- Email: [email protected]
MTI Micro ships first Mobion product, receives certification
NEWS
Editorial office: Elsevier Advanced Technology PO Box 150 Kidlington Oxford OX5 1AS United Kingdom Tel:+44 (0)1865 843239 Fax: +44 (0)1865 853160 E-mail: [email protected] Website: www.fuelcellsbulletin.com Editor: Steve Barrett Production/Design Controller: Esther Ibbotson Permissions may be sought directly from Elsevier Global Rights Department, PO Box 800, Oxford OX5 1DX, UK; phone: (+44) 1865 843830, fax: (+44) 1865 853333, email: [email protected]. You may also contact Global Rights directly through Elsevier’s home page (http:// www.elsevier.com), by ‘Support and Contact’. In the USA, users may clear permissions and make payments through the Copyright Clearance Center, Inc., 222 Rosewood Drive, Danvers, MA 01923, USA; phone: (+1) (978) 7508400, fax: (+1) (978) 7504744, and in the UK through the Copyright Licensing Agency Rapid Clearance Service (CLARCS), 90 Tottenham Court Road, London W1P 0LP, UK; phone: (+44) (0) 20 7631 5555; fax: (+44) (0) 20 7631 5500. Other countries may have a local reprographic rights agency for payments. Derivative Works Subscribers may reproduce tables of contents or prepare lists of articles including abstracts for internal circulation within their institutions. Permission of the Publisher is required for resale or distribution outside the institution. Permission of the Publisher is required for all other derivative works, including compilations and translations. Electronic Storage or Usage Permission of the Publisher is required to store or use electronically any material contained in this journal, including any article or part of an article. Except as outlined above, no part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without prior written permission of the Publisher. Address permissions requests to: Elsevier Global Rights Department, at the mail, fax and e-mail addresses noted above. Notice No responsibility is assumed by the Publisher for any injury and/or damage to persons or property as a matter of products liability, negligence or otherwise, or from any use or operation of any methods, products, instructions or ideas contained in the material herein. Because of rapid advances in the medical sciences, in particular, independent verification of diagnoses and drug dosages should be made. Although all advertising material is expected to conform to ethical (medical) standards, inclusion in this publication does not constitute a guarantee or endorsement of the quality or value of such product or of the claims made of it by its manufacturer.
02233 Printed by Mayfield Press (Oxford) LImited
2
Fuel Cells Bulletin
Japan sets sights on fuel cell train by 2010
T
he Railway Technical Research Institute (RTRI) in Japan is pursuing the development of a fuel cell powered train, with the aim of introducing the prototype vehicle into service by about 2010, according to a report in The Daily Yomiuri. The RTRI has unveiled plans to build an experimental fuel cell train to run on its test tracks in Kunitachi, western Tokyo, in the near future. The trial vehicle would consist of two cars, one equipped with fuel cells fueled from a hydrogen cylinder, and the other with a set of four motors, a transformer and a battery. The RTRI says the planned low-noise train would have a maximum speed of 120 km/h and travel a maximum of 300–400 km before the hydrogen cylinder needs replacing. The RTRI’s plans build on the steady progress of its fuel cell train R&D program, established in 2001 [FCB, May 2001]. A feasibility study by the institute found that railway vehicles driven by fuel cells could reduce energy consumption by at least half compared with diesel cars, while CO2 emissions could be cut by around 30%, including the effects of idling stops and reuse of braking energy. In 2001, the RTRI successfully ran a minitrain, carrying one person, powered by fuel cells with an output of 1 kWe. A 30 kWe fuel cell system prototype was then built and its basic characteristics studied in a stationary power generation test using pure hydrogen and air. The same fuel cell system was subsequently used as the power supply for an electric train bogie in driving tests on a vehicle test bench. The RTRI says that the bogie could be driven at up to 50 km/h with the equivalent inertia weight on the test bench set to about half that of an electric commuter train and the acceleration to about a third. The prototype bogie was successfully testdriven in February 2004. To power a real train with two carriages would require fuel cells capable of generating 600 kW of electricity, according to Kenichi Uruga, chief of the institute’s Vehicle Control Technology Department. Current models are too large to fit in RTRI’s planned vehicle, says Uruga. It will therefore be necessary to boost fuel cell efficiency in order to reduce the size ‘by about two-thirds’. This will depend largely on progress in fuel cell technology, Uruga adds, ‘but given the remarkably rapid advances in recent years, we believe our fuel cell-powered train program is feasible’.
