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PowerCell wins more stack orders, secures bipolar plate supply
NEWS the components that need to be removed in conventional purification systems. The system can be applied in many different industries, from industrial process gas recovery to hydrogen fuel preparation. HyGear and Hydrogenious are also developing a long-term cooperation for the supply and distribution of Hy.RECpure products, and further development of the technology. The companies are part of the HySTOC project, which has been awarded a E2.5 million (US$3 million) grant from the Fuel Cells and Hydrogen Joint Undertaking (FCH JU), to cover further development of LOHC storage technology and dedicated Hy.RECpure technology. ‘Our LOHC hydrogen storage technology offers important advantages in large-scale storage of hydrogen using conventional liquid fuel infrastructure solutions for high-capacity hydrogen transportation at ambient conditions,’ says Martin Schneider, Head of Product Management for Hydrogenious. ‘By combining our products with HyGear’s Hy.RECpure technology, we can effectively target a wider range of hydrogen applications and accelerate the commercial rollout of our LOHC technology.’ Meanwhile, Nedstack has opted for HyGear to be its supplier for hydrogen in cylinders, for the daily quality control testing of PEM fuel cell stacks on its production line [see the Nedstack feature in August 2014]. For quality assurance, Nedstack performs full inline testing of each stack in its production process. This testing is performed using high-purity hydrogen, that from now on will be supplied in 300 bar cylinders from HyGear’s new hydrogen plant in Arnhem. HyGear: www.hygear.nl Hydrogenious Technologies: www.hydrogenious.net HySTOC project: www.hystoc.eu Nedstack: www.nedstack.nl
Precors in project to develop coating tech for compact fuel cells
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he German startup Precors GmbH is developing an innovative and scalable coating process for metallic bipolar plates for use in PEM fuel cells, in the government funded PRECOIL project. This will enable the production of lightweight and compact fuel cells while reducing costs. As part of the PRECOIL project, Precors is developing an automated process to allow roll-to-roll production of coated metal foils for the manufacturing of current collector plates (bipolar plates) for PEM fuel cells. This will 14
Fuel Cells Bulletin
provide major advantages in terms of series production, added-value potential, and cost reductions compared to the existing process of subsequent coating of individual bipolar plates. The carbon-based coating material developed by Precors provides effective corrosion protection and high electrical conductivity, significantly increasing fuel cell service life and power density. With an automotive fuel cell stack containing perhaps 350 bipolar plates, the use of lightweight and compact material concepts and a scalable, ecological and economically viable coating are of vital importance. The use of metallic bipolar plates opens up innovative, scalable and costefficient possibilities in terms of design and production, as well as significant reductions in weight and required installation space. The project is supported by the Federal Ministry of Transport and Digital Infrastructure (BMVI) National Innovation Programme 2, Hydrogen and Fuel Cell Technology (NIP2) with approximately E470 000 (US$550 000) in funding. The implementation of the NIP2 funding guideline is coordinated by NOW GmbH [FCB, February 2018, p13, and see page 5 in this issue]. Precors is a spinoff from the Institute of Energy and Climate Research (IEK-3) at the Forschungszentrum Jülich Research Centre, which recently published an analysis that found that the vehicle battery charging network will be more cost-intensive than a hydrogen refueling infrastructure [February 2018, p9]. Precors GmbH: www.precors.de PRECOIL project: https://tinyurl.com/nip-precoil [in German] National Innovation Programme Hydrogen and Fuel Cell Technology: http://tinyurl.com/nip-h2fc-tech Forschungszentrum Jülich, Electrochemical Process Engineering (IEK-3): https://tinyurl.com/juelich-iek3
commercial vehicles. PowerCell is making good progress in China: last autumn it received an order for S2 stacks for buses [FCB, November 2017, p5], and earlier this year received S2 orders from two customers, one for testing in combination with Liquid Organic Hydrogen Carrier (LOHC) technology and the other for passenger car range-extenders [February 2018, p4]. ‘Last year, PowerCell managed to develop the PowerCell S2 stack and increase its maximum power to 35 kW [April 2017, p12]. This improvement has substantially enhanced the attractivity of the stack,’ says Per Wassén, CEO of PowerCell Sweden. ‘This new repeat order proves that our product is an interesting alternative for customers aiming at diminishing or even eliminating emissions.’ PowerCell has also received a prototype order for S3 stacks from an unnamed international Tier 1 supplier, worth SEK6.9 million ($786 000), with deliveries scheduled to start in May. The high energy density S3 stack is primarily designed for automotive applications, and is based on industrial components to facilitate volume production [January 2016, p10]. In addition, PowerCell [see also In Brief on page 15] and Dana have signed a supply agreement for high-quality bipolar plates, which builds on the strong relationship that has evolved since they began to cooperate in 2013. Both participated in the German Autostack-Industrie project to develop costcompetitive series production of stacks for fuel cell electric vehicles [July 2017, p11]. PowerCell Sweden: www.powercell.se Dana, Fuel Cells: https://tinyurl.com/dana-fuel-cell-components
PowerCell wins more stack orders, secures bipolar plate supply
SFC, Green Century sign deal for EFOY Pro fuel cells in China
