- Email: [email protected]
Akermin wins DMFC contract with US Army
NEWS The firm has also released details of its prototype fuel cell and hybrid power system, featuring its five-cell, 5 W stack. The fuel cell maintains the charge on the batteries, which supply power to a variable load. The fuel cell subsystems include the methanol and electrolyte recirculation and control systems, and a secondary fuel cell that removes methanol from the recirculating electrolyte. Also included is an advanced system control and data acquisition (SCADA) system designed exclusively for SymPowerco’s fuel cell program. The company and Carleton University are also completing their 2008/2009 development plans for the FE DMFC. Chief among the research initiatives are scalability studies to determine the engineering and development path to 50 and 500 W versions. These studies will include extensive operational testing of the 5 W hybrid power system using a wide array of operational and structural variables, as well as related advanced materials engineering studies. In other news, SymPowerco is negotiating the expansion of its business relationship with its partner, Hybrid Energy Technologies Inc (HET). SymPowerco and HET jointly own Polygenic Power Systems Inc (PPSI) of Toronto, which manages all aspects of SymPowerco’s FE DMFC program including in-house and institutional R&D, grant applications, and management of the multiple projects associated with the program. In addition, PPSI will be responsible for the marketing of the fuel cell, fuel cell hybrid power systems and all related technologies. HET owns the exclusive rights to a unique flat-plate rechargeable battery technology, for which SymPowerco has the exclusive rights to use in DMFC-based hybrid power systems. Contact: SymPowerco Corporation, North Las Vegas, Nevada, USA. Tel: +1 702 968 9944, www.sympowercocorp.com
DMFCC collaborates with PolyFuel, receives Lynntech cartridge order
I
n California, Pasadena-based Direct Methanol Fuel Cell Corporation is collaborating with PolyFuel in Mountain View on the development of fuel delivery technology. DMFCC reports that it has also been contracted to design and develop formic acid fuel cell cartridges for Texas-based Lynntech. DMFCC has received a purchase order from PolyFuel, which specializes in engineered membranes, to assist with the design of disposable methanol fuel cartridges. The companies will work together on the design of a fuel cartridge
August 2008
for micro fuel cells that use PolyFuel’s highperformance, hydrocarbon membrane material. PolyFuel says that leading Japanese and Korean consumer electronics companies rank its material as the best portable fuel cell membrane currently available. It has also developed DMFC stack and system technology, which it will share with its membrane customers as reference designs. In other news, DMFCC has received an order from Lynntech of College Station, Texas to design and produce formic acid fuel cell cartridges. DMFCC’s design team will design the fuel cell cartridge, pouch and valve for a formic acid fuel cell, which will involve selecting and testing new materials suited to formic acid. This work is under a US Army development contract, in which the Army plans to use Lynntech’s fuel cell combined with technology developed at Vanderbilt University in Tennessee to create a fuel cell power supply with minimal moving parts and support structure. The Army hopes that this combination will lead to a lightweight, rugged, reliable power supply suitable for use with either disposable cartridges or bulk fuel. ‘Formic acid is also one of the liquids covered by our extensive license on fuel cell patents from Caltech, and it is also one of the types of fuel cell technology recently approved by the US Department of Transportation for crew and passengers to carry on board commercial aircraft,’ notes Carl Kukkonen, CEO of both DMFCC and its parent company, Viaspace Inc. Contact: Direct Methanol Fuel Cell Corporation, Pasadena, California, USA. Tel: +1 626 768 3375, www.dmfcc.com or www.viaspace.com Or contact: PolyFuel Inc, Mountain View, California, USA. Tel: +1 650 429 4700, www.polyfuel.com
Akermin wins DMFC contract with US Army
M
issouri-based Akermin Inc has signed a one-year, $1m contract with the US Army to develop prototype alcohol-powered fuel cells that will power ground sensors that transmit data to military bases from war zones, borders and other sensitive locations. Akermin is developing a fully functioning biofuel cell operating on methanol, using stabilized laccase to replace the metal catalyst in the cathode. It uses enzymes to trigger a chemical reaction and produce electricity, along with a proprietary polymer membrane that makes this process sustainable over a long time period. In the Army’s sensor devices, the fuel cell should provide nearly four times as much runtime as lithium batteries, believes Akers.