Contact: Vehicle Control Technology Division, Railway Technical Research Institute, Kokubunji-shi, Tokyo, Japan. Tel: +81 42 573 7258, www.rtri.or.jp
MTI Micro ships first Mobion product, receives certification
N
Y-based MTI MicroFuel Cells made its first production shipment of an integrated micro fuel cell product, powering a portable electronic device, in mid-December. In this first product to incorporate the company’s Mobion™ cordless rechargeable portable power technology, the direct methanol micro fuel cell has been integrated into a portable radio frequency identification (RFID) reader from Intermec Technologies Corporation. The Mobion fuel cell provides the RFID reader with instant recharging, using a replaceable fuel cartridge, and three to five times longer run times than existing battery technology. This advantage will increase productivity in logistics and warehousing applications. The Mobion power packs were produced by MTI Micro’s manufacturing partner Flextronics, in San Jose, California. In the development and qualification of this initial Mobion product, MTI Micro became the world’s first company to obtain safety compliance certifications for a micro fuel cell product from Underwriters Laboratories (UL) and CSA International. MTI Micro worked closely with UL, and led the effort for the latter’s firstever test requirements documentation for a micro fuel cell product. The CSA certification applies to both the US and Canadian markets. Dr William Acker, president/CEO of MTI Micro, hailed the launch and certifications as a ‘great accomplishment’ for the company, and ‘a milestone for the fuel cell sector’. Although the Mobion power packs are being targeted initially at industrial and military markets, Acker confirmed that MTI Micro will also pursue the commercialization of the technology for consumer electronics markets. MTI Micro has tied up with several major supply-chain partners – DuPont Fuel Cells for MEAs, Flextronics for manufacturing, and Gillette/Duracell to distribute consumer fuel refills [FCB, July 2004]. Contact: MTI MicroFuel Cells Inc, Albany, New York, USA. Tel: +1 518 533 2222, www.mtimicrofuelcells.com Or contact: Intermec Technologies Corporation, Everett, Washington, USA. Tel: +1 425 348 2600, www.intermec.com
February 2005
Editorial office: Elsevier Advanced Technology PO Box 150 Kidlington Oxford OX5 1AS United Kingdom Tel:+44 (0)1865 843239 Fax: +44 (0)1865 853160 E-mail: [email protected] Website: www.fuelcellsbulletin.com Editor: Steve Barrett Production/Design Controller: Esther Ibbotson Permissions may be sought directly from Elsevier Global Rights Department, PO Box 800, Oxford OX5 1DX, UK; phone: (+44) 1865 843830, fax: (+44) 1865 853333, email: [email protected]. You may also contact Global Rights directly through Elsevier’s home page (http:// www.elsevier.com), by ‘Support and Contact’. In the USA, users may clear permissions and make payments through the Copyright Clearance Center, Inc., 222 Rosewood Drive, Danvers, MA 01923, USA; phone: (+1) (978) 7508400, fax: (+1) (978) 7504744, and in the UK through the Copyright Licensing Agency Rapid Clearance Service (CLARCS), 90 Tottenham Court Road, London W1P 0LP, UK; phone: (+44) (0) 20 7631 5555; fax: (+44) (0) 20 7631 5500. Other countries may have a local reprographic rights agency for payments. Derivative Works Subscribers may reproduce tables of contents or prepare lists of articles including abstracts for internal circulation within their institutions. Permission of the Publisher is required for resale or distribution outside the institution. Permission of the Publisher is required for all other derivative works, including compilations and translations. Electronic Storage or Usage Permission of the Publisher is required to store or use electronically any material contained in this journal, including any article or part of an article. Except as outlined above, no part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without prior written permission of the Publisher. Address permissions requests to: Elsevier Global Rights Department, at the mail, fax and e-mail addresses noted above. Notice No responsibility is assumed by the Publisher for any injury and/or damage to persons or property as a matter of products liability, negligence or otherwise, or from any use or operation of any methods, products, instructions or ideas contained in the material herein. Because of rapid advances in the medical sciences, in particular, independent verification of diagnoses and drug dosages should be made. Although all advertising material is expected to conform to ethical (medical) standards, inclusion in this publication does not constitute a guarantee or endorsement of the quality or value of such product or of the claims made of it by its manufacturer.
