Group Receives Hydrogen Research and Development Grant from DOE
Dr. David Keffer
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. -- A research group consisting of four professors from the University of Tennessee College of Engineering's Department of Chemical Engineering (ChE) and a colleague from Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) has received a $825,000 grant from the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) for their project, "A Unified Computational, Theoretical and Experimental Investigation of Proton Transport through the Electrode/Electrolyte Interface of Proton Exchange Membrane Fuel Cell Systems."
David Keffer, ChE associate professor, is the principal investigator for the project. Additional team members include Brian Edwards, ChE associate professor; Shengting Cui, ChE research professor; Bill Steele, ChE adjunct professor and staff scientist, Nuclear Science & Technology Division, ORNL; and Costas Tsouris, staff scientist, ORNL and joint professor, School of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Georgia Institute of Technology.
The group's research involves the study of proton transport at the electrode/electrolyte membrane interface in hydrogen fuel cells. The primary goal of DOE's hydrogen and research development projects is to make hydrogen fuel vehicles and refueling stations available, practical and affordable for American consumers by 2020. DOE has approved a total of $64 million in grants over the next three years to the 70 project awardees.
Participants in the projects include more than 50 research organizations in 25 states, including academic institutions, industry and national laboratories.
For more information, contact Kim Cowart, Manager, Office of Engineering Communications, (865) 974-0686/kcowart@utk.edu