end of 2016. 

In MEA technology, NASA anticipates making continued steady improvement until electrical 

performance matches and then exceeds the performance standard for space fuel cells achieved by AFC 

technology. NASA also plans to insert the best MEA technology available at the time into all breadboard 

and engineering model fuel cell and electrolysis stacks as the effort proceeds. A technology progression in 

the three major technology areas is shown in Table 1. 

Through prior technology development efforts as of 2008, NASA has identified that optimizing stack 

and balance-of-plant technologies are the most critical needs for both primary fuel cells and RFC energy 

storage systems. By leveraging past commercial developments and addressing the unique requirements 

for operation in space, NASA has formulated a sound approach as it moves forward in 2009 and beyond 

to improve stack electrical performance, reduce system mass and parasitic power requirements, and 

increase system life and reliability. If sufficient funding is available, NASA should be successful in 

meeting Exploration Mission requirements and achieving TRL 6 by the end of 2013 for primary PEMFC 

systems, and TRL 6 by the end of 2016 for RFC energy storage systems. 
NASA/TM—2010-216106 5 

TABLE 1.—FUEL CELL AND REGENERATIVE FUEL CELL TECHNOLOGY PROGRESSION 

Development area 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 

Non-Flow-Through 

Primary PEMFC 

Achieve TRL 4 

(small-area short 

stacks + balance-ofplant) 

 

Achieve TRL 5 

(large-area stack + 

balance-of-plant) 

  

Achieve TRL 6  

High-pressure 

electrolysis 

 

Achieve TRL 4          

Achieve TRL 5           

RFC               

Achieve TRL 6            

Advanced MEAs               

Fuel cell insertion        

Electrolysis insertion       

RFC insertion              

References 

1. Burke, Kenneth A.: Fuel Cells for Space Science Applications. NASA/TM—2003-212730 

(AIAA–2003–5938), 2003. 

2. Hoberecht, Mark A.: NASA’s PEM Fuel Cell Power Plant Development Program for Space 

Applications. NASA/TM—2008-214991, 2008. 

3. Bents, David J., et al.: Closed-Cycle Hydrogen-Oxygen Regenerative Fuel Cell at the NASA 

Glenn Research Center—An Update. NASA/TM—2008-215055, 2008.
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14. ABSTRACT

NASA’s Energy Storage Project is one of many technology development efforts being implemented as part of the Exploration Technology 

Development Program (ETDP), under the auspices of the Exploration Systems Mission Directorate (ESMD). The Energy Storage Project is 

a focused technology development effort to advance lithium-ion battery and proton-exchange-membrane fuel cell (PEMFC) technologies to 

meet the specific power and energy storage needs of NASA Exploration missions. The fuel cell portion of the project has as its focus the 

development of both primary fuel cell power systems and regenerative fuel cell (RFC) energy storage systems, and is led by the NASA 

Glenn Research Center (GRC) in partnership with the Johnson Space Center (JSC), the Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL), the Kennedy Space 

Center (KSC), academia, and industrial partners. The development goals are to improve stack electrical performance, reduce system mass 

and parasitic power requirements, and increase system life and reliability. 

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Fuel cells; Fuel cell power plants; Hydrogen oxygen fuel cells; Regenerative fuel cells; Energy conversion; Energy storage 

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