- Email: [email protected]
Greek subs with Siemens fuel cell propulsion
NEWS value of the Plug Power common stock issued to H Power stockholders in the transaction was $47.3m. Following the merger, Plug Power has approximately $85m in unrestricted cash, including $29.2m it assumed from H Power as part of the merger. This is anticipated to be sufficient, after integration costs and expenses associated with the merger consummation, to fund operations into 2005. The expanded company intends to serve a worldwide customer base through its existing exclusive distribution agreements with GE Fuel Cell Systems and DTE Energy Technologies. Dr Roger Saillant, president/CEO of Plug Power, said that he expects the path of consolidation in the industry to continue as companies look to add value to their organizations and position themselves for longterm success. As part of the merger consummation, Plug has appointed Gary Willis – formerly a member of the H Power board of directors, and with experience in yield enhancement solutions and high-precision manufacturing – to the Plug board. Plug Power has taken over H Power’s patents, but Plug’s Cynthia Mahoney told the Albany Times-Union that the company is not sure if it will incorporate the technology into its own products, but that it was still under review. H Power has a number of demonstration/field trial units in the US, Europe and Japan. Contact: Plug Power Inc, 968 Albany-Shaker Road, Latham, NY 12110, USA. Tel: +1 518 782 7700, www.plugpower.com
ZBT licenses reformer technology to CETI The Center for Fuel Cell Technology (Zentrum für BrennstoffzellenTechnik, ZBT) in Duisburg, Germany has granted Koreanbased Clean Energy Technologies Inc (CETI) worldwide, non-exclusive production and marketing rights for ZBT’s natural gas reformer technology. Along with the license agreement, ZBT will deliver reformer prototypes to CETI, which will be integrated and optimized by CETI into fuel cell systems. ZBT’s reformer development represents the results of several years of research activity, and is based to a large extent on preliminary R&D work by the Energy Technology group at the Institute for Energy & Environmental Process Engineering, Universität Duisburg-Essen. 4
Fuel Cells Bulletin
ZBT is active as a developer, system integrator and coordinator in stationary, mobile and portable energy systems based on fuel cells. Its R&D portfolio ranges from prototype assembly to small series production. CETI is developing fuel cell systems for portable and stationary applications. In spring 2002 CETI unveiled a fuel cell system fully integrated into a laptop computer, in a collaboration with the Fraunhofer Institute for Solar Energy Systems ISE in Freiburg and the LG Technology Center Europe in Neuss. Contact: Professor Dr Angelika Heinzel, Zentrum für BrennstoffzellenTechnik GmbH, Lotharstrasse 1, D-47057 Duisburg, Germany. Tel: +49 203 379 4368, Email: [email protected], Web: www.zbt-duisburg.de Or contact: Clean Energy Technologies Inc, 103-2 Munji-dong, Yusung-Gu, Taejeon 305-708, Korea. Tel: +82 42 862 9580, www.ceti-fuelcell.com
Second US Army truck with fuel cell APU The US Army Tank-automotive and Armaments Command’s National Automotive Center (NAC) unveiled a Class 8 Freightliner truck with a prototype liquid-fueled, roadworthy fuel cell auxiliary power unit (APU) at the recent SAE World Congress in Detroit. NAC worked with Freightliner, Ballard Power Systems and the University of Alabama to develop a fuel cell APU as an alternative for powering auxiliary devices on a parked heavy-duty truck instead of idling the engine. The Freightliner vehicle follows General Motors’ recent unveiling of a hybrid diesel Army truck equipped with a Hydrogenics PEM fuel cell APU [FCB, February 2003]. The system uses a Ballard 5 kWe PEM fuel cell stack and reforming technologies. An onboard power management system delivers electricity to the truck’s systems or exports it off the vehicle as standard ‘household’ power. The current APU is fueled with a methanol/water mix, and further development will enable it to use ultra-low-sulfur commercial diesel fuel. On average, heavy trucks idle for 20–40% of the time depending on season and mode of operation, using 1–2 gallons (4.5–9 l) of fuel an hour. The fuel cell APU is expected to reduce this significantly, while reducing emissions and noise. The fuel cell APU designed for heavy vehicle applications addresses the military need for additional power to support new digital communications (e.g. computers, satellite dishes,
