- Email: [email protected]
Commerce grant jumpstarts Kettering research
NEWS
PEM fuel cell power for yachts
S
ailors know the problem: you go out cruising in the morning, and by noon the battery is flat – the navigation system, refrigerator and windlasses have used up too much energy. But a new fuel cell auxiliary power unit (APU) developed by the Center for Fuel Cell Technology (ZBT) in Duisburg, Germany avoids the tiresome need to start the diesel engine. The marine APU – unveiled at the BOOT 2004 boat show in Düsseldorf in January – promises sailors a substantial increase in comfort without unpleasant emissions. The 300 We PEM fuel cell system is designed to be user-friendly: rather than operating directly on hydrogen, the APU runs on widely available propane, LPG or butane through the use of a reformer, which also incorporates desulfurization. Simulation calculations for different user profiles have shown that a 5 kg propane bottle can supply sufficient power for two weeks. The system efficiency is more than 20%, and the whole system occupies less than 50 liters. The ZBT project team worked with industrial designers from the Universität DuisburgEssen, on whose campus ZBT is based. Industrial design students led by Professor Kurt Mehnert contributed to the conceptualization and system integration.
Contact: Zentrum für BrennstoffzellenTechnik (ZBT GmbH), D-47058 Duisburg, Germany. Tel: +49 203 75980, www.zbt-duisburg.de
Commerce grant jumpstarts Kettering research
K
ettering University in Michigan will construct a Center for Fuel Cell Systems & Powertrain Integration thanks to a $1.8m grant from the Economic Development Administration (EDA) of the US Department of Commerce. The grant, combined with $1.2m in funding previously received from the State of Michigan and from industry and Kettering sources, will allow the university to begin construction of the new center. The new fuel cell center will occupy 8600 ft2 (800 m2) in the University’s new CS Mott Engineering & Science Center. The center will
March 2004
include state-of-the-art labs and other areas for fuel cell testing and research, staff support and an assembly and project display area, a combined teaching studio and control room, and incubator office space for six companies. The EDA investment, which is supported by an Industry Partnership Consortium including Ford Motor Company, NextEnergy, Advance Measurements Inc, General Hydrogen, the US Army Tank-Automotive and Armaments Command (TACOM) and General Motors, will specifically fund 5452 ft2 of laboratory space and another 3150 ft2 to support business incubator office space for new and existing companies. The stated goals of the fuel cell center include excellence in fuel cell research, testing and evaluation; attracting the world’s leading fuel cell developers, manufacturers and suppliers to the region; and developing companies for the emerging fuel cell industry. The center is intended to provide world-class fuel cell engineering education, and help Michigan and the Midwest develop a trained workforce in this area. In addition, the center will facilitate technology transfer and provide testing and evaluation of fuel cell systems. The center should have the potential to accelerate the development and commercialization of fuel cells for both stationary and mobile applications. Contact: Professor Joel Berry, Department of Mechanical Engineering, Kettering University, Flint, Michigan, USA. Tel: +1 810 762 9500 ext. 7833, Email: [email protected], Web: fuelcells.kettering.edu
PolyFuel unveils new DMFC membrane
C
alifornia-based PolyFuel has developed an innovative membrane specifically designed for direct methanol fuel cell applications. The membrane is claimed to deliver substantial performance and system cost advantages over both existing fuel cell membrane technology and traditional Li-ion batteries for portable devices. According to PolyFuel president/CEO Jim Balcom, the new DMFC membrane will enable the development of portable fuel cell power systems that deliver all-day power and can handle the increasing functionality of devices such as cellphones. Compared to existing membranes, the PolyFuel membrane offers the advantages of lower methanol and water crossover, and stability in high methanol concentrations, says Balcom.