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owerCell Sweden has received a repeat order from a Chinese customer, who will test the S2 stack in commercial vehicles, and a prototype order for S3 stacks from an international Tier 1 supplier. The company has also signed an agreement with Dana Inc, securing the supply of high-quality bipolar plates for its PEM fuel cell stacks. The Chinese repeat order is worth SEK2.3 million (US$260 000), and the S2 stacks will be delivered during Q2, for testing in
erman-based SFC Energy has signed a business partnership agreement with Beijing Green Century Technology Co Ltd in China, under which Green Century will sell and service EFOY Pro direct methanol fuel cells as reliable power sources for Chinese industrial off-grid equipment and mobile applications. Green Century will introduce the EFOY Pro DMFCs to its industrial customers in renewable energy applications such as solar photovoltaic (PV) and wind power, in telecoms, railways, automation, and other
May 2018
Precors in project to develop coating tech for compact fuel cells
T
he German startup Precors GmbH is developing an innovative and scalable coating process for metallic bipolar plates for use in PEM fuel cells, in the government funded PRECOIL project. This will enable the production of lightweight and compact fuel cells while reducing costs. As part of the PRECOIL project, Precors is developing an automated process to allow roll-to-roll production of coated metal foils for the manufacturing of current collector plates (bipolar plates) for PEM fuel cells. This will 14
Fuel Cells Bulletin
provide major advantages in terms of series production, added-value potential, and cost reductions compared to the existing process of subsequent coating of individual bipolar plates. The carbon-based coating material developed by Precors provides effective corrosion protection and high electrical conductivity, significantly increasing fuel cell service life and power density. With an automotive fuel cell stack containing perhaps 350 bipolar plates, the use of lightweight and compact material concepts and a scalable, ecological and economically viable coating are of vital importance. The use of metallic bipolar plates opens up innovative, scalable and costefficient possibilities in terms of design and production, as well as significant reductions in weight and required installation space. The project is supported by the Federal Ministry of Transport and Digital Infrastructure (BMVI) National Innovation Programme 2, Hydrogen and Fuel Cell Technology (NIP2) with approximately E470 000 (US$550 000) in funding. The implementation of the NIP2 funding guideline is coordinated by NOW GmbH [FCB, February 2018, p13, and see page 5 in this issue]. Precors is a spinoff from the Institute of Energy and Climate Research (IEK-3) at the Forschungszentrum Jülich Research Centre, which recently published an analysis that found that the vehicle battery charging network will be more cost-intensive than a hydrogen refueling infrastructure [February 2018, p9]. Precors GmbH: www.precors.de PRECOIL project: https://tinyurl.com/nip-precoil [in German] National Innovation Programme Hydrogen and Fuel Cell Technology: http://tinyurl.com/nip-h2fc-tech Forschungszentrum Jülich, Electrochemical Process Engineering (IEK-3): https://tinyurl.com/juelich-iek3
commercial vehicles. PowerCell is making good progress in China: last autumn it received an order for S2 stacks for buses [FCB, November 2017, p5], and earlier this year received S2 orders from two customers, one for testing in combination with Liquid Organic Hydrogen Carrier (LOHC) technology and the other for passenger car range-extenders [February 2018, p4]. ‘Last year, PowerCell managed to develop the PowerCell S2 stack and increase its maximum power to 35 kW [April 2017, p12]. This improvement has substantially enhanced the attractivity of the stack,’ says Per Wassén, CEO of PowerCell Sweden. ‘This new repeat order proves that our product is an interesting alternative for customers aiming at diminishing or even eliminating emissions.’ PowerCell has also received a prototype order for S3 stacks from an unnamed international Tier 1 supplier, worth SEK6.9 million ($786 000), with deliveries scheduled to start in May. The high energy density S3 stack is primarily designed for automotive applications, and is based on industrial components to facilitate volume production [January 2016, p10]. In addition, PowerCell [see also In Brief on page 15] and Dana have signed a supply agreement for high-quality bipolar plates, which builds on the strong relationship that has evolved since they began to cooperate in 2013. Both participated in the German Autostack-Industrie project to develop costcompetitive series production of stacks for fuel cell electric vehicles [July 2017, p11]. PowerCell Sweden: www.powercell.se Dana, Fuel Cells: https://tinyurl.com/dana-fuel-cell-components
PowerCell wins more stack orders, secures bipolar plate supply
SFC, Green Century sign deal for EFOY Pro fuel cells in China
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owerCell Sweden has received a repeat order from a Chinese customer, who will test the S2 stack in commercial vehicles, and a prototype order for S3 stacks from an international Tier 1 supplier. The company has also signed an agreement with Dana Inc, securing the supply of high-quality bipolar plates for its PEM fuel cell stacks. The Chinese repeat order is worth SEK2.3 million (US$260 000), and the S2 stacks will be delivered during Q2, for testing in
erman-based SFC Energy has signed a business partnership agreement with Beijing Green Century Technology Co Ltd in China, under which Green Century will sell and service EFOY Pro direct methanol fuel cells as reliable power sources for Chinese industrial off-grid equipment and mobile applications. Green Century will introduce the EFOY Pro DMFCs to its industrial customers in renewable energy applications such as solar photovoltaic (PV) and wind power, in telecoms, railways, automation, and other
May 2018