Neal Sullivan

Professor, Mechanical Engineering

Headshot of Dr. Sullivan with gray backgroundProfessor Sullivan’s research focuses on experimentation with electrochemical ceramics. In his current position as Professor of Mechanical Engineering at Colorado School of Mines, Professor Sullivan leads experimental operations within the Colorado Fuel Cell Center, for which he serves as director. Applications range from fuel cells for efficient electricity generation to electrolyzers for energy storage and hydrogen production to membrane reactors for electro-fuels synthesis. Research activities of emerging electroceramics include device fabrication, microstructural characterization, button-cell scale-up to large-area multi-cell stacks, catalyst integration, performance analysis, and degradation mitigation. At larger scales, Prof. Sullivan’s research includes demonstrations of multi-stack and hybrid fuel-cell/engine systems approaching 100-kW power levels. This span from early-stage materials development to complete system integrations is supported through a robust equipment base formed over decades of collaborative research with many of the world’s leaders in high-temperature electrochemistry.

Contact

Brown Hall W410H
303-273-3656
nsulliva@mines.edu

Labs and Research Centers

Research Areas

  • Primary Investigator, “CO2-to-Fuels Through Novel Electrochemical Catalysis,” U.S. Department of Energy, Office of Fossil Energy, National Energy Technology Laboratory, Award DE-FE0031716, January 2019 – December 2020, $800k.
  • Primary Investigator, “Proton-Conducting Ceramic Electrolyzers for High-Temperature Water Splitting,” U.S. Department of Energy, Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy, Fuel Cell Technologies Office, Award DE-EE0008376, subcontract to FuelCell Energy, October 2018 – September 2020, $500k.
  • Co-Primary Investigator, “High Efficiency, Low Cost & Robust Hybrid SOFC/IC Engine Power Generator,” U.S. Department of Energy, Advanced Research Projects Agency – Energy, Award DE-AR0000954, June 2018 – May 2020, $3.0M.
  • Primary Investigator, “Protonic Ceramics for Energy Storage and Electricity Generation with Ammonia,” U.S. Department of Energy, Advanced Research Projects Agency – Energy, Award DE-AR0000808, subcontractor to FuelCell Energy, May 2017 – April 2020, $4.0M.
  • Primary Investigator, “Mars in-situ resource utilization to produce methane propellant using a proton-conducting ceramic membrane for assisted CO2 methanation and H2O electrolysis,” National Aeronautics and Space Administration, Award 80NSSC17K0141, August 2017 – July 2019, $140,000.
  • Primary Investigator, “Advanced Fuel Cells for High-Efficiency Distributed Energy,” State of Colorado, Office of Economic Development and International Trade, Award CTGG1 2016-1890, January 2016 – December 2017, $200,000.
  • Co-Primary Investigator, “Fuel Cell Stacks Based On Proton-Conducting Ceramic Materials,” U.S. Department of Energy, Advanced Research Projects Agency – Energy, Award DE-AR0000493, October 2014 – September 2020, $5.0M.
  • Primary Investigator, “Geothermic Fuel Cells for In-Situ Oil Shale Processing,” Independent Energy Partners, Inc., Parker, Colorado, USA, October 2012 – December 2014, $1.5M.

