Microtubular SOFC (mSOFC) System in Mobile Robot Applications

The purpose of this paper is to discuss the application of mSOFCs to mobile robots. A typical robotic device for consumer applications contains a 1kWh battery which runs down with time. This battery requires swapping or lengthy recharging after each shift. The purpose of this paper is to discuss battery extension by adding an mSOFC generator running on propane. This keeps the battery at a high voltage, removing deep discharge problems, while giving a factor 5 longer running time with rapid turnaround because the on-board propane tank can be changed or refilled in 1 minute. An international research project was initiated in 2016 to develop these ideas under the heading PERT (PODS: Extending Robot Traction). This paper describes results from the project and shows that mSOFCs operating on small mobile robots can give substantial benefits in several applications.