IN BRIEF Siemens to sell off SOFC business Siemens Power Generation is putting its Pennsylvania-based solid oxide fuel cell unit up for sale, because the business in Churchill is unable to hit Siemens’ profit targets, according to the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review. Siemens acquired the operation, which employs about 130 people, from the former Westinghouse Electric in 1998 [FCB, October 1998]. In a statement, Siemens said the business is ‘not a core competency for its energy business.’ The company has invested in developing the technology over many years, but now finds the time-frame to bring it to commercialization does not fit its mandate to reach ‘target profit ranges by 2010.’ Siemens Power Generation says it hopes to find a buyer able to ‘bring the technology to its full commercialization.’ The sale marks Siemens’ second retreat from fuel cells in the region. In 2004 the company dropped plans to develop an SOFC manufacturing plant in the Pittsburgh suburb of Munhall [FCB, March 2004]. Shell Eco-marathon winners use Heliocentris The winner in the hydrogen fuel cell class of this year’s Shell Eco-marathon race was equipped with fuel cells supplied by Germanbased Heliocentris Fuel Cells. Competitors design and build a vehicle that uses the least amount of fuel to travel the farthest distance. Heliocentris (www.heliocentris.com) supplied the Nexa Power Module from Ballard and its own NP50 fuel cell power system. A team from the University of Applied Sciences of Offenburg in Germany came first in the hydrogen fuel cell category. The prototype vehicle, called ‘Schluckspecht’, achieved a competition best distance of 3198 km per the hydrogen equivalent of a liter of Shell Super gasoline. Nisshinbo ups separator production by 30% Tokyo-based Nisshinbo Industries aims to increase production of fuel cell separators by 30% this fall, to 100 000 units per month, to keep pace with growing demand from fuel cell manufacturers, according to a Nikkei Business Daily report. Since 2002, the firm has boosted production at its Miai plant in Okazaki, and currently makes 70 000–80 000 units per month. Continued demand growth prompted the move to full production at there; with more growth anticipated, Nisshinbo is also looking for a location in the Kanto area for a new production site. Nisshinbo (www.nisshinbo.co.jp) makes thin, strong molded carbon separators for PEM fuel cells, and has the biggest market share in separators for residential fuel cells in Japan. The firm is now also developing next-generation separators for automotive fuel cells, working with automakers to develop feasible carbon separators.
Fuel Cells Bulletin
5
NEWS ‘Sensor networks are deployed all over the world, for Homeland Security applications, for military applications,’ says Beth Ferry, fuel cell team leader with the US Army’s CommunicationsElectronics Research Development and Engineering Center (CERDEC), in a report in the St Louis Post-Dispatch. ‘You name it, there’s probably a sensor that’s monitoring it.’ Today, the Army’s unattended ground sensors are powered by high-performance lithium batteries, but these run out relatively quickly. Changing the battery puts soldiers at risk when they are making the switch in a war zone. And regular servicing makes the sensors’ location obvious. Akermin’s task over the next 12 months is to make its fuel cell more rugged so that it can withstand extreme temperatures, shock, vibration and environmental conditions, such as sand. Once the prototype is delivered, Army engineers will test it in the lab and then in the field to confirm that it works as specified. If it passes these checks, the firm will probably be granted a further contract to develop a production system. Contact: Akermin Inc, St Louis, Missouri, USA. Tel: +1 314 812 8150, www.akermin.com
UltraCell receives more funding from US Army
C
