- Email: [email protected]
Nuvera reorganizes and relocates European operations
NEWS
Energy from ceramics at Astris AFC electrodes Fraunhofer IKTS pass 5000 h test
R
esearchers at the Fraunhofer Institute for Ceramic Technologies & Systems IKTS in Dresden, Germany are pursuing a completely new approach to fabricating micro fuel cells, producing them from a new type of ceramic film called LTCC (Low Temperature Co-fired Ceramic). The material has been in use in the semiconductor chip industry for some time as a substrate for microelectronic components. The bugbear of laptop or notebook computer technology has always been the power supply. Yet while computer developers have heralded micro fuel cells as the solution to the tiresome problem of mobile power supplies, there is still not a single affordable miniaturized fuel cell available for everyday use. One reason for this situation, believes Dr Michael Stelter of the Fraunhofer IKTS, is that the tiny power sources are put together from hundreds of filigree parts: ‘That makes them complicated to develop and expensive to manufacture.’ The IKTS researchers have successfully developed cost-effective ways of integrating additional ‘non-electronic functional elements’ into the ceramics. Their task is facilitated by a special feature of the material: structures can be applied not only to the surface of the ceramic, but also to the inside. The micro fuel cells are criss-crossed with tiny channels that transport hydrogen or fluids. These are simple and cheap to produce, says Stelter. ‘We can produce a fuel cell out of LTCC in one go. Not only is the process economical – it is reliable as well.’ A further advantage is that the LTCC fuel cell can run on various types of fuel – mainly hydrogen and methanol, but also less conventional fuels such as formic acid. ‘Formic acid is an excellent power source, but it corrodes ordinary fuel cell materials,’ explains Stelter. The ceramic material, in contrast, is resistant to the acid. The IKTS researchers are pressing ahead with the new generation of micro fuel cells in collaboration with several German industrial enterprises. They are already using the LTCC technology to manufacture other products that will make their market debut much sooner: tiny pressure sensors with integrated electronics, for instance, or microtiter plates for use in biochemical assays.
Contact: Dr Michael Stelter, Fraunhofer-Institut für Keramische Technologien und Systeme IKTS, Dresden, Germany. Tel: +49 351 2553 648, Email: michael. [email protected], www.ikts.fraunhofer.de
8
Fuel Cells Bulletin
O
ntario-based Astris Energi reports that its electrode improvement program, which aims to extend the useful life of its alkaline fuel cells, is bearing positive results. Several tested samples exceeded 5000 h of operation under full load, without noticeable performance degradation. In fact, the performance of these new electrodes slightly improved during the initial 1000 h period and then stabilized near the initial value. Astris says that this kind of performance differentiates its electrodes from conventional platinum catalyzed electrodes that typically show slight but continuous degradation throughout their service life [FCB, August]. The company does not use costly platinum catalyst in its fuel cells. Although platinum is a very effective catalyst, it is expensive, and was eliminated primarily for economic reasons. The initial performance sacrifice has been partially regained over the past decade through improvements in engineering. The fuel cell generators and golf cart engines that are currently available are rated for a 2000 h operational life. For comparison purposes, 2000 operating hours in a passenger car is the equivalent of driving more than 160 000 km (100 000 miles) at an average speed of about 80 km/h (50 mph). Although many smaller applications involving, for example, lawnmowers or portable generators, can be satisfied with a shorter operational life, Astris believes that extended product life will open doors to many new markets. Contact: Astris Energi Inc, Mississauga, Ontario, Canada. Tel: +1 905 608 2000, www.astris.ca
NIST imaging instrument peers inside fuel cells
S
cientists are now able to closely observe the movement of water inside hydrogen fuel cells using an imaging instrument at the US National Institute of Standards and Technology. With a visualization power 10 times better than has been achieved before, researchers can ‘see’ water production and removal in fuel cells under a range of simulated operating conditions at high and low temperatures. ‘This as-it-happens, inside view is essential because a fuel cell’s performance depends on a delicate balance,’ explains NIST physicist Muhammad Arif, who leads the NIST team
