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SFC Energy wins two major military deals for its DMFC systems
NEWS
Doosan starts new chapter, wins order for Amgraph Packaging
C
onnecticut-based Doosan Fuel Cell is leveraging 50-plus years of fuel cell technology to start a new chapter in US clean energy production, converting optimism into the reality of employing 300 people by the end of this year. Confirmation of this success comes from Amgraph Packaging, which has ordered two PureCell® Model 400 power plants for its headquarters and production facility in Baltic, Connecticut. Doosan Fuel Cell America only came into existence a year ago, when South Korean industrial conglomerate Doosan Corporation acquired the assets of ClearEdge Power [FCB, July 2014, p5]. Doosan FC is focusing on the PureCell Model 400 stationary phosphoric acid fuel cell products that ClearEdge Power acquired from UTC Power in 2013 [FCB, January 2013, p8], and has established its headquarters at the former UTC Power site in South Windsor [FCB, August 2014, p1]. Doosan FC is building on five decades of fuel cell technology, patents, and manufacturing expertise inherited from UTC Power to build a 50 MW global sales pipeline, and has reached all-time highs in production levels. Multiple contracts have been signed by Doosan during the past 12 months to install and operate 440 kW PureCell power plants at mixed-use properties, office and government buildings, college campuses, utilities, mining operations, and production facilities. Recent orders include Korea South-East Power in Seoul and CTtransit in Connecticut [FCB, July 2015, p7], part of a total of 140 PureCell systems under long-term service contracts in the US and Korea [see the PureCell feature in FCB, February 2012]. And now PureCell power plants will provide combined heat and power (CHP) for Amgraph Graphics, which produces flexible packaging for the food, pharmaceutical, health, and beauty industries. Amgraph is transitioning to fuel cells that run on natural gas, with Doosan manufacturing, installing and servicing the power plants. ‘We had conversations with a variety of fuel cell manufacturers, and selected Doosan’s PureCell technology because it most closely aligns with our environmental goals,’ says Kenneth A. Fontaine, president and CEO of Amgraph. ‘It’s quiet, clean, reliable, and produces the ideal combination of power and heat.’ The fuel cell’s high electrical and thermal
6
Fuel Cells Bulletin
efficiency and virtual lack of pollutants mean that this project has been awarded a grant under the Connecticut Low and Zero Emissions Renewable Energy Credit (LREC) programme. The commercial startup of the power plant will be by the end of 2015. Doosan Fuel Cell America, South Windsor, Connecticut, USA. Tel: +1 860 727 2200, www.doosanfuelcell.com Amgraph Packaging: www.amgraph.com
FCES, E.ON project development deal for MW units in Europe
I
n Germany, FuelCell Energy Solutions GmbH has signed an agreement with E.ON Connecting Energies GmbH, to offer decentralised combined heat and power (CHP) solutions with MW and multi-MW Direct FuelCell® power plants to its existing and prospective customer base, via a power purchase agreement financing or leasing structure. The partnership is also installing what it says is the first commercial MW-class fuel cell in Europe in an industrial environment. The agreement launches with the sale of a 1.4 MW DFC® plant for the German headquarters and production facility of FRIATEC AG in Mannheim. FRIATEC will benefit from ultra-clean, efficient and reliable power and high-quality heat, along with a reduction of power costs and enhanced energy security. E.ON will own the power plant, while FuelCell Energy Solutions will install, operate and maintain the plant under a long-term service agreement. The 1.4 MW power plant installation at FRIATEC – a specialist producer of noncorroding and wear-resistant materials – will meet approximately 60% of the power needs of the manufacturing operations. The high-quality heat from the power plant will be supplied to the existing onsite heating grid for use at multiple production areas within the facility. The FCES–E.ON project development agreement targets CHP applications for largescale power users that require continuous power, delivered economically and in an environmentally friendly manner. DFC molten carbonate fuel cell power plants are operating globally in multi-MW installations, providing both onsite power as well as utility grid support, including a 15 MW fuel cell park in Bridgeport, Connecticut [FCB, February 2015, p6], and the world’s largest, a 59 MW fuel cell park in South Korea [FCB, March 2014, p6].