GPS and 3D mapping systems). Quiet, efficient fuel cell APUs improve overall fuel economy by allowing military vehicles to avoid engine idling during extended stand-by periods near the battlefield – the Army spends nearly $600 a gallon to transport fuel to the battlefield. Much of the Army’s present logistical support system exists to move that fuel – as was clear during the recent war in Iraq – and any reduction in fuel consumption will have a positive impact. In addition, California-based Quantum Technologies is to develop conceptual transportation and energy systems for NAC. The systems will address a variety of fuel cell applications including vehicles, power generation units and the hydrogen refueling infrastructure. Contact: Herb Dobbs, US Army TACOM, National Automotive Center, AMSTA-TR-N/MS 272, 6501 E. 11 Mile Road, Warren, MI 48397-5000, USA. Tel: +1 586 574 4228, Email: [email protected], www.tacom.army.mil/tardec/nac Or contact: Massimo Venturi, Ballard Power Systems AG, Neue Strasse 95, D-73230 Kirchheim/Teck-Nabern, Germany. Tel: +49 7021 894360, Email: [email protected], www.ballard.com Or contact: Dr Steve Shepard, Department of Mechanical Engineering, College of Engineering, University of Alabama, Box 870200, Tuscaloosa, AL 35487-0200, USA. Tel: +1 205 348 0048, Email: [email protected], www.me.ua.edu Or contact: Scott Smith, Freightliner LLC, 4747 Channel Avenue, Portland, OR 97217, USA. Tel: +1 503 745 7420, Email: [email protected], www.freightliner.com Or contact: Quantum Technologies Inc, 17872 Cartwright Road, Irvine, CA 92614, USA. Tel: +1 949 399 4500, www.qtww.com
Greek subs with Siemens fuel cell propulsion German shipbuilder Howaldtswerke Deutsche Werft AG (HDW) in Kiel, together with Siemens Industrial Solutions & Services Group (I&S), are to modernize three class 209 submarines for the Greek Navy by equipping them with a PEM fuel cell airindependent propulsion (AIP) system, with the 300 kWe PEM fuel cell modules being supplied by Siemens AG. Delivery is scheduled for between mid-2004 and 2010. In addition, an option has been agreed for a fourth installation. Modernization of the roughly 25-year-old class 209 submarines is intended to increase their submersed range to
May 2003
NEWS that of new ships. Siemens I&S is supplying the control cubicles of the fuel cell system (FCS), control gear to integrate the FCS into the existing propulsion system, and material packages to modernize existing electrical equipment. Modernization of the submarines will be undertaken by HDW, with the FCS incorporated as a new, 7 m long hull section. A substantial part of the refurbishing and commissioning will be carried out by HDW’s Greek subsidiary, Hellenic Shipyards in Skaramanga, Attica. HDW is building fuel cell propelled submarines for the German, Greek and South Korean navies, while the technology is also being used in two submarines for the Italian navy being built by Fincantieri in Trieste. The fuel cell system provides the power for the submarines when running submerged. Contact: Siemens AG, Industrial Solutions & Services (I&S), PEM Fuel Cell Department, Schustrasse 60, D-91052 Erlangen, Germany. Tel: +49 9131 722342, www.is.siemens.com Or contact: Siemens AG, Marine Solutions, Lindenplatz 2, D-20099 Hamburg, Germany. Tel: + 49 40 2889 2201, Email: [email protected], www.is.siemens.com/marine-eng Or contact: Howaldtswerke-Deutsche Werft AG, PO Box 6309, D-24124 Kiel, Germany. Tel: +49 431 700-0, www.hdw.de
New crystalline structures as molecular filters A new process developed by researchers at the University of Rochester, NY may lead to creating a new kind of membrane, with pores so fine they can separate a mixture of gases. Such membranes could be used for extracting hydrogen for fuel cell applications. Matthew Yates, assistant professor of chemical engineering, is developing a new way to make molecular sieves – crystals with holes so small that they can discriminate between large and small molecules. Many such crystals exist and are used regularly in industry and labs, but it may be possible to properly align and bring together the new crystals into a sheet, which would dramatically expand their range of possible uses. Molecular sieve crystals are normally produced in a container of water, filled with the required ingredients and heated to form crystals, but this produces crystals in a wide variety of sizes that are short and thick and hard to align. Gathering the crystals together with all their pores pointing in the same direction was all but