that developed the instrument. ‘Too little or too much water can shut it down.’ Better water management is fundamental to meeting targets for fuel cell performance, reliability and durability. Reaching these targets, in turn, is integral to efforts to replace petroleum with hydrogen to power cars and trucks by 2020 – the goal of President Bush’s Hydrogen Fuel Initiative. Water is the by-product of the electrochemical process in fuel cells. Using the newly commissioned neutron imaging facility, water quantities smaller than 1 µg are revealed, and details as small as 0.02 mm can be discerned in images. Even better spatial resolution is expected. Outputs are akin to computerized axial tomography (CAT) scans and movies. Images are recorded at a rate of up to 30 frames per second, or 30 times faster than the first-generation instrument that NIST built to demonstrate the usefulness of neutron imaging for fuel cell research. Located at NIST’s Center for Neutron Research, the research station is operated as a national user facility, open to scientists from industry, universities and government agencies. It is jointly funded by NIST, the US Department of Energy and General Motors. Contact: Dr Muhammad Arif, NIST Center for Neutron Research, National Institute of Standards and Technology, Gaithersburg, Maryland, USA. Tel: +1 301 975 6303, Email: [email protected], www.ncnr.nist.gov
Nuvera reorganizes and relocates European operations
I
n Italy, Nuvera Fuel Cells’ European subsidiary, Nuvera Fuel Cells Europe Srl, is reorganizing and relocating its operations. The company says that the change is another step towards the commercialization of fuel cell products. The firm’s laboratory in Osio Sotto, Bergamo will be expanded to include development of the Forza™ hydrogen high-power system, along with durability and reliability testing of PowerFlow™ hydrogen fuel-cell engines. It will also house prototype building and testing facilities for advanced systems. Forza hydrogen high-power system design and engineering, application and service engineering, quality and supply-chain management, marketing, sales and administration will be moved to new offices in San Donato Milanese, during November. The assembly and testing of the XDS-900 fuel cell stacks are being transferred to the US where, during June 2007, all of the industrial
October 2006
NEWS application activities will be consolidated in a new facility located in Billerica, Massachusetts. In addition, all activities that relate to the design, research and development of advanced stacks will also move to the US over the coming months. This will make better use of the infrastructure that will be available in Billerica. ‘These actions are the evidence of Nuvera’s commitment to bringing its first products to market and to its customers and suppliers,’ says Roberto Cordaro, president/CEO of Nuvera Fuel Cells. ‘We are substantially increasing the focus on downstream activities to assure a quality introduction of our products in 2006 and 2007. We also want to assure our customers and partners in Europe that we are dedicated to improving our processes and infrastructure in order to provide them with optimal support and superior products.’ Contact: Nuvera Fuel Cells, Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA. Tel: +1 617 245 7500, www.nuvera.com
IdaTech contract to develop 3 kW generator for US Army
T
he US Army’s CommunicationsElectronics Research Development Center (CERDEC) has awarded Oregonbased IdaTech a contract worth more than $3m for the development of a tactical fuel-cell generator. This contract covers the development of a portable PEM fuel cell system, with an output of at least 3 kW, to provide reliable, nearlysilent power generation for soldiers – for use in training as well as in the field. IdaTech says the development of fuel cell systems is a priority for the Army because diesel generators are currently used on the battlefield, and the military is eager to employ a quiet power-generating system with a reduced lifecycle cost and high reliability. The IdaTech system will incorporate an onboard fuel reformer to convert military fuel (JP-8) and diesel into high-purity hydrogen to produce power. JP-8 and diesel are among the most difficult fuels to use, and have historically represented a barrier to broader deployment of portable fuel cell systems for military applications. ‘As one of the few companies in the world able to reform difficult fuels such as JP-8 and diesel, a successful completion of this CERDEC contract could open the door to a number of substantial applications in the commercial diesel generator markets, in addition to the significant military opportunities,’ comments Claude Duss, president/CEO of IdaTech.
