PROJECT TITLE: Research project on the Development of an Original Fuel Cell Technology Dedicated to Long-Distance Outer Space Manned Missions — FCtoOutSpace

Coordinator: ET Innovative Solutions ltd. 

Partners: University of Bucharest

Period: 19 November 2012 – 18 November 2015

Project director: Prof. Dr. Eng. Eden Mamut

Project team:

• Prof. Dr. Eden Mamut
• Eng. Laurentiu Oancea
• Dr. Ioan Stamatin
• Dr. Adriana Balan-Andronie 

Description: The aim of the project is to develop an innovative hybrid fuel cell technology dedicated to long distance manned outer space missions. The hybrid fuel cell technology shall integrate Membrane Electrode Assemblies for electrochemical decomposition of urea and charge accumulation layers. The scientific research have been conceived as fundamental and industrial research activities in order to identify the most suitable nanostructured materials and architectures for the development of high efficiency and compact electrochemical hybrid cells for future power supply and energy storage systems dedicated to spacecrafts for long distance manned missions.

Project objectives:

• Identification of a research niche in the area of energy supply and storage systems dedicated for spacecrafts using de decomposition of urea;
• The development of a partnership between a spin off company and a university research group in developing a interdisciplinary high performance research activity to be applied in innovative products;
• The enhancement of cooperation between a Romanian company and the International Space
• Station using services offered by different intermediate companies;
• Identification of possibilities to participate in ESA programs for the promotion of original Romanian products.

Activities:

• WP1 – Concept developments, prelimimary modelling and components development for the hybrid fuel cell
• WP2 – Development and modelling of the experimental installation
• WP3 – Testing of the experimental installation and business case development

Contributions to the STAR programme objectives:

• The project generated a new research topic related to the  channel architecture for unipolar/bipolar plates for fuel cells operating in low gravity conditions.  The project, “Optimized Flow Architectures for Fuel Cell Bipolar/Unipolar Plates Functioning in Outer Space Conditions” aims the development of a focused research program in order to identify the specific thermofluidic phenomena related to the flows of gaseous species in the channel architecture of the fuel cell unipolar/bipolar plates in low gravity conditions. 
• The project proposal was submitted and woned by the same partnership (ET Innovative Solutions and University of Bucharest) for Research, Development and Innovation Projects and the Tender for Centre of Competence in Space Technology Projects, C2, 2013.
• Based on the results obtained so far, ET Innovative Solutions participated to the meetings with the representatives of the ESA Programme and presented a project proposal for the Second Call for Outline Proposals. 

Homepage: http://www.et-is.eu/FCtoOutSpace/en/  www.cosmomar.ro/fctooutspace