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Atofina-led project wins DOE grant
NEWS
New Toyota fuel cell runs on hot reformate for higher efficiency, smaller system
T
oyota Motor Corporation has revealed that it is developing a new fuel cell to be used in combination with a reformer. The company unveiled the latest progress in its fuel cell development at the recent 11th Fuel Cell Symposium in Tokyo, according to a Nikkei Electronics Asia Online report. It has proven difficult to reduce the size of conventional PEM fuel cell/reformer combinations and improve the overall efficiency, because a heat-exchanger is required to cool separated hydrogen from nearly 500°C to the maximum 80°C needed for the fuel cell feed stream. The reforming temperature needed to separate hydrogen from liquid fuel differs according to the fuel, ranging from a relatively low 250°C for methanol to 700°C for kerosene. But Toyota’s new fuel cell – which uses an unspecified liquid fuel – operates with reformate at 500°C, without any need for cooling by heatexchange. The new ‘hydrogen membrane fuel cell’ (HMFC) has a proton-conducting electrolyte membrane and a cathode electrode formed on a metal hydrogen membrane, which also functions as an anode electrode. In the demo unit, the metal hydrogen membrane comprises an approximately 100 µm-thick palladium dense film, and a 1 µm-thick BaCeO3 perovskite material for the proton-conducting electrolyte. Avoiding the use of platinum reduces the cost, explains the automaker. Using pure hydrogen, the electric power generation efficiency of the HMFC is almost the same as a PEM fuel cell at an operating temperature of 430°C, and higher by 20% at 510°C. Toyota is now working to reduce the thickness – and hence cost – of the Pd membrane, as well as verifying that the materials are sufficiently heat-resistant.
IdaTech considers relocation
F
uel cell developer IdaTech in Bend, Oregon may be forced to move location after encountering problems with the lease on its facilities, according to a report in Bend’s local newspaper, The Bulletin. President/CEO Claude Duss says the company was caught by surprise 6
Fuel Cells Bulletin
when the landlord refused to renew the lease on one of its two buildings, and told IdaTech it would have to leave by the end of September. The problem apparently arose because the company was only willing to renew its lease for one year, while another technology company is reportedly prepared to sign a 10-year lease at the same site. Although IdaTech had been upgrading the building that houses its engineering and labs, it prefers to locate all functions on one site for greater efficiency and teamwork, and is therefore looking for the best long-term option. It has been offered a total of $150 000 in relocation assistance by the Oregon Economic & Community Development Department, Economic Development for Central Oregon and the City of Bend, to encourage the company to stay in Oregon, central Oregon or Bend, respectively. The company may also be eligible for business energy tax credits. The company is said to have expressed a preference to stay in central Oregon, and was reported to be considering several sites in Bend, with a decision expected in June. However, Duss says that the decision involves other factors beyond cost, including teaming with researchers at universities in the state. With IdaTech’s business increasing in Europe and Asia, direct air links to a major hub like Denver are also a factor. IdaTech has recently won several multimillion-dollar US government contracts, including a $9.6m DOE award to develop a 50 kWe fuel cell system to provide energy for large facilities that are not linked to a traditional power grid [FCB, December 2003]. Contact: IdaTech LLC, Bend, Oregon, USA. Tel: +1 541 383 3390, www.idatech.com
Atofina-led project wins DOE grant
P
hiladelphia-based Atofina Chemicals has been awarded a $5.77m grant by the US Department of Energy to support its collaborative fuel cell R&D project. The grant will be divided between Atofina and its development partners, which include UTC Fuel Cells, Johnson Matthey Fuel Cells, Georgia Tech and the University of Hawaii. The grant will enable Atofina and its partners to accelerate their R&D into low-cost, durable membranes and MEAs for stationary and mobile fuel cell applications. The development of such MEAs is a key cornerstone of the DOE’s vision for the commercialization of PEM fuel cells.