October 2006
‘IdaTech’s reformation and sulfur management technologies were important for CERDEC in selecting the fuel cell developer for this project,’ adds Beth Bostic, CERDEC fuel cell team leader. Contact: IdaTech LLC, Bend, Oregon, USA. Tel: +1 541 383 3390, www.idatech.com Or contact: Elizabeth Bostic, Fuel Cell Team Leader, US Army CERDEC, Fort Belvoir, Virginia, USA. Tel: +1 703 704 1027, Email: [email protected]
QuestAir hydrogen purifier for SunLine
C
anadian-based QuestAir Technologies reports that one of its H-3200 hydrogen purifiers has been installed at a hydrogen fueling station operated by SunLine Transit Agency in Thousand Palms, California. QuestAir’s H-3200 is incorporated into a commercial on-site hydrogen generator supplied by Chicago-based HyRadix, a leading provider of on-site hydrogen generation systems and supply solutions [FCB, August]. HyRadix’s commercial Adéo™ hydrogen fuel generator replaces a prototype Adéo™ system that has operated at the SunLine Transit hydrogen station since 2004. The new hydrogen generator provides hydrogen fuel for SunLine’s current hydrogen-powered vehicles, as well as supporting SunLine’s plans for future expansion of its hydrogen bus fleet. The H-3200 unit was supplied under the terms of a supply agreement with HyRadix announced in June 2005 [FCB, August 2005]. QuestAir has had a long association with the SunLine Transit hydrogen station, having supplied a hydrogen purifier to an earlier hydrogen generator installed at the station in 1998. ‘We are extremely pleased with the successful start-up of the H-3200 as part of HyRadix’s Adéo™ hydrogen generator,’ says Jonathan Wilkinson, president/CEO of QuestAir. ‘The system performance has fully met expectations since installation, producing high-purity hydrogen that meets the demanding purity specifications of the major fuel cell vehicle manufacturers.’ QuestAir’s H-3200 purifies hydrogen-containing gas streams to high-purity hydrogen for use in industrial processes, on-site hydrogen plants and hydrogen fueling stations. The system’s optimized pressure swing adsorption (PSA) process and proprietary rotary valve technology are claimed to deliver higher efficiency than conventional PSA systems in a more compact, cost-effective package. Since the product launch in 2003, QuestAir has sold more than 30 H-3200 systems to customers in Europe, Japan and North America.
Contact: QuestAir Technologies Inc, Burnaby, BC, Canada. Tel: +1 604 454 1134, www.questairinc.com Or contact: HyRadix Inc, Des Plaines, Illinois, USA. Tel: +1 847 391 1200, www.HyRadix.com Or contact: SunLine Services Group, Thousand Palms, California, USA. Tel: +1 760 343 3456, www.sunline.org
Hydrogen fuel cells power Georgia Tech UAV
R
esearchers at the Georgia Institute of Technology in the US have conducted successful test flights of a hydrogenpowered unmanned aircraft, believed to be the largest to fly on a PEM fuel cell using compressed hydrogen. The fuel-cell system that powers the 6.7 m (22 ft) wingspan aircraft generates only 500 W. ‘That raises a lot of eyebrows,’ says Adam Broughton, a research engineer working on the project in Georgia Tech’s Aerospace Systems Design Laboratory (ASDL). ‘Five hundred watts is plenty of power for a light bulb, but not for the propulsion system of an aircraft this size.’ (Indeed, 500 W represents about 1% of the power of a hybrid car such as the Toyota Prius.) The project is a collaboration between ASDL and the Georgia Tech Research Institute (GTRI), and was spearheaded by David Parekh, GTRI’s deputy director and founder of Georgia Tech’s Center for Innovative Fuel Cell and Battery Technologies. Parekh wanted to develop a vehicle that would both advance fuel cell technology and galvanize industry interest. He says that although the automotive industry has made strides with fuel cells, apart from spacecraft, little has been done to use fuel cell technology in aerospace applications. ‘A fuel cell aircraft is more compelling than just a laboratory demonstration, or even a fuel cell system powering a house,’ he explains. ‘It is also more demanding. With an aeroplane, you really push the limits for durability, robustness, power density and efficiency.’ Although fuel cells do not produce enough power for a propulsion system that could be used in commercial passenger aircraft, they could power smaller, slower vehicles, such as unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) and provide a low-cost alternative to satellites. UAVs also could be used to track hurricanes, patrol borders and conduct general reconnaissance. Fuel-cell powered UAVs have several advantages over conventional UAVs, notes Tom Bradley, a doctoral student in Georgia Tech’s School of Mechanical Engineering, who developed the fuel cell propulsion system. Fuel cells emit no pollution, and unlike conventional UAVs, do not require separate generators to produce electricity