In Brief Hydrogen extraction without CO2 A research collaboration that includes scientists from Tokyo-based Ishikawajima-Harima Heavy Industries Ltd, JGC Corporation in Yokohama and the National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science & Technology (AIST) has developed a highly efficient method for extracting hydrogen from a range of organic materials without releasing carbon dioxide into the atmosphere. The new process can obtain hydrogen from coal and biomass, plastics, oils and petroleum products like polyethylene with a conversion efficiency of 75%, for use in gas turbines and fuel cells, according to a Nikkei Business Daily report. In the new process, coal and organic waste materials are placed in a reaction chamber with supercritical water, where they decompose into hydrogen and CO2. Hydrogen generation is promoted by the addition of calcium oxide, which converts the CO2 into calcium carbonate. The calcium carbonate is transferred to another chamber, where it is heated to regenerate CO2 and calcium oxide. The CO2 is trapped and the hot calcium oxide is returned to the reaction chamber, where its heat further boosts the efficiency of the hydrogen generation process. The prototype system has only a tiny reaction chamber, but the report added that in the next fiscal year the research team aims to build a larger experimental system that can process 50 kg of organic material a day. AirGen backup power for NanoSignal image processing workstations NanoSignal Corporation in Pennsylvania has agreed to purchase AirGen® fuel cell generators through FuelCellStore.com, the e-commerce partner of California-based MGE UPS Systems, a worldwide distributor and service provider for Ballard’s AirGen products. The AirGen generator will provide continuous backup power for NanoSignal’s new SLICES™ image processing workstations used with magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) systems. The 1 kWe AirGen models will be betatested at an initial MRI site operated by Desert Radiology in Las Vegas, Nevada. On successful completion of testing, NanoSignal will include an AirGen system with each new SLICES workstation, with MGE providing AirGen servicing. ‘Ballard’s AirGen fuel cell generator is the perfect solution for MRI applications, because of its power conditioning and hours of backup time,’ comments Jack Pouchet, director of marketing at MGE UPS. Because of the precision requirements of MRI scans, these systems are very susceptible to even the slightest ‘blip’ in power – but the AirGen provides both line-filtering and continuous power in a very compact and portable design.
Fuel Cells Bulletin
7
PEM fuel cell power for yachts
S
ailors know the problem: you go out cruising in the morning, and by noon the battery is flat – the navigation system, refrigerator and windlasses have used up too much energy. But a new fuel cell auxiliary power unit (APU) developed by the Center for Fuel Cell Technology (ZBT) in Duisburg, Germany avoids the tiresome need to start the diesel engine. The marine APU – unveiled at the BOOT 2004 boat show in Düsseldorf in January – promises sailors a substantial increase in comfort without unpleasant emissions. The 300 We PEM fuel cell system is designed to be user-friendly: rather than operating directly on hydrogen, the APU runs on widely available propane, LPG or butane through the use of a reformer, which also incorporates desulfurization. Simulation calculations for different user profiles have shown that a 5 kg propane bottle can supply sufficient power for two weeks. The system efficiency is more than 20%, and the whole system occupies less than 50 liters. The ZBT project team worked with industrial designers from the Universität DuisburgEssen, on whose campus ZBT is based. Industrial design students led by Professor Kurt Mehnert contributed to the conceptualization and system integration.