Publications

View all publications on Google Scholar

  • L. Zhu, C. Cadigan, C. Duan, J. Huang, L. Bian, L. Le, C. Herradon Hernandez, V. Avance, R. O’Hayre, N.P. Sullivan, “Improving performance and enabling reversible operation in ammonia-fed protonic ceramic fuel cells via a novel Ru-B2CA catalyst,” Communications Chemistry, accepted for publication (2021).
  • L. Zhu, R. O’Hayre, N.P. Sullivan, “High performance tubular protonic ceramic fuel cells via highly-scalable extrusion process,” International Journal of Hydrogen Energy, in press, DOI: 10.1016/j.ijhydene.2021.06.018 (2021).
  • L.Q. Le, C. Herradon Hernandez, M. Hernandez Rodriguez, L. Zhu, C. Duan, H. Ding, R.P. O’Hayre, N.P. Sullivan, “Proton-conducting ceramic fuel cells: scale up and stack integration,” Journal of Power Sources, DOI: 10.1016/j.jpowsour.2020.228868 482 (2021) 228868.
  • C. Duan, J. Huang, N.P. Sullivan, R. O’Hayre, “Proton-conducting oxides for energy conversion and storage,” Applied Physics Reviews, DOI:10.1063/1.5135319 7 (2020).
  • C. Duan, R.J. Kee, H. Zhu, N.P. Sullivan, L. Zhu, L. Bian, R. O’Hayre, “Highly efficient reversible protonic ceramic electrochemical cells for power generation and green fuels production,” Nature – Energy, DOI: 10.1038/s41560-019-0333-2 4 (3) 230-240 (2019).
  • G.A. Anyenya, R.J. Braun, K.J. Lee, N.P. Sullivan, A. M. Newman, “Design and dispatch optimization of a solid-oxide fuel cell assembly for unconventional oil and gas production,” Optimization and Engineering, DOI : 10.1007/s11081-018-9400-y 19 : 4 (2018) 1037–1081.
  • C. Duan, R. J. Kee, H. Zhu, C. Karakaya, Y. Chen, S. Ricote, A. Jarry, E.J. Crumlin, D. Hook, R. Braun, N.P. Sullivan, and R. O’Hayre, “Highly durable, coking and sulfur tolerant, fuel-flexible protonic ceramic fuel cells,” Nature, DOI 10.1038/s41586-018-0082-6 557 (2018) 217–222.
  • H. Ding, S. Ricote, N.P. Sullivan, “Double perovskite Ba2FeMoO6-δ as fuel electrode for protonic-ceramic membranes,” Solid State Ionics, DOI: 10.1016/j.ssi.2017.04.007 306 (2017) 97-103.
  • G.A. Anyenya, R.J. Braun, N.P. Sullivan, “Modeling of a novel 4.5 kWe multi-stack solid-oxide fuel cell assembly for combined heat and power,” Journal of Energy Conversion and Management, DOI: 10.1016/j.enconman.2017.02.071, 140 (2017) 247–259.
  • G. Anyenya, B. Haun, M. Daubenspeck, R. Braun, N.P. Sullivan, “Experimental testing of a novel 4.5 kWe multi-stack solid-oxide fuel cell assembly for combined heat and power,” Journal of Electrochemical Energy Conversion and Storage, DOI: 10.1115/1.4035352 13 (2016) 041001-01 – 041001-8.
  • W.A. Rosensteel, N.P. Sullivan, “Fabrication and hydrogen permeation through novel BaZr0.9Y0.1O3-d – Cu composite ceramic-metallic membranes,” International Journal of Hydrogen Energy, 10.1016/j.ijhydene.2016.10.048 42 (2017) 4216-4223.
  • M. Dippon, S. Babiniec, H. Ding, S. Ricote, N.P. Sullivan, “Exploring electronic conduction through BaCexZr0.9-xY0.1O3-d proton-conducting ceramics,” Solid State Ionics DOI: 10.1016/j.ssi.2016.01.029 286 (2016) 117–121.
  • B. Blakeley, N.P. Sullivan, “Fuel processing in a ceramic microchannel reactor: Expanding operating windows,” International Journal of Hydrogen Energy DOI: 10.1016/j.ijhydene.2015.12.064 41:6 (2016) 3794-3802.
  • W.A. Rosensteel, S. Ricote, N.P. Sullivan, “Hydrogen permeation through dense BaCe0.8Y0.2O3-d – Ce0.8Y0.2O2-d composite–ceramic hydrogen separation membranes,” International Journal of Hydrogen Energy DOI: 10.1016/j.ijhydene.2015.11.053 41 (2016) 2598-2606.
  • N.P. Sullivan, G. Anyenya, B. Haun, M. Daubenspeck, J. Bonadies, R. Kerr, B. Fischer, A. Wright, G. Jones, R. Li, M. Wall, A. Forbes, M. Savage, “In-ground operation of geothermic fuel cells for unconventional oil and gas recovery,” Journal of Power Sources DOI: 10.1016/j.jpowsour.2015.10.093 302 (2016) 402-409.
  • S. Babiniec, S. Ricote, N.P. Sullivan, “Characterization of ionic transport through BaCe0.2Zr0.7Y0.1O3-d membranes in galvanic and electrolytic operation,” International Journal of Hydrogen Energy, 10.1016/j.ijhydene.2015.05.162 40 (2015) 9278-9286.
  • S. Babiniec, S. Ricote, N.P. Sullivan, “Infiltrated lanthanum nickelate cathodes for use with BaCe0.2Zr0.7Y0.1O3-δ proton conducting electrolytes,” Journal of the Electrochemical Society 161 : 6 (2014) F717-F723.
  • D.M. Murphy, M. Parker, N.P. Sullivan, “The interplay of heat transfer and endothermic chemistry within a ceramic microchannel reactor,” ASME Journal of Thermal Science and Engineering Applications, (2014) 6 031007 (2014) DOI: 10.1115/1.4026296.
  • N.P. Sullivan, R.J. Braun, B. Haun, M. Daubenspeck, G. Anyenya, J.V. Bonadies, B. Fischer, A. Wright, M. Wall, A. Forbes, M. Savage, “Geothermic Fuel Cells – An exciting new application of solid-oxide fuel cell technology,” Proceedings of the ASME 2014 12th Fuel Cell Science, Engineering & Technology Conference, Paper Number ES-FuelCell2014-6402, Boston, MA, USA, June 30 – July 2, 2014.
  • D.M. Murphy, J. Blasi, M. Parker, A. Manerbino, R.J. Kee, N.P.Sullivan, “Methane steam reforming in a novel ceramic microchannel reactor,” International Journal of Hydrogen Energy (2013) DOI: 10.1016/j.ijhydene.2013.05.014
  • A.E. Richards and N.P. Sullivan, “The interdependence of macro- and microstructure on internal-reforming performance in Ni-YSZ anode supports,” Fuel Cells: From Fundamentals to Applications (2013) DOI:10.1002/fuce.201200193.

View all publications on Google Scholar

Recent Courses

  • MEGN 501 – Advanced Engineering Measurements
  • MEGN 451 – Fluid Mechanics II
  • MEGN 351 – Fluid Mechanics I
  • MEGN 361 – Thermodynamics I
  • MEGN 569 – Fuel Cell Science and Technology