Fuel Cells Bulletin
9
Energy from ceramics at Astris AFC electrodes Fraunhofer IKTS pass 5000 h test
R
esearchers at the Fraunhofer Institute for Ceramic Technologies & Systems IKTS in Dresden, Germany are pursuing a completely new approach to fabricating micro fuel cells, producing them from a new type of ceramic film called LTCC (Low Temperature Co-fired Ceramic). The material has been in use in the semiconductor chip industry for some time as a substrate for microelectronic components. The bugbear of laptop or notebook computer technology has always been the power supply. Yet while computer developers have heralded micro fuel cells as the solution to the tiresome problem of mobile power supplies, there is still not a single affordable miniaturized fuel cell available for everyday use. One reason for this situation, believes Dr Michael Stelter of the Fraunhofer IKTS, is that the tiny power sources are put together from hundreds of filigree parts: ‘That makes them complicated to develop and expensive to manufacture.’ The IKTS researchers have successfully developed cost-effective ways of integrating additional ‘non-electronic functional elements’ into the ceramics. Their task is facilitated by a special feature of the material: structures can be applied not only to the surface of the ceramic, but also to the inside. The micro fuel cells are criss-crossed with tiny channels that transport hydrogen or fluids. These are simple and cheap to produce, says Stelter. ‘We can produce a fuel cell out of LTCC in one go. Not only is the process economical – it is reliable as well.’ A further advantage is that the LTCC fuel cell can run on various types of fuel – mainly hydrogen and methanol, but also less conventional fuels such as formic acid. ‘Formic acid is an excellent power source, but it corrodes ordinary fuel cell materials,’ explains Stelter. The ceramic material, in contrast, is resistant to the acid. The IKTS researchers are pressing ahead with the new generation of micro fuel cells in collaboration with several German industrial enterprises. They are already using the LTCC technology to manufacture other products that will make their market debut much sooner: tiny pressure sensors with integrated electronics, for instance, or microtiter plates for use in biochemical assays.
Contact: Dr Michael Stelter, Fraunhofer-Institut für Keramische Technologien und Systeme IKTS, Dresden, Germany. Tel: +49 351 2553 648, Email: michael. [email protected], www.ikts.fraunhofer.de
8
Fuel Cells Bulletin
O
ntario-based Astris Energi reports that its electrode improvement program, which aims to extend the useful life of its alkaline fuel cells, is bearing positive results. Several tested samples exceeded 5000 h of operation under full load, without noticeable performance degradation. In fact, the performance of these new electrodes slightly improved during the initial 1000 h period and then stabilized near the initial value. Astris says that this kind of performance differentiates its electrodes from conventional platinum catalyzed electrodes that typically show slight but continuous degradation throughout their service life [FCB, August]. The company does not use costly platinum catalyst in its fuel cells. Although platinum is a very effective catalyst, it is expensive, and was eliminated primarily for economic reasons. The initial performance sacrifice has been partially regained over the past decade through improvements in engineering. The fuel cell generators and golf cart engines that are currently available are rated for a 2000 h operational life. For comparison purposes, 2000 operating hours in a passenger car is the equivalent of driving more than 160 000 km (100 000 miles) at an average speed of about 80 km/h (50 mph). Although many smaller applications involving, for example, lawnmowers or portable generators, can be satisfied with a shorter operational life, Astris believes that extended product life will open doors to many new markets. Contact: Astris Energi Inc, Mississauga, Ontario, Canada. Tel: +1 905 608 2000, www.astris.ca
NIST imaging instrument peers inside fuel cells
S
cientists are now able to closely observe the movement of water inside hydrogen fuel cells using an imaging instrument at the US National Institute of Standards and Technology. With a visualization power 10 times better than has been achieved before, researchers can ‘see’ water production and removal in fuel cells under a range of simulated operating conditions at high and low temperatures. ‘This as-it-happens, inside view is essential because a fuel cell’s performance depends on a delicate balance,’ explains NIST physicist Muhammad Arif, who leads the NIST team