FCES is the sales, manufacturing, and service business for the European Served Area for US-based FuelCell Energy Inc, with its administrative offices in Dresden and manufacturing operations in Ottobrun. FCES is a joint venture between FuelCell Energy and the Fraunhofer Institute for Ceramic Technologies and Systems IKTS in Germany [FCB, February 2012, p1]. FuelCell Energy Solutions GmbH, Dresden, Germany. Tel: +49 351 2553 7390 or 0800 181 8890 (toll-free in Germany), www.fces.de/?lang=en FuelCell Energy Inc, Danbury, Connecticut, USA. Tel: +1 203 825 6000, www.fuelcellenergy.com E.ON Connecting Energies GmbH: http://tinyurl.com/eon-connecting-energies FRIATEC: www.friatec.com
PORTABLE & MICRO
SFC Energy wins two major military deals for its DMFC systems
I
n Germany, SFC Energy has received a E1.3 million (US$1.4 million) order from the Bundeswehr (federal armed forces), for direct methanol fuel cells to power devices on military vehicles and for soldiers in the field. The company has also been awarded a E1.2 million ($1.3 million) Low Rate Initial Production order by an unidentified international defence force, for the shipment of a Next Generation Fuel Cell system for defence applications. The Bundeswehr order represents repeat business for SFC, following its successful deployment of the Emily fuel cell in December 2011. The Emily was also assigned a NATO stock number, and is still the only fuel cell in Germany to have achieved this level of standardisation [FCB, April 2012, p6]. The Emily generator was specifically developed to meet the demanding requirements of defence applications. When installed in military vehicles, it is connected to the vehicle battery, automatically providing power with minimal emissions and noise signature. Weighing only 12 kg (27 lb), the fuel cell can also be used to provide power to mobile command posts or as a field charger. Deployed off the vehicle, it will power almost any electric device (up to 100 W average load) via the SFC Power Manager. Meanwhile, SFC will produce, test, and deliver units under a Low Rate Initial Production Order for a Next Generation Fuel Cell system. The NGFC has been designed and
August 2015
NEWS developed under a joint development agreement as a fully integrated, non-detectable power source for off-grid defence applications in unmanned – e.g. covert and undercover – scenarios in the field. The extremely high energy density of the methanol fuel will allow the fuel cell to power stationary off-grid applications automatically for extended periods of time without requiring any user intervention. SFC will base the NGFC on its proven and tested fuel cell architecture, which is fully commercialised and ruggedised for powering electric and electronic devices, and for charging batteries onboard vehicles. The silent power source also reliably charges batteries offvehicle as a field charger. The Emily and Jenny systems have been successfully qualified and officially cleared for military use by the German Bundeswehr. SFC will optimise the fuel cell system as well as all individual components for maximum lifetime, safety, and reliability. SFC Energy offers a portfolio of portable, mobile, stationary, and vehicle-based fuel cells for defence applications, including the SFC Energy Network and the portable Jenny fuel cell [see the SFC feature in FCB, January 2013]. Its fuel cells are in field use with several major NATO defence organisations around the world [FCB, April 2014, p7 and January 2015, p4]. SFC is also partnering with ZephIR Lidar in the UK to serve the wind energy industry, and with a new marine distributor in the US [see page 10]. SFC Energy, Brunnthal/Munich, Germany. Tel: +49 89 673 5920, www.sfc.com or www.sfc-defense.com
FUELING
Air Products grant to enhance hydrogen station user experience
I
n the UK, two Air Products projects have been awarded funding from the Hydrogen Refuelling Station (HRS) Infrastructure Grants Scheme, run by the Office for Low Emission Vehicles (OLEV). The funding will be used to upgrade two of the company’s existing SmartFuel® stations in London, in particular to enhance user experience. The HRS Infrastructure Grants Scheme is managed for OLEV by Ricardo-AEA and E4tech [FCB, March 2015, p11]. In the spring it announced £6.6 million (US$9.6 million) in funding for three new hydrogen fueling projects and nine station upgrades [FCB, April 2015, p9].