02233 Printed by Mayfield Press (Oxford) LImited
2
Fuel Cells Bulletin
Japan sets sights on fuel cell train by 2010
T
he Railway Technical Research Institute (RTRI) in Japan is pursuing the development of a fuel cell powered train, with the aim of introducing the prototype vehicle into service by about 2010, according to a report in The Daily Yomiuri. The RTRI has unveiled plans to build an experimental fuel cell train to run on its test tracks in Kunitachi, western Tokyo, in the near future. The trial vehicle would consist of two cars, one equipped with fuel cells fueled from a hydrogen cylinder, and the other with a set of four motors, a transformer and a battery. The RTRI says the planned low-noise train would have a maximum speed of 120 km/h and travel a maximum of 300–400 km before the hydrogen cylinder needs replacing. The RTRI’s plans build on the steady progress of its fuel cell train R&D program, established in 2001 [FCB, May 2001]. A feasibility study by the institute found that railway vehicles driven by fuel cells could reduce energy consumption by at least half compared with diesel cars, while CO2 emissions could be cut by around 30%, including the effects of idling stops and reuse of braking energy. In 2001, the RTRI successfully ran a minitrain, carrying one person, powered by fuel cells with an output of 1 kWe. A 30 kWe fuel cell system prototype was then built and its basic characteristics studied in a stationary power generation test using pure hydrogen and air. The same fuel cell system was subsequently used as the power supply for an electric train bogie in driving tests on a vehicle test bench. The RTRI says that the bogie could be driven at up to 50 km/h with the equivalent inertia weight on the test bench set to about half that of an electric commuter train and the acceleration to about a third. The prototype bogie was successfully testdriven in February 2004. To power a real train with two carriages would require fuel cells capable of generating 600 kW of electricity, according to Kenichi Uruga, chief of the institute’s Vehicle Control Technology Department. Current models are too large to fit in RTRI’s planned vehicle, says Uruga. It will therefore be necessary to boost fuel cell efficiency in order to reduce the size ‘by about two-thirds’. This will depend largely on progress in fuel cell technology, Uruga adds, ‘but given the remarkably rapid advances in recent years, we believe our fuel cell-powered train program is feasible’.
Contact: Vehicle Control Technology Division, Railway Technical Research Institute, Kokubunji-shi, Tokyo, Japan. Tel: +81 42 573 7258, www.rtri.or.jp
MTI Micro ships first Mobion product, receives certification
N
Y-based MTI MicroFuel Cells made its first production shipment of an integrated micro fuel cell product, powering a portable electronic device, in mid-December. In this first product to incorporate the company’s Mobion™ cordless rechargeable portable power technology, the direct methanol micro fuel cell has been integrated into a portable radio frequency identification (RFID) reader from Intermec Technologies Corporation. The Mobion fuel cell provides the RFID reader with instant recharging, using a replaceable fuel cartridge, and three to five times longer run times than existing battery technology. This advantage will increase productivity in logistics and warehousing applications. The Mobion power packs were produced by MTI Micro’s manufacturing partner Flextronics, in San Jose, California. In the development and qualification of this initial Mobion product, MTI Micro became the world’s first company to obtain safety compliance certifications for a micro fuel cell product from Underwriters Laboratories (UL) and CSA International. MTI Micro worked closely with UL, and led the effort for the latter’s firstever test requirements documentation for a micro fuel cell product. The CSA certification applies to both the US and Canadian markets. Dr William Acker, president/CEO of MTI Micro, hailed the launch and certifications as a ‘great accomplishment’ for the company, and ‘a milestone for the fuel cell sector’. Although the Mobion power packs are being targeted initially at industrial and military markets, Acker confirmed that MTI Micro will also pursue the commercialization of the technology for consumer electronics markets. MTI Micro has tied up with several major supply-chain partners – DuPont Fuel Cells for MEAs, Flextronics for manufacturing, and Gillette/Duracell to distribute consumer fuel refills [FCB, July 2004]. Contact: MTI MicroFuel Cells Inc, Albany, New York, USA. Tel: +1 518 533 2222, www.mtimicrofuelcells.com Or contact: Intermec Technologies Corporation, Everett, Washington, USA. Tel: +1 425 348 2600, www.intermec.com
February 2005