that developed the instrument. ‘Too little or too much water can shut it down.’ Better water management is fundamental to meeting targets for fuel cell performance, reliability and durability. Reaching these targets, in turn, is integral to efforts to replace petroleum with hydrogen to power cars and trucks by 2020 – the goal of President Bush’s Hydrogen Fuel Initiative. Water is the by-product of the electrochemical process in fuel cells. Using the newly commissioned neutron imaging facility, water quantities smaller than 1 µg are revealed, and details as small as 0.02 mm can be discerned in images. Even better spatial resolution is expected. Outputs are akin to computerized axial tomography (CAT) scans and movies. Images are recorded at a rate of up to 30 frames per second, or 30 times faster than the first-generation instrument that NIST built to demonstrate the usefulness of neutron imaging for fuel cell research. Located at NIST’s Center for Neutron Research, the research station is operated as a national user facility, open to scientists from industry, universities and government agencies. It is jointly funded by NIST, the US Department of Energy and General Motors. Contact: Dr Muhammad Arif, NIST Center for Neutron Research, National Institute of Standards and Technology, Gaithersburg, Maryland, USA. Tel: +1 301 975 6303, Email: [email protected], www.ncnr.nist.gov
Nuvera reorganizes and relocates European operations
I
n Italy, Nuvera Fuel Cells’ European subsidiary, Nuvera Fuel Cells Europe Srl, is reorganizing and relocating its operations. The company says that the change is another step towards the commercialization of fuel cell products. The firm’s laboratory in Osio Sotto, Bergamo will be expanded to include development of the Forza™ hydrogen high-power system, along with durability and reliability testing of PowerFlow™ hydrogen fuel-cell engines. It will also house prototype building and testing facilities for advanced systems. Forza hydrogen high-power system design and engineering, application and service engineering, quality and supply-chain management, marketing, sales and administration will be moved to new offices in San Donato Milanese, during November. The assembly and testing of the XDS-900 fuel cell stacks are being transferred to the US where, during June 2007, all of the industrial
October 2006
NEWS application activities will be consolidated in a new facility located in Billerica, Massachusetts. In addition, all activities that relate to the design, research and development of advanced stacks will also move to the US over the coming months. This will make better use of the infrastructure that will be available in Billerica. ‘These actions are the evidence of Nuvera’s commitment to bringing its first products to market and to its customers and suppliers,’ says Roberto Cordaro, president/CEO of Nuvera Fuel Cells. ‘We are substantially increasing the focus on downstream activities to assure a quality introduction of our products in 2006 and 2007. We also want to assure our customers and partners in Europe that we are dedicated to improving our processes and infrastructure in order to provide them with optimal support and superior products.’ Contact: Nuvera Fuel Cells, Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA. Tel: +1 617 245 7500, www.nuvera.com
IdaTech contract to develop 3 kW generator for US Army
T
he US Army’s CommunicationsElectronics Research Development Center (CERDEC) has awarded Oregonbased IdaTech a contract worth more than $3m for the development of a tactical fuel-cell generator. This contract covers the development of a portable PEM fuel cell system, with an output of at least 3 kW, to provide reliable, nearlysilent power generation for soldiers – for use in training as well as in the field. IdaTech says the development of fuel cell systems is a priority for the Army because diesel generators are currently used on the battlefield, and the military is eager to employ a quiet power-generating system with a reduced lifecycle cost and high reliability. The IdaTech system will incorporate an onboard fuel reformer to convert military fuel (JP-8) and diesel into high-purity hydrogen to produce power. JP-8 and diesel are among the most difficult fuels to use, and have historically represented a barrier to broader deployment of portable fuel cell systems for military applications. ‘As one of the few companies in the world able to reform difficult fuels such as JP-8 and diesel, a successful completion of this CERDEC contract could open the door to a number of substantial applications in the commercial diesel generator markets, in addition to the significant military opportunities,’ comments Claude Duss, president/CEO of IdaTech.
