- Email: [email protected]
Microwave research to boost capacity of new H2 storage material
NEWS stration and development of hydrogen fuel systems to support FCVs. Developed by CaFCP’s cross-industry InterOperability Team, the HQSA allows a currently available gaseous fuel sampling bottle to be connected to an SAE-standardized hydrogen fueling station dispenser nozzle. Sampling can be conducted at the nozzle to identify possible contamination of the fuel after it has left the storage vessel. High hydrogen quality is important for obtaining optimal FCV performance. Last year, the same CaFCP team developed a trailer-mounted hydrogen station testing apparatus (STA) [FCB, December]. The new HQSA has been incorporated into this mobile unit, allowing it to be transported easily to the growing network of hydrogen stations in California. Contact: California Fuel Cell Partnership, West Sacramento, California, USA. Tel: +1 916 371 2870, www.cafcp.org Technical fact sheets about the HQSA and STA can be found at: www.cafcp.org/resource-ctr.html
Microwave research to boost capacity of new H2 storage material
A
project at New Mexico State University (NMSU) could advance the use of metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) as a new way to store large quantities of hydrogen at room temperature. Shuguang Deng, assistant professor of chemical engineering, is researching the use of microwave synthesis to enhance the storage capacity of these materials. MOFs are crystalline materials, developed through research at the University of Michigan (UM), consisting of metal atoms bound together with organic molecules to form a porous network that can trap and store molecules. The size of the pores can be modified, tailoring the materials to preferentially trap different sized molecules. Recent work at UM and collaborating institutes in the US and Korea has highlighted the potential of this relatively new class of materials as a method of hydrogen storage [FCB, July 2003 and April 2004]. Among the advantages of an MOF are that it is easy to make, cost-effective, has well defined adsorption sites and a high surface area, explains Deng. By using microwaves to synthesize the MOF, Deng hopes to manipulate the pore structure to enhance hydrogen absorption, boosting the hydrogen storage capacity of the material. Deng views MOF as a promising alternative to current hydrogen storage methods such as 10
Fuel Cells Bulletin
metal hydrides and carbon nanotubes, both of which suffer from high cost, sensitivity to impurities and limited lifetime. Because the MOF holds hydrogen through physical rather than chemical absorption, it requires lower pressures and temperatures than many other hydrogen storage methods. The NMSU project is aimed particularly at automotive applications, where size and weight are important considerations for the hydrogen tank. Deng says the goal is to achieve a hydrogen tank in which about 9% of the total weight is hydrogen, matching the target standards set by the DOE for fuel cell tanks by 2015. Currently, only about 4.5% of a fuel tank’s weight is made up of hydrogen, according to Deng. The project is funded by WERC: A Consortium for Environmental Education & Technology Development at NMSU, which also comprises the University of New Mexico, New Mexico Institute of Mining & Technology, Dine College, and Los Alamos and Sandia National Labs. Contact: Dr Shuguang Deng, Department of Chemical Engineering, New Mexico State University, Las Cruces, New Mexico, USA. Tel: +1 505 646 4346, Email: [email protected], Web: chemeng.nmsu.edu/people/ faculty/deng.htm Or contact: WERC/NMSU, Las Cruces, New Mexico, USA. Tel: +1 505 646 2038, www.werc.net
Franklin Fuel Cells raises $3m in new funding
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ennsylvania-based Franklin Fuel Cells has raised $3m in additional funding from existing investors, including EnerTech Capital, The Reinvestment Fund’s Sustainable Development Fund, Hunt Power LP and individual investors, and brings the company’s total funding to date to $7.4m. Franklin Fuel Cells is an early-stage company focused on developing and commercializing an innovative copper-based SOFC technology that reportedly can operate directly on current hydrocarbon fuels (gasoline, diesel, natural gas), as well as future fuels such as hydrogen, biodiesel, waste gas and gasified coal. The technology was initially developed at the University of Pennsylvania. It eliminates the need for pure hydrogen, allowing readily available fuels to be used to generate power in fuel cells with higher efficiency and significantly lower cost. Franklin believes the technology can assist in the creation of near-term SOFC applications, such as portable military power generators, distribution and backup power generation for commercial and light industrial buildings,
heavy-duty APUs for vehicles, and heavy-duty generators for pumps in developing countries. President/CEO John Law says the new funding recognizes ‘the competitive advantages of Franklin’s ground-breaking SOFC technology.’ Franklin moved into a new development and test facility in the Great Valley Corporate Center in Malvern last October. In February the facility was expanded to include 20 singlecell test stations, each able to operate concurrently on liquid and gaseous hydrocarbon fuels. Contact: Franklin Fuel Cells Inc, Malvern, Pennsylvania, USA. Tel: +1 610 640 7545, www.franklinfuelcells.com
BC funding, strategy support hydrogen and fuel cell sector
B
ritish Columbia’s Ministry of Energy & Mines is to provide C$2m (US$1.6m) in funding to support hydrogen and fuel cell innovation in the province. The funding will be administered by Vancouver-based industry association, Fuel Cells Canada. The funding announcement also marks the unveiling of the ‘BC Hydrogen and Fuel Cell Strategy – An Industry Vision for Our Hydrogen Future’. The financial support is intended to jumpstart critical elements of the BC hydrogen and fuel cell strategy, and should also encourage additional investment from industry, the federal and municipal governments. Energy & mines minister Richard Neufeld says this funding reinforces BC premier Gordon Campbell’s commitment to support the province’s hydrogen and fuel cell sector, and make it ‘a global leader in the emerging hydrogen economy’. Key elements of the hydrogen and fuel cell strategy, prepared by an industry steering committee for the Premier’s Technology Council (PTC), include: • Integration of provincial and national hydrogen and fuel cell strategies. • Development of the BC Hydrogen Highway, a series of at least seven hydrogen fueling nodes between Victoria, Vancouver and Whistler. • Investment in a new center of excellence for hydrogen and fuel cell research. • Developing global markets through an international marketing strategy. According to Denis Connor, chair of both the strategy steering team and the Hydrogen Highway™, the BC strategy envisions the