May 2003
impossible. However, Yates has found that confining the reaction within the small droplets of water dispersed in oil altered the way the crystals grew: long fibers were created with tunnel-like pores. ‘Long, thin fibers are much easier to align because their lengths are so different from their widths,’ says Yates. ‘That difference gives us something to work with that has been missing from other kinds of molecular sieves.’ Yates and his colleague, graduate student JenChieh Lin, are now trying to align the fibers. One idea is to electrically charge them so they stand on end, then a polymer could be poured in to hold them in that position. The team is also looking at aligning the fibers end-to-end in a thin film that may be cut and easily rearranged. Contact: Dr Matthew Yates, Department of Chemical Engineering, University of Rochester, 206 Gavett Hall, Rochester, NY 14627-0166, USA. Tel: +1 585 273 2335, Email: [email protected], www.che.rochester.edu
Palcan in five-way Chinese joint venture Vancouver, BC-based Palcan Fuel Cells has signed a joint venture development agreement with the Shanghai 711 CSIC Institute, Shanghai Ow Bowl Company, Shanghai Giant Ltd and the Shanghai Shin-Fu Wheelchair Company in China to supply PEM fuel cell stacks for a number of small mobile applications. Under the agreement Palcan will supply two 300 We stacks to power fuel cell bicycles, two 1.5 kWe stacks for powering fuel cell scooters, and one 1.5 kWe stack for a fuel cell powered wheelchair. The three projects should be completed in September, when a demonstration of the new vehicles will take place in Shanghai. In the future, Palcan will also provide one 5 kWe stack for the Shanghai 711 CSIC Institute to integrate into a boat engine system. The Shanghai 711 CSIC Institute will set up a project liaison office, together with a complete diagnostic laboratory, for which Palcan will provide the fuel cell testing expertise. The institute will be responsible for developing all auxiliary components such as the specialized air compressor, pressure relief valves, controllers and metal hydride fuel storage. It will also act as the systems integrator, and will oversee all three projects. Shanghai Giant is the largest liquid petroleum gas (LPG) scooter manufacturer in China, and Shanghai Ow Bowl is China’s largest electric bicycle manufacturer. After the initial demonstration an extensive field testing program will be launched in Shanghai, with support from the National
In Brief Shell Hydrogen funds Luxembourg hydrogen station, appoints new CEO Dutch-based Shell Hydrogen is providing funding and technological know-how for the construction of a hydrogen refueling station in neighboring Luxembourg, as part of the EU’s Clean Urban Transport for Europe (CUTE) initiative to operate small fleets of fuel cell powered buses in nine European cities. The company has also appointed Jeremy Bentham as chief executive officer with effect from 1 April. The Luxembourg project is being run by the municipal authority, La Ville de Luxembourg VdL. The hydrogen refueling station will be built at the city’s main bus station, and will supply fuel to three fuel cell buses that will run on its streets. The refueling station is planned to be operational in the third quarter of 2003. New CEO Jeremy Bentham brings broad experience in research, manufacturing, strategy, sales and marketing. He replaces Don Huberts, who has been appointed VP Refining & Chemicals in Shell Global Solutions. Federal funding for NextEnergy fuel cell development program Michigan’s alternative energy research, development and education program, NextEnergy, is to receive US$2m from the federal fiscal 2003 energy and water appropriations bill, to support an intense research effort into hydrogen reforming, tanking and refueling. NextEnergy is a non-profit corporation founded last October in the Wayne State University Research & Technology Park in Detroit, with its new 40 000 ft2 (3700 m2) facility dedicated in December. The facility will incorporate the latest technology into the building’s electrical, and heating and cooling systems. Its power grid will include the use of fuel cells, as well as other advanced conventional and sustainable energy technologies. For more information on NextEnergy, go to: www.nextenergy.org