alifornia-based UltraCell, a producer of reformed methanol fuel cells (RMFCs) for mobile power applications, has received a follow-on contract award, jointly funded through the US Army Communications-Electronics Research, Development and Engineering Center (CERDEC) Army Power Division and the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (Darpa). The award will accelerate further development and fieldtesting of the firm’s next-generation 25 W RMFC, the XX25. CEO Keith Scott says that the new contract will drive advanced system design and provide units for further military field demonstrations and field-testing, with the aim of broadening fuel cell usage throughout the US military. The company will continue to supply the XX25 for both military and non-military applications. UltraCell’s patented RMFC system generates hydrogen internally from a highly concentrated methanol solution. Claimed to be the first commercial fuel cell system to be authorized by the US military for power portable devices, the XX25 is designed to run a ruggedized laptop computer for up to 8 h on a single 250 ml fuel cartridge. The system can also be configured for use with a relatively large fuel tank for stationary 6
Fuel Cells Bulletin
applications, enabling it to operate for weeks at a time powering remote video monitoring, surveillance and communications equipment. The firm’s XX25 has achieved Technology Readiness Level (TRL) 7 status, a significant US Army milestone, and certification for military use and commercial production. Contact: UltraCell Corporation, Livermore, California, USA. Tel: +1 925 455 9400, www.ultracellpower.com
Protonex top-up for Pulse M250 program
M
assachusetts-based Protonex Technology has received $350 000 in additional funds on its previously announced $3.65 million contract award from the US Army Research Office (ARO), to develop the next generation of its Pulse™ M250 military power system [FCB, June 2008]. The additional monies will fund ruggedization and military testing activities, including Raytheon’s continued participation in design optimization, safety assessment and testing of the Pulse systems. The Pulse M250 is a 250 W fuel cell power system designed for a diverse set of portable military applications, including field batterycharging, auxiliary power units and portable power generation. The system operates on liquid methanol fuel, and provides the US military with a power source that is significantly smaller, lighter, quieter and more efficient than alternative battery or generator systems. Protonex develops and manufactures compact, lightweight and high-performance fuel cell systems for portable power applications in the 10 W to 1 kW range. Its systems are designed to meet the needs of military and OEM customers by providing customizable, stand-alone portable power solutions and systems that may be hybridized with existing power technologies.
Contact: Protonex Technology Corporation, Southborough, Massachusetts, USA. Tel: +1 508 490 9960, www.protonex.com
Medis demos power pack, wraps financing
U
S-based Medis Technologies used the recent Hewlett-Packard Technology Forum in Las Vegas to demonstrate a fuel cell power pack for a variety of HP handheld mobile products. The fuel cell developer, which is based
in New York but with R&D facilities in Israel, has also completed its previously announced equity financing. The Medis 24/7 Power Pack utilizes a fuel cell to continuously provide power to keep handheld products charged, even when no power outlet is available. The product is based on the company’s proprietary Direct Liquid Fuel Cell (DLFC) technology, for which the underlying chemistry is a direct liquid borohydride technology rather than methanol or hydrogen. Meanwhile, Medis says that it has completed its previously announced $29 million equity financing to selected institutional investors. Contact: Medis Technologies Ltd, New York, NY, USA. Tel: +1 212 935 8484, www.medistechnologies.com
CEA, STMicroelectronics unveil prototype fuel cell for handsets
T