The three-year Atofina Chemicals-led project will bring together the polymer synthesis and processing expertise of Atofina, the fuel cell design, manufacturing and applications expertise at UTC, the catalyst and MEA capabilities of Johnson Matthey, the high-throughput experimentation expertise of Georgia Tech, and access to the full-scale fuel cell test facilities at the University of Hawaii. Contact: Atofina Chemicals, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA. Tel: +1 215 419 7000, www.atofinachemicals.com Or contact: UTC Fuel Cells, South Windsor, Connecticut, USA. Tel: +1 866 383 5235, www.utcfuelcells.com Or contact: Johnson Matthey Fuel Cells Ltd, Swindon, UK. Tel: +44 1793 755600, www.johnsonmattheyfuelcells.com Or contact: Dr David Parekh, Georgia Tech Center for Innovative Fuel Cell & Battery Technologies, Atlanta, Georgia, USA. Tel: +1 770 528 7826, Email: [email protected], www.fcbt.gatech.edu Or contact: Hawaii Fuel Cell Test Facility, Dr Richard E. Rocheleau, Director, Hawaii Natural Energy Institute, School of Ocean & Earth Science & Technology, University of Hawaii at Manoa, USA. Tel: +1 808 956 8346, Email: [email protected], www.hnei.hawaii.edu/fueltest.asp
HDW launches first fuel cell submarine for export
G
erman-based HowaldtswerkeDeutsche Werft AG (HDW) has launched its first fuel cell submarine for export. The Class 214 submarine is the first of four vessels being built by the HDW group for the Greek navy. Named Papanikolis after a Greek freedom fighter from the Greek War of Independence in the 1820s, the new submarine is being built in Kiel, while the subsequent three vessels will be built at HDW subsidiary Hellenic Shipyards in Greece. The submarines are scheduled for delivery between 2005 and 2010. The design of HDW’s new submarine is based on its successful compact Class 209 conventionally powered submarines, improved by incorporating the unique fuel cell air-independent propulsion (AIP) system developed for the German navy’s Class 212A submarine, the world’s first fuel cell sub [FCB, June 2003]. The PEM fuel cell modules, supplied by Siemens, are used to power a Siemens Permasyn® engine when the vessel is submerged, greatly increasing the time that it can remain underwater. The use of fuel cells also minimizes the acoustic, thermal and magnetic signatures of the submarine, making it extremely difficult to
July 2004
New Toyota fuel cell runs on hot reformate for higher efficiency, smaller system
T
oyota Motor Corporation has revealed that it is developing a new fuel cell to be used in combination with a reformer. The company unveiled the latest progress in its fuel cell development at the recent 11th Fuel Cell Symposium in Tokyo, according to a Nikkei Electronics Asia Online report. It has proven difficult to reduce the size of conventional PEM fuel cell/reformer combinations and improve the overall efficiency, because a heat-exchanger is required to cool separated hydrogen from nearly 500°C to the maximum 80°C needed for the fuel cell feed stream. The reforming temperature needed to separate hydrogen from liquid fuel differs according to the fuel, ranging from a relatively low 250°C for methanol to 700°C for kerosene. But Toyota’s new fuel cell – which uses an unspecified liquid fuel – operates with reformate at 500°C, without any need for cooling by heatexchange. The new ‘hydrogen membrane fuel cell’ (HMFC) has a proton-conducting electrolyte membrane and a cathode electrode formed on a metal hydrogen membrane, which also functions as an anode electrode. In the demo unit, the metal hydrogen membrane comprises an approximately 100 µm-thick palladium dense film, and a 1 µm-thick BaCeO3 perovskite material for the proton-conducting electrolyte. Avoiding the use of platinum reduces the cost, explains the automaker. Using pure hydrogen, the electric power generation efficiency of the HMFC is almost the same as a PEM fuel cell at an operating temperature of 430°C, and higher by 20% at 510°C. Toyota is now working to reduce the thickness – and hence cost – of the Pd membrane, as well as verifying that the materials are sufficiently heat-resistant.