Mid-May for California partnership road rally The California Fuel Cell Partnership will take its public outreach and awareness tour to California’s Central Valley with its a caravanstyle fuel cell vehicle drive on 14–16 May. FCVs from the partnership’s eight automakers will depart West Sacramento and conduct public events in Fresno and Bakersfield before arriving in Los Angeles. CaFCP’s energy partners will oversee hydrogen refueling needs, and other members will lend support through education and technical displays as well as volunteer services. For more details, go to: www.cafcp.org
Fuel Cells Bulletin
5
ZBT licenses reformer technology to CETI The Center for Fuel Cell Technology (Zentrum für BrennstoffzellenTechnik, ZBT) in Duisburg, Germany has granted Koreanbased Clean Energy Technologies Inc (CETI) worldwide, non-exclusive production and marketing rights for ZBT’s natural gas reformer technology. Along with the license agreement, ZBT will deliver reformer prototypes to CETI, which will be integrated and optimized by CETI into fuel cell systems. ZBT’s reformer development represents the results of several years of research activity, and is based to a large extent on preliminary R&D work by the Energy Technology group at the Institute for Energy & Environmental Process Engineering, Universität Duisburg-Essen. 4
Fuel Cells Bulletin
ZBT is active as a developer, system integrator and coordinator in stationary, mobile and portable energy systems based on fuel cells. Its R&D portfolio ranges from prototype assembly to small series production. CETI is developing fuel cell systems for portable and stationary applications. In spring 2002 CETI unveiled a fuel cell system fully integrated into a laptop computer, in a collaboration with the Fraunhofer Institute for Solar Energy Systems ISE in Freiburg and the LG Technology Center Europe in Neuss. Contact: Professor Dr Angelika Heinzel, Zentrum für BrennstoffzellenTechnik GmbH, Lotharstrasse 1, D-47057 Duisburg, Germany. Tel: +49 203 379 4368, Email: [email protected], Web: www.zbt-duisburg.de Or contact: Clean Energy Technologies Inc, 103-2 Munji-dong, Yusung-Gu, Taejeon 305-708, Korea. Tel: +82 42 862 9580, www.ceti-fuelcell.com
Second US Army truck with fuel cell APU The US Army Tank-automotive and Armaments Command’s National Automotive Center (NAC) unveiled a Class 8 Freightliner truck with a prototype liquid-fueled, roadworthy fuel cell auxiliary power unit (APU) at the recent SAE World Congress in Detroit. NAC worked with Freightliner, Ballard Power Systems and the University of Alabama to develop a fuel cell APU as an alternative for powering auxiliary devices on a parked heavy-duty truck instead of idling the engine. The Freightliner vehicle follows General Motors’ recent unveiling of a hybrid diesel Army truck equipped with a Hydrogenics PEM fuel cell APU [FCB, February 2003]. The system uses a Ballard 5 kWe PEM fuel cell stack and reforming technologies. An onboard power management system delivers electricity to the truck’s systems or exports it off the vehicle as standard ‘household’ power. The current APU is fueled with a methanol/water mix, and further development will enable it to use ultra-low-sulfur commercial diesel fuel. On average, heavy trucks idle for 20–40% of the time depending on season and mode of operation, using 1–2 gallons (4.5–9 l) of fuel an hour. The fuel cell APU is expected to reduce this significantly, while reducing emissions and noise. The fuel cell APU designed for heavy vehicle applications addresses the military need for additional power to support new digital communications (e.g. computers, satellite dishes,