Contact: Zentrum für BrennstoffzellenTechnik (ZBT GmbH), D-47058 Duisburg, Germany. Tel: +49 203 75980, www.zbt-duisburg.de
Commerce grant jumpstarts Kettering research
K
ettering University in Michigan will construct a Center for Fuel Cell Systems & Powertrain Integration thanks to a $1.8m grant from the Economic Development Administration (EDA) of the US Department of Commerce. The grant, combined with $1.2m in funding previously received from the State of Michigan and from industry and Kettering sources, will allow the university to begin construction of the new center. The new fuel cell center will occupy 8600 ft2 (800 m2) in the University’s new CS Mott Engineering & Science Center. The center will
March 2004
include state-of-the-art labs and other areas for fuel cell testing and research, staff support and an assembly and project display area, a combined teaching studio and control room, and incubator office space for six companies. The EDA investment, which is supported by an Industry Partnership Consortium including Ford Motor Company, NextEnergy, Advance Measurements Inc, General Hydrogen, the US Army Tank-Automotive and Armaments Command (TACOM) and General Motors, will specifically fund 5452 ft2 of laboratory space and another 3150 ft2 to support business incubator office space for new and existing companies. The stated goals of the fuel cell center include excellence in fuel cell research, testing and evaluation; attracting the world’s leading fuel cell developers, manufacturers and suppliers to the region; and developing companies for the emerging fuel cell industry. The center is intended to provide world-class fuel cell engineering education, and help Michigan and the Midwest develop a trained workforce in this area. In addition, the center will facilitate technology transfer and provide testing and evaluation of fuel cell systems. The center should have the potential to accelerate the development and commercialization of fuel cells for both stationary and mobile applications. Contact: Professor Joel Berry, Department of Mechanical Engineering, Kettering University, Flint, Michigan, USA. Tel: +1 810 762 9500 ext. 7833, Email: [email protected], Web: fuelcells.kettering.edu
PolyFuel unveils new DMFC membrane
C
alifornia-based PolyFuel has developed an innovative membrane specifically designed for direct methanol fuel cell applications. The membrane is claimed to deliver substantial performance and system cost advantages over both existing fuel cell membrane technology and traditional Li-ion batteries for portable devices. According to PolyFuel president/CEO Jim Balcom, the new DMFC membrane will enable the development of portable fuel cell power systems that deliver all-day power and can handle the increasing functionality of devices such as cellphones. Compared to existing membranes, the PolyFuel membrane offers the advantages of lower methanol and water crossover, and stability in high methanol concentrations, says Balcom.
In Brief Hydrogen extraction without CO2 A research collaboration that includes scientists from Tokyo-based Ishikawajima-Harima Heavy Industries Ltd, JGC Corporation in Yokohama and the National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science & Technology (AIST) has developed a highly efficient method for extracting hydrogen from a range of organic materials without releasing carbon dioxide into the atmosphere. The new process can obtain hydrogen from coal and biomass, plastics, oils and petroleum products like polyethylene with a conversion efficiency of 75%, for use in gas turbines and fuel cells, according to a Nikkei Business Daily report. In the new process, coal and organic waste materials are placed in a reaction chamber with supercritical water, where they decompose into hydrogen and CO2. Hydrogen generation is promoted by the addition of calcium oxide, which converts the CO2 into calcium carbonate. The calcium carbonate is transferred to another chamber, where it is heated to regenerate CO2 and calcium oxide. The CO2 is trapped and the hot calcium oxide is returned to the reaction chamber, where its heat further boosts the efficiency of the hydrogen generation process. The prototype system has only a tiny reaction chamber, but the report added that in the next fiscal year the research team aims to build a larger experimental system that can process 50 kg of organic material a day. AirGen backup power for NanoSignal image processing workstations NanoSignal Corporation in Pennsylvania has agreed to purchase AirGen® fuel cell generators through FuelCellStore.com, the e-commerce partner of California-based MGE UPS Systems, a worldwide distributor and service provider for Ballard’s AirGen products. The AirGen generator will provide continuous backup power for NanoSignal’s new SLICES™ image processing workstations used with magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) systems. The 1 kWe AirGen models will be betatested at an initial MRI site operated by Desert Radiology in Las Vegas, Nevada. On successful completion of testing, NanoSignal will include an AirGen system with each new SLICES workstation, with MGE providing AirGen servicing. ‘Ballard’s AirGen fuel cell generator is the perfect solution for MRI applications, because of its power conditioning and hours of backup time,’ comments Jack Pouchet, director of marketing at MGE UPS. Because of the precision requirements of MRI scans, these systems are very susceptible to even the slightest ‘blip’ in power – but the AirGen provides both line-filtering and continuous power in a very compact and portable design.
Fuel Cells Bulletin
7