he French Atomic Energy Agency (CEA) and STMicroelectronics in Switzerland have collaborated to develop a prototype hydrogen fuel cell for cell phones, that is intended for offer a fivefold increase in the runtime of portable electronic devices. All the PEM fuel cell structures are built on a silicon substrate using microelectronics processes. The miniaturized fuel cell is made using microfluidic structures etched into the back surface of silicon, with a reaction interface at the silicon surface. The silicon is paired with a hydrogen cartridge the size of a small cigarette lighter. The final product is due to be commercialized by the end of 2009 or early 2010, in the form of an external charger or battery-extender, according to an EETimes.com report. Didier Marsacq, director of CEA-Liten, the agency’s Laboratory for Innovation in New Energy Technologies and Nanomaterials, says that the hydrogen-based fuel cell core unit (FCCU) used in CEA’s energy source was developed jointly by CEA-Liten and ST, while the energy management unit (EMU) came from ST. The fuel cartridge was developed by French-based Bic. The CEA-Liten design stores sodium borohydride (NaBH4) in powder form in a small cartridge that also contains water. Projecting the liquid onto the powder initiates hydrolysis, yielding an energy density of 500 Wh/l. The energy is available on demand via electronic control of the chemical reaction. The system can recharge a cell phone battery up to five times before the disposable storage cartridge is spent, say the researchers. The system produces a small amount of water as a reaction by-product, which cools the system
August 2008
DMFCC collaborates with PolyFuel, receives Lynntech cartridge order
I
n California, Pasadena-based Direct Methanol Fuel Cell Corporation is collaborating with PolyFuel in Mountain View on the development of fuel delivery technology. DMFCC reports that it has also been contracted to design and develop formic acid fuel cell cartridges for Texas-based Lynntech. DMFCC has received a purchase order from PolyFuel, which specializes in engineered membranes, to assist with the design of disposable methanol fuel cartridges. The companies will work together on the design of a fuel cartridge
August 2008
for micro fuel cells that use PolyFuel’s highperformance, hydrocarbon membrane material. PolyFuel says that leading Japanese and Korean consumer electronics companies rank its material as the best portable fuel cell membrane currently available. It has also developed DMFC stack and system technology, which it will share with its membrane customers as reference designs. In other news, DMFCC has received an order from Lynntech of College Station, Texas to design and produce formic acid fuel cell cartridges. DMFCC’s design team will design the fuel cell cartridge, pouch and valve for a formic acid fuel cell, which will involve selecting and testing new materials suited to formic acid. This work is under a US Army development contract, in which the Army plans to use Lynntech’s fuel cell combined with technology developed at Vanderbilt University in Tennessee to create a fuel cell power supply with minimal moving parts and support structure. The Army hopes that this combination will lead to a lightweight, rugged, reliable power supply suitable for use with either disposable cartridges or bulk fuel. ‘Formic acid is also one of the liquids covered by our extensive license on fuel cell patents from Caltech, and it is also one of the types of fuel cell technology recently approved by the US Department of Transportation for crew and passengers to carry on board commercial aircraft,’ notes Carl Kukkonen, CEO of both DMFCC and its parent company, Viaspace Inc. Contact: Direct Methanol Fuel Cell Corporation, Pasadena, California, USA. Tel: +1 626 768 3375, www.dmfcc.com or www.viaspace.com Or contact: PolyFuel Inc, Mountain View, California, USA. Tel: +1 650 429 4700, www.polyfuel.com
Akermin wins DMFC contract with US Army
M
issouri-based Akermin Inc has signed a one-year, $1m contract with the US Army to develop prototype alcohol-powered fuel cells that will power ground sensors that transmit data to military bases from war zones, borders and other sensitive locations. Akermin is developing a fully functioning biofuel cell operating on methanol, using stabilized laccase to replace the metal catalyst in the cathode. It uses enzymes to trigger a chemical reaction and produce electricity, along with a proprietary polymer membrane that makes this process sustainable over a long time period. In the Army’s sensor devices, the fuel cell should provide nearly four times as much runtime as lithium batteries, believes Akers.