August 2015
‘Having already achieved the necessary technical and operational standards, improving the user experience is the natural next step,’ says Diana Raine, European hydrogen energy business manager for Air Products. ‘Working in consultation with car manufacturers such as Hyundai and Toyota, we will use the funding provided by OLEV to introduce enhancements to our Heathrow and Hendon fueling stations [FCB, April 2015, p10], aimed at encouraging commercial and public adoption of hydrogen transport.’ Air Products is rolling out its proven hydrogen infrastructure technology around the world in parallel with automakers’ hydrogen vehicle deployment plans. In London, the company operates the UK’s first network of publicly accessible hydrogen stations. These dispensers refuel hydrogen cars such as the Hyundai ix35 Fuel Cell, vans and taxis delivered through projects supported by the European Fuel Cells and Hydrogen Joint Undertaking (FCH JU) and Innovate UK. The OLEV funding will also be used to enable Air Products to deploy its mobile hydrogen fueling solution, to allow vehicle demonstration and testing across the UK, including areas where the fixed fueling infrastructure is not yet developed. Both the mobile fueler and upgraded fueling stations use Air Products’ high-pressure delivery trailer [FCB, February 2014, p7]. Delivering high-pressure hydrogen – unlike other stations that produce hydrogen onsite – reduces the need for onsite compression, leading to high levels of reliability and minimising the forecourt footprint. This is an important distinction as the industry moves towards commercial adoption of the technology. This proven model is demonstrated at Air Products’ SmartFuel bus refueling station in east London, where on-stream levels are consistently in line with industry expectations [see the Air Products feature in FCB, February 2013]. Air Products, Hydrogen Energy: www.airproducts.co.uk/h2energy Hydrogen Refuelling Station Infrastructure Grants Scheme: http://tinyurl.com/ricardo-aea-hrs-grants
Total opens Munich hydrogen station for CEP with BMW, Linde
I
n Germany, Total and BMW have partnered to develop the Total multi-energy service station in Detmoldstrasse, directly opposite the BMW Group Research and Innovation Centre (FIZ) in Munich, as part of the
Clean Energy Partnership. In addition to the existing 700 bar gaseous hydrogen fuel pump, a second hydrogen pump uses innovative cryo-compressed fueling technology developed by Linde. Linde was commissioned to install its high-pressure cryogenic hydrogen pumps (cryopumps) at the station. The technology is designed to directly compress cryogenic liquid hydrogen stored at –253°C. ‘Linde is harnessing its expertise in cryogenic gases to reduce the amount of energy and storage space required at an integrated multi-energy fueling station,’ explains Dr Andreas Opfermann, head of technology & innovation. Linde’s advanced technology allows the station to offer two different fueling technologies at separate pumps. Drivers can choose between industry-standard 700 bar compressed gaseous hydrogen (at –40°C), and cryo-compressed hydrogen at –233°C (pressurised at up to 300 bar). This latter technique is suited to the pressurised cryogenic tanks in BMW’s nextgeneration FCEVs, e.g. based on the BMW 5 Series Gran Turismo demonstrator car [see page 2]. Total has invested more than €2 million ($2.2 million) in the station project, including €1.4 million ($1.6 million) in public funding. The station, under the umbrella of the Clean Energy Partnership, is the first publicly accessible hydrogen fueling service in the Bavarian capital [see the CEP feature in FCB, June 2011]. Total opened the first motorway hydrogen station in Germany in the spring, at Geiselwind [FCB, June 2015, p7], and operates seven of the country’s 18 public hydrogen stations. BMW is using the cryo-compression technology, which it says offers up to 50% more hydrogen storage capacity than 700 bar tanks, in its new generation of FCEVs. The automaker believes that it is important to have both systems available for testing in the real world, not just in the lab. More realistic test scenarios can be achieved if lab tests are supplemented by testing at a public fueling station. The Linde Hydrogen Center in Unterschleissheim, near Munich, has been serving as a hydrogen refueling station (although not open to the public), technology testing, training and demonstration centre since 2006. Linde has already established a strong position in the hydrogen refueling market with its ionic compressor technology [see the Linde feature in FCB, September 2014]. To meet rising demand for building up hydrogen infrastructure, last summer