October 2006
‘IdaTech’s reformation and sulfur management technologies were important for CERDEC in selecting the fuel cell developer for this project,’ adds Beth Bostic, CERDEC fuel cell team leader. Contact: IdaTech LLC, Bend, Oregon, USA. Tel: +1 541 383 3390, www.idatech.com Or contact: Elizabeth Bostic, Fuel Cell Team Leader, US Army CERDEC, Fort Belvoir, Virginia, USA. Tel: +1 703 704 1027, Email: [email protected]
QuestAir hydrogen purifier for SunLine
C
anadian-based QuestAir Technologies reports that one of its H-3200 hydrogen purifiers has been installed at a hydrogen fueling station operated by SunLine Transit Agency in Thousand Palms, California. QuestAir’s H-3200 is incorporated into a commercial on-site hydrogen generator supplied by Chicago-based HyRadix, a leading provider of on-site hydrogen generation systems and supply solutions [FCB, August]. HyRadix’s commercial Adéo™ hydrogen fuel generator replaces a prototype Adéo™ system that has operated at the SunLine Transit hydrogen station since 2004. The new hydrogen generator provides hydrogen fuel for SunLine’s current hydrogen-powered vehicles, as well as supporting SunLine’s plans for future expansion of its hydrogen bus fleet. The H-3200 unit was supplied under the terms of a supply agreement with HyRadix announced in June 2005 [FCB, August 2005]. QuestAir has had a long association with the SunLine Transit hydrogen station, having supplied a hydrogen purifier to an earlier hydrogen generator installed at the station in 1998. ‘We are extremely pleased with the successful start-up of the H-3200 as part of HyRadix’s Adéo™ hydrogen generator,’ says Jonathan Wilkinson, president/CEO of QuestAir. ‘The system performance has fully met expectations since installation, producing high-purity hydrogen that meets the demanding purity specifications of the major fuel cell vehicle manufacturers.’ QuestAir’s H-3200 purifies hydrogen-containing gas streams to high-purity hydrogen for use in industrial processes, on-site hydrogen plants and hydrogen fueling stations. The system’s optimized pressure swing adsorption (PSA) process and proprietary rotary valve technology are claimed to deliver higher efficiency than conventional PSA systems in a more compact, cost-effective package. Since the product launch in 2003, QuestAir has sold more than 30 H-3200 systems to customers in Europe, Japan and North America.
Contact: QuestAir Technologies Inc, Burnaby, BC, Canada. Tel: +1 604 454 1134, www.questairinc.com Or contact: HyRadix Inc, Des Plaines, Illinois, USA. Tel: +1 847 391 1200, www.HyRadix.com Or contact: SunLine Services Group, Thousand Palms, California, USA. Tel: +1 760 343 3456, www.sunline.org
Hydrogen fuel cells power Georgia Tech UAV
R
esearchers at the Georgia Institute of Technology in the US have conducted successful test flights of a hydrogenpowered unmanned aircraft, believed to be the largest to fly on a PEM fuel cell using compressed hydrogen. The fuel-cell system that powers the 6.7 m (22 ft) wingspan aircraft generates only 500 W. ‘That raises a lot of eyebrows,’ says Adam Broughton, a research engineer working on the project in Georgia Tech’s Aerospace Systems Design Laboratory (ASDL). ‘Five hundred watts is plenty of power for a light bulb, but not for the propulsion system of an aircraft this size.’ (Indeed, 500 W represents about 1% of the power of a hybrid car such as the Toyota Prius.) The project is a collaboration between ASDL and the Georgia Tech Research Institute (GTRI), and was spearheaded by David Parekh, GTRI’s deputy director and founder of Georgia Tech’s Center for Innovative Fuel Cell and Battery Technologies. Parekh wanted to develop a vehicle that would both advance fuel cell technology and galvanize industry interest. He says that although the automotive industry has made strides with fuel cells, apart from spacecraft, little has been done to use fuel cell technology in aerospace applications. ‘A fuel cell aircraft is more compelling than just a laboratory demonstration, or even a fuel cell system powering a house,’ he explains. ‘It is also more demanding. With an aeroplane, you really push the limits for durability, robustness, power density and efficiency.’ Although fuel cells do not produce enough power for a propulsion system that could be used in commercial passenger aircraft, they could power smaller, slower vehicles, such as unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) and provide a low-cost alternative to satellites. UAVs also could be used to track hurricanes, patrol borders and conduct general reconnaissance. Fuel-cell powered UAVs have several advantages over conventional UAVs, notes Tom Bradley, a doctoral student in Georgia Tech’s School of Mechanical Engineering, who developed the fuel cell propulsion system. Fuel cells emit no pollution, and unlike conventional UAVs, do not require separate generators to produce electricity
Fuel Cells Bulletin
9