IN BRIEF Siemens to sell off SOFC business Siemens Power Generation is putting its Pennsylvania-based solid oxide fuel cell unit up for sale, because the business in Churchill is unable to hit Siemens’ profit targets, according to the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review. Siemens acquired the operation, which employs about 130 people, from the former Westinghouse Electric in 1998 [FCB, October 1998]. In a statement, Siemens said the business is ‘not a core competency for its energy business.’ The company has invested in developing the technology over many years, but now finds the time-frame to bring it to commercialization does not fit its mandate to reach ‘target profit ranges by 2010.’ Siemens Power Generation says it hopes to find a buyer able to ‘bring the technology to its full commercialization.’ The sale marks Siemens’ second retreat from fuel cells in the region. In 2004 the company dropped plans to develop an SOFC manufacturing plant in the Pittsburgh suburb of Munhall [FCB, March 2004]. Shell Eco-marathon winners use Heliocentris The winner in the hydrogen fuel cell class of this year’s Shell Eco-marathon race was equipped with fuel cells supplied by Germanbased Heliocentris Fuel Cells. Competitors design and build a vehicle that uses the least amount of fuel to travel the farthest distance. Heliocentris (www.heliocentris.com) supplied the Nexa Power Module from Ballard and its own NP50 fuel cell power system. A team from the University of Applied Sciences of Offenburg in Germany came first in the hydrogen fuel cell category. The prototype vehicle, called ‘Schluckspecht’, achieved a competition best distance of 3198 km per the hydrogen equivalent of a liter of Shell Super gasoline. Nisshinbo ups separator production by 30% Tokyo-based Nisshinbo Industries aims to increase production of fuel cell separators by 30% this fall, to 100 000 units per month, to keep pace with growing demand from fuel cell manufacturers, according to a Nikkei Business Daily report. Since 2002, the firm has boosted production at its Miai plant in Okazaki, and currently makes 70 000–80 000 units per month. Continued demand growth prompted the move to full production at there; with more growth anticipated, Nisshinbo is also looking for a location in the Kanto area for a new production site. Nisshinbo (www.nisshinbo.co.jp) makes thin, strong molded carbon separators for PEM fuel cells, and has the biggest market share in separators for residential fuel cells in Japan. The firm is now also developing next-generation separators for automotive fuel cells, working with automakers to develop feasible carbon separators.
Fuel Cells Bulletin
5
NEWS ‘Sensor networks are deployed all over the world, for Homeland Security applications, for military applications,’ says Beth Ferry, fuel cell team leader with the US Army’s CommunicationsElectronics Research Development and Engineering Center (CERDEC), in a report in the St Louis Post-Dispatch. ‘You name it, there’s probably a sensor that’s monitoring it.’ Today, the Army’s unattended ground sensors are powered by high-performance lithium batteries, but these run out relatively quickly. Changing the battery puts soldiers at risk when they are making the switch in a war zone. And regular servicing makes the sensors’ location obvious. Akermin’s task over the next 12 months is to make its fuel cell more rugged so that it can withstand extreme temperatures, shock, vibration and environmental conditions, such as sand. Once the prototype is delivered, Army engineers will test it in the lab and then in the field to confirm that it works as specified. If it passes these checks, the firm will probably be granted a further contract to develop a production system. Contact: Akermin Inc, St Louis, Missouri, USA. Tel: +1 314 812 8150, www.akermin.com
UltraCell receives more funding from US Army
C
alifornia-based UltraCell, a producer of reformed methanol fuel cells (RMFCs) for mobile power applications, has received a follow-on contract award, jointly funded through the US Army Communications-Electronics Research, Development and Engineering Center (CERDEC) Army Power Division and the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (Darpa). The award will accelerate further development and fieldtesting of the firm’s next-generation 25 W RMFC, the XX25. CEO Keith Scott says that the new contract will drive advanced system design and provide units for further military field demonstrations and field-testing, with the aim of broadening fuel cell usage throughout the US military. The company will continue to supply the XX25 for both military and non-military applications. UltraCell’s patented RMFC system generates hydrogen internally from a highly concentrated methanol solution. Claimed to be the first commercial fuel cell system to be authorized by the US military for power portable devices, the XX25 is designed to run a ruggedized laptop computer for up to 8 h on a single 250 ml fuel cartridge. The system can also be configured for use with a relatively large fuel tank for stationary 6
