The Department of Defense (DOD) is seeking proposals for the topic of "Hydrogen Generation Salt-water Electrolysis with Chemical Compression" as part of their SBIR 24.2 Annual solicitation. The Navy branch is specifically interested in developing a hydrogen generation system that can produce one to five kg of hydrogen over a 24-hour period in an austere environment using salt water. The system should be stored, transported, and operated in quad-con ISO containers and should be compatible with Onboard Vehicle Power (OVP) and alternative power sources like solar or mobile nuclear power generation. The goal is to deploy these small hydrogen generation units to support the U.S. Marine Corps' Expeditionary Advanced Base Operations (EABO) in locations with limited or no access to energy sources.
The system must meet certain threshold requirements, such as producing 1-3 kg of hydrogen over 24 hours and accepting water with up to 60K PPM of Total Dissolved Solids (TDS). It should also be powered by 28 VDC, 208VAC, 3-phase, or 120VAC, single-phase and be transportable via MTVR or JLTV Trailer. The system should comply with applicable MIL-STD 810 and MIL-STD-1472 standards.
The solicitation consists of three phases. In Phase I, proposers must develop concepts for the hydrogen generation system and demonstrate their feasibility through material testing and analytical modeling. Phase II involves developing 1-2 prototype systems for evaluation and refinement based on performance goals. The prototypes should reach TRL 6/7 by the end of this phase. In Phase III, the technology will be transitioned for Marine Corps use, and the prototypes should reach TRL 8 after testing.
The potential impacts and applications of this technology include fuel cells, automotive applications, alternative energy, home power systems, humanitarian aid, disaster relief, homeland security, and emergency services.
The solicitation is currently open, with a release date of April 17, 2024, and a closing date of June 12, 2024. More information can be found on the grants.gov website or the DOD SBIR/STTR Opportunities page.