April 2005
Microwave research to boost capacity of new H2 storage material
A
project at New Mexico State University (NMSU) could advance the use of metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) as a new way to store large quantities of hydrogen at room temperature. Shuguang Deng, assistant professor of chemical engineering, is researching the use of microwave synthesis to enhance the storage capacity of these materials. MOFs are crystalline materials, developed through research at the University of Michigan (UM), consisting of metal atoms bound together with organic molecules to form a porous network that can trap and store molecules. The size of the pores can be modified, tailoring the materials to preferentially trap different sized molecules. Recent work at UM and collaborating institutes in the US and Korea has highlighted the potential of this relatively new class of materials as a method of hydrogen storage [FCB, July 2003 and April 2004]. Among the advantages of an MOF are that it is easy to make, cost-effective, has well defined adsorption sites and a high surface area, explains Deng. By using microwaves to synthesize the MOF, Deng hopes to manipulate the pore structure to enhance hydrogen absorption, boosting the hydrogen storage capacity of the material. Deng views MOF as a promising alternative to current hydrogen storage methods such as 10
Fuel Cells Bulletin
metal hydrides and carbon nanotubes, both of which suffer from high cost, sensitivity to impurities and limited lifetime. Because the MOF holds hydrogen through physical rather than chemical absorption, it requires lower pressures and temperatures than many other hydrogen storage methods. The NMSU project is aimed particularly at automotive applications, where size and weight are important considerations for the hydrogen tank. Deng says the goal is to achieve a hydrogen tank in which about 9% of the total weight is hydrogen, matching the target standards set by the DOE for fuel cell tanks by 2015. Currently, only about 4.5% of a fuel tank’s weight is made up of hydrogen, according to Deng. The project is funded by WERC: A Consortium for Environmental Education & Technology Development at NMSU, which also comprises the University of New Mexico, New Mexico Institute of Mining & Technology, Dine College, and Los Alamos and Sandia National Labs. Contact: Dr Shuguang Deng, Department of Chemical Engineering, New Mexico State University, Las Cruces, New Mexico, USA. Tel: +1 505 646 4346, Email: [email protected], Web: chemeng.nmsu.edu/people/ faculty/deng.htm Or contact: WERC/NMSU, Las Cruces, New Mexico, USA. Tel: +1 505 646 2038, www.werc.net
Franklin Fuel Cells raises $3m in new funding
P
ennsylvania-based Franklin Fuel Cells has raised $3m in additional funding from existing investors, including EnerTech Capital, The Reinvestment Fund’s Sustainable Development Fund, Hunt Power LP and individual investors, and brings the company’s total funding to date to $7.4m. Franklin Fuel Cells is an early-stage company focused on developing and commercializing an innovative copper-based SOFC technology that reportedly can operate directly on current hydrocarbon fuels (gasoline, diesel, natural gas), as well as future fuels such as hydrogen, biodiesel, waste gas and gasified coal. The technology was initially developed at the University of Pennsylvania. It eliminates the need for pure hydrogen, allowing readily available fuels to be used to generate power in fuel cells with higher efficiency and significantly lower cost. Franklin believes the technology can assist in the creation of near-term SOFC applications, such as portable military power generators, distribution and backup power generation for commercial and light industrial buildings,
heavy-duty APUs for vehicles, and heavy-duty generators for pumps in developing countries. President/CEO John Law says the new funding recognizes ‘the competitive advantages of Franklin’s ground-breaking SOFC technology.’ Franklin moved into a new development and test facility in the Great Valley Corporate Center in Malvern last October. In February the facility was expanded to include 20 singlecell test stations, each able to operate concurrently on liquid and gaseous hydrocarbon fuels. Contact: Franklin Fuel Cells Inc, Malvern, Pennsylvania, USA. Tel: +1 610 640 7545, www.franklinfuelcells.com
BC funding, strategy support hydrogen and fuel cell sector
B
ritish Columbia’s Ministry of Energy & Mines is to provide C$2m (US$1.6m) in funding to support hydrogen and fuel cell innovation in the province. The funding will be administered by Vancouver-based industry association, Fuel Cells Canada. The funding announcement also marks the unveiling of the ‘BC Hydrogen and Fuel Cell Strategy – An Industry Vision for Our Hydrogen Future’. The financial support is intended to jumpstart critical elements of the BC hydrogen and fuel cell strategy, and should also encourage additional investment from industry, the federal and municipal governments. Energy & mines minister Richard Neufeld says this funding reinforces BC premier Gordon Campbell’s commitment to support the province’s hydrogen and fuel cell sector, and make it ‘a global leader in the emerging hydrogen economy’. Key elements of the hydrogen and fuel cell strategy, prepared by an industry steering committee for the Premier’s Technology Council (PTC), include: • Integration of provincial and national hydrogen and fuel cell strategies. • Development of the BC Hydrogen Highway, a series of at least seven hydrogen fueling nodes between Victoria, Vancouver and Whistler. • Investment in a new center of excellence for hydrogen and fuel cell research. • Developing global markets through an international marketing strategy. According to Denis Connor, chair of both the strategy steering team and the Hydrogen Highway™, the BC strategy envisions the
April 2005