Fuel Cells Bulletin
applications, enabling it to operate for weeks at a time powering remote video monitoring, surveillance and communications equipment. The firm’s XX25 has achieved Technology Readiness Level (TRL) 7 status, a significant US Army milestone, and certification for military use and commercial production. Contact: UltraCell Corporation, Livermore, California, USA. Tel: +1 925 455 9400, www.ultracellpower.com
Protonex top-up for Pulse M250 program
M
assachusetts-based Protonex Technology has received $350 000 in additional funds on its previously announced $3.65 million contract award from the US Army Research Office (ARO), to develop the next generation of its Pulse™ M250 military power system [FCB, June 2008]. The additional monies will fund ruggedization and military testing activities, including Raytheon’s continued participation in design optimization, safety assessment and testing of the Pulse systems. The Pulse M250 is a 250 W fuel cell power system designed for a diverse set of portable military applications, including field batterycharging, auxiliary power units and portable power generation. The system operates on liquid methanol fuel, and provides the US military with a power source that is significantly smaller, lighter, quieter and more efficient than alternative battery or generator systems. Protonex develops and manufactures compact, lightweight and high-performance fuel cell systems for portable power applications in the 10 W to 1 kW range. Its systems are designed to meet the needs of military and OEM customers by providing customizable, stand-alone portable power solutions and systems that may be hybridized with existing power technologies.
Contact: Protonex Technology Corporation, Southborough, Massachusetts, USA. Tel: +1 508 490 9960, www.protonex.com
Medis demos power pack, wraps financing
U
S-based Medis Technologies used the recent Hewlett-Packard Technology Forum in Las Vegas to demonstrate a fuel cell power pack for a variety of HP handheld mobile products. The fuel cell developer, which is based
in New York but with R&D facilities in Israel, has also completed its previously announced equity financing. The Medis 24/7 Power Pack utilizes a fuel cell to continuously provide power to keep handheld products charged, even when no power outlet is available. The product is based on the company’s proprietary Direct Liquid Fuel Cell (DLFC) technology, for which the underlying chemistry is a direct liquid borohydride technology rather than methanol or hydrogen. Meanwhile, Medis says that it has completed its previously announced $29 million equity financing to selected institutional investors. Contact: Medis Technologies Ltd, New York, NY, USA. Tel: +1 212 935 8484, www.medistechnologies.com
CEA, STMicroelectronics unveil prototype fuel cell for handsets
T
he French Atomic Energy Agency (CEA) and STMicroelectronics in Switzerland have collaborated to develop a prototype hydrogen fuel cell for cell phones, that is intended for offer a fivefold increase in the runtime of portable electronic devices. All the PEM fuel cell structures are built on a silicon substrate using microelectronics processes. The miniaturized fuel cell is made using microfluidic structures etched into the back surface of silicon, with a reaction interface at the silicon surface. The silicon is paired with a hydrogen cartridge the size of a small cigarette lighter. The final product is due to be commercialized by the end of 2009 or early 2010, in the form of an external charger or battery-extender, according to an EETimes.com report. Didier Marsacq, director of CEA-Liten, the agency’s Laboratory for Innovation in New Energy Technologies and Nanomaterials, says that the hydrogen-based fuel cell core unit (FCCU) used in CEA’s energy source was developed jointly by CEA-Liten and ST, while the energy management unit (EMU) came from ST. The fuel cartridge was developed by French-based Bic. The CEA-Liten design stores sodium borohydride (NaBH4) in powder form in a small cartridge that also contains water. Projecting the liquid onto the powder initiates hydrolysis, yielding an energy density of 500 Wh/l. The energy is available on demand via electronic control of the chemical reaction. The system can recharge a cell phone battery up to five times before the disposable storage cartridge is spent, say the researchers. The system produces a small amount of water as a reaction by-product, which cools the system
August 2008