GPS and 3D mapping systems). Quiet, efficient fuel cell APUs improve overall fuel economy by allowing military vehicles to avoid engine idling during extended stand-by periods near the battlefield – the Army spends nearly $600 a gallon to transport fuel to the battlefield. Much of the Army’s present logistical support system exists to move that fuel – as was clear during the recent war in Iraq – and any reduction in fuel consumption will have a positive impact. In addition, California-based Quantum Technologies is to develop conceptual transportation and energy systems for NAC. The systems will address a variety of fuel cell applications including vehicles, power generation units and the hydrogen refueling infrastructure. Contact: Herb Dobbs, US Army TACOM, National Automotive Center, AMSTA-TR-N/MS 272, 6501 E. 11 Mile Road, Warren, MI 48397-5000, USA. Tel: +1 586 574 4228, Email: [email protected], www.tacom.army.mil/tardec/nac Or contact: Massimo Venturi, Ballard Power Systems AG, Neue Strasse 95, D-73230 Kirchheim/Teck-Nabern, Germany. Tel: +49 7021 894360, Email: [email protected], www.ballard.com Or contact: Dr Steve Shepard, Department of Mechanical Engineering, College of Engineering, University of Alabama, Box 870200, Tuscaloosa, AL 35487-0200, USA. Tel: +1 205 348 0048, Email: [email protected], www.me.ua.edu Or contact: Scott Smith, Freightliner LLC, 4747 Channel Avenue, Portland, OR 97217, USA. Tel: +1 503 745 7420, Email: [email protected], www.freightliner.com Or contact: Quantum Technologies Inc, 17872 Cartwright Road, Irvine, CA 92614, USA. Tel: +1 949 399 4500, www.qtww.com
Greek subs with Siemens fuel cell propulsion German shipbuilder Howaldtswerke Deutsche Werft AG (HDW) in Kiel, together with Siemens Industrial Solutions & Services Group (I&S), are to modernize three class 209 submarines for the Greek Navy by equipping them with a PEM fuel cell airindependent propulsion (AIP) system, with the 300 kWe PEM fuel cell modules being supplied by Siemens AG. Delivery is scheduled for between mid-2004 and 2010. In addition, an option has been agreed for a fourth installation. Modernization of the roughly 25-year-old class 209 submarines is intended to increase their submersed range to
May 2003
NEWS that of new ships. Siemens I&S is supplying the control cubicles of the fuel cell system (FCS), control gear to integrate the FCS into the existing propulsion system, and material packages to modernize existing electrical equipment. Modernization of the submarines will be undertaken by HDW, with the FCS incorporated as a new, 7 m long hull section. A substantial part of the refurbishing and commissioning will be carried out by HDW’s Greek subsidiary, Hellenic Shipyards in Skaramanga, Attica. HDW is building fuel cell propelled submarines for the German, Greek and South Korean navies, while the technology is also being used in two submarines for the Italian navy being built by Fincantieri in Trieste. The fuel cell system provides the power for the submarines when running submerged. Contact: Siemens AG, Industrial Solutions & Services (I&S), PEM Fuel Cell Department, Schustrasse 60, D-91052 Erlangen, Germany. Tel: +49 9131 722342, www.is.siemens.com Or contact: Siemens AG, Marine Solutions, Lindenplatz 2, D-20099 Hamburg, Germany. Tel: + 49 40 2889 2201, Email: [email protected], www.is.siemens.com/marine-eng Or contact: Howaldtswerke-Deutsche Werft AG, PO Box 6309, D-24124 Kiel, Germany. Tel: +49 431 700-0, www.hdw.de
New crystalline structures as molecular filters A new process developed by researchers at the University of Rochester, NY may lead to creating a new kind of membrane, with pores so fine they can separate a mixture of gases. Such membranes could be used for extracting hydrogen for fuel cell applications. Matthew Yates, assistant professor of chemical engineering, is developing a new way to make molecular sieves – crystals with holes so small that they can discriminate between large and small molecules. Many such crystals exist and are used regularly in industry and labs, but it may be possible to properly align and bring together the new crystals into a sheet, which would dramatically expand their range of possible uses. Molecular sieve crystals are normally produced in a container of water, filled with the required ingredients and heated to form crystals, but this produces crystals in a wide variety of sizes that are short and thick and hard to align. Gathering the crystals together with all their pores pointing in the same direction was all but
May 2003
impossible. However, Yates has found that confining the reaction within the small droplets of water dispersed in oil altered the way the crystals grew: long fibers were created with tunnel-like pores. ‘Long, thin fibers are much easier to align because their lengths are so different from their widths,’ says Yates. ‘That difference gives us something to work with that has been missing from other kinds of molecular sieves.’ Yates and his colleague, graduate student JenChieh Lin, are now trying to align the fibers. One idea is to electrically charge them so they stand on end, then a polymer could be poured in to hold them in that position. The team is also looking at aligning the fibers end-to-end in a thin film that may be cut and easily rearranged. Contact: Dr Matthew Yates, Department of Chemical Engineering, University of Rochester, 206 Gavett Hall, Rochester, NY 14627-0166, USA. Tel: +1 585 273 2335, Email: [email protected], www.che.rochester.edu
Palcan in five-way Chinese joint venture Vancouver, BC-based Palcan Fuel Cells has signed a joint venture development agreement with the Shanghai 711 CSIC Institute, Shanghai Ow Bowl Company, Shanghai Giant Ltd and the Shanghai Shin-Fu Wheelchair Company in China to supply PEM fuel cell stacks for a number of small mobile applications. Under the agreement Palcan will supply two 300 We stacks to power fuel cell bicycles, two 1.5 kWe stacks for powering fuel cell scooters, and one 1.5 kWe stack for a fuel cell powered wheelchair. The three projects should be completed in September, when a demonstration of the new vehicles will take place in Shanghai. In the future, Palcan will also provide one 5 kWe stack for the Shanghai 711 CSIC Institute to integrate into a boat engine system. The Shanghai 711 CSIC Institute will set up a project liaison office, together with a complete diagnostic laboratory, for which Palcan will provide the fuel cell testing expertise. The institute will be responsible for developing all auxiliary components such as the specialized air compressor, pressure relief valves, controllers and metal hydride fuel storage. It will also act as the systems integrator, and will oversee all three projects. Shanghai Giant is the largest liquid petroleum gas (LPG) scooter manufacturer in China, and Shanghai Ow Bowl is China’s largest electric bicycle manufacturer. After the initial demonstration an extensive field testing program will be launched in Shanghai, with support from the National
In Brief Shell Hydrogen funds Luxembourg hydrogen station, appoints new CEO Dutch-based Shell Hydrogen is providing funding and technological know-how for the construction of a hydrogen refueling station in neighboring Luxembourg, as part of the EU’s Clean Urban Transport for Europe (CUTE) initiative to operate small fleets of fuel cell powered buses in nine European cities. The company has also appointed Jeremy Bentham as chief executive officer with effect from 1 April. The Luxembourg project is being run by the municipal authority, La Ville de Luxembourg VdL. The hydrogen refueling station will be built at the city’s main bus station, and will supply fuel to three fuel cell buses that will run on its streets. The refueling station is planned to be operational in the third quarter of 2003. New CEO Jeremy Bentham brings broad experience in research, manufacturing, strategy, sales and marketing. He replaces Don Huberts, who has been appointed VP Refining & Chemicals in Shell Global Solutions. Federal funding for NextEnergy fuel cell development program Michigan’s alternative energy research, development and education program, NextEnergy, is to receive US$2m from the federal fiscal 2003 energy and water appropriations bill, to support an intense research effort into hydrogen reforming, tanking and refueling. NextEnergy is a non-profit corporation founded last October in the Wayne State University Research & Technology Park in Detroit, with its new 40 000 ft2 (3700 m2) facility dedicated in December. The facility will incorporate the latest technology into the building’s electrical, and heating and cooling systems. Its power grid will include the use of fuel cells, as well as other advanced conventional and sustainable energy technologies. For more information on NextEnergy, go to: www.nextenergy.org
Mid-May for California partnership road rally The California Fuel Cell Partnership will take its public outreach and awareness tour to California’s Central Valley with its a caravanstyle fuel cell vehicle drive on 14–16 May. FCVs from the partnership’s eight automakers will depart West Sacramento and conduct public events in Fresno and Bakersfield before arriving in Los Angeles. CaFCP’s energy partners will oversee hydrogen refueling needs, and other members will lend support through education and technical displays as well as volunteer services. For more details, go to: www.cafcp.org
Fuel Cells Bulletin
5