IdaTech considers relocation
F
uel cell developer IdaTech in Bend, Oregon may be forced to move location after encountering problems with the lease on its facilities, according to a report in Bend’s local newspaper, The Bulletin. President/CEO Claude Duss says the company was caught by surprise 6
Fuel Cells Bulletin
when the landlord refused to renew the lease on one of its two buildings, and told IdaTech it would have to leave by the end of September. The problem apparently arose because the company was only willing to renew its lease for one year, while another technology company is reportedly prepared to sign a 10-year lease at the same site. Although IdaTech had been upgrading the building that houses its engineering and labs, it prefers to locate all functions on one site for greater efficiency and teamwork, and is therefore looking for the best long-term option. It has been offered a total of $150 000 in relocation assistance by the Oregon Economic & Community Development Department, Economic Development for Central Oregon and the City of Bend, to encourage the company to stay in Oregon, central Oregon or Bend, respectively. The company may also be eligible for business energy tax credits. The company is said to have expressed a preference to stay in central Oregon, and was reported to be considering several sites in Bend, with a decision expected in June. However, Duss says that the decision involves other factors beyond cost, including teaming with researchers at universities in the state. With IdaTech’s business increasing in Europe and Asia, direct air links to a major hub like Denver are also a factor. IdaTech has recently won several multimillion-dollar US government contracts, including a $9.6m DOE award to develop a 50 kWe fuel cell system to provide energy for large facilities that are not linked to a traditional power grid [FCB, December 2003]. Contact: IdaTech LLC, Bend, Oregon, USA. Tel: +1 541 383 3390, www.idatech.com
Atofina-led project wins DOE grant
P
hiladelphia-based Atofina Chemicals has been awarded a $5.77m grant by the US Department of Energy to support its collaborative fuel cell R&D project. The grant will be divided between Atofina and its development partners, which include UTC Fuel Cells, Johnson Matthey Fuel Cells, Georgia Tech and the University of Hawaii. The grant will enable Atofina and its partners to accelerate their R&D into low-cost, durable membranes and MEAs for stationary and mobile fuel cell applications. The development of such MEAs is a key cornerstone of the DOE’s vision for the commercialization of PEM fuel cells.
The three-year Atofina Chemicals-led project will bring together the polymer synthesis and processing expertise of Atofina, the fuel cell design, manufacturing and applications expertise at UTC, the catalyst and MEA capabilities of Johnson Matthey, the high-throughput experimentation expertise of Georgia Tech, and access to the full-scale fuel cell test facilities at the University of Hawaii. Contact: Atofina Chemicals, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA. Tel: +1 215 419 7000, www.atofinachemicals.com Or contact: UTC Fuel Cells, South Windsor, Connecticut, USA. Tel: +1 866 383 5235, www.utcfuelcells.com Or contact: Johnson Matthey Fuel Cells Ltd, Swindon, UK. Tel: +44 1793 755600, www.johnsonmattheyfuelcells.com Or contact: Dr David Parekh, Georgia Tech Center for Innovative Fuel Cell & Battery Technologies, Atlanta, Georgia, USA. Tel: +1 770 528 7826, Email: [email protected], www.fcbt.gatech.edu Or contact: Hawaii Fuel Cell Test Facility, Dr Richard E. Rocheleau, Director, Hawaii Natural Energy Institute, School of Ocean & Earth Science & Technology, University of Hawaii at Manoa, USA. Tel: +1 808 956 8346, Email: [email protected], www.hnei.hawaii.edu/fueltest.asp
HDW launches first fuel cell submarine for export
G
erman-based HowaldtswerkeDeutsche Werft AG (HDW) has launched its first fuel cell submarine for export. The Class 214 submarine is the first of four vessels being built by the HDW group for the Greek navy. Named Papanikolis after a Greek freedom fighter from the Greek War of Independence in the 1820s, the new submarine is being built in Kiel, while the subsequent three vessels will be built at HDW subsidiary Hellenic Shipyards in Greece. The submarines are scheduled for delivery between 2005 and 2010. The design of HDW’s new submarine is based on its successful compact Class 209 conventionally powered submarines, improved by incorporating the unique fuel cell air-independent propulsion (AIP) system developed for the German navy’s Class 212A submarine, the world’s first fuel cell sub [FCB, June 2003]. The PEM fuel cell modules, supplied by Siemens, are used to power a Siemens Permasyn® engine when the vessel is submerged, greatly increasing the time that it can remain underwater. The use of fuel cells also minimizes the acoustic, thermal and magnetic signatures of the submarine, making it extremely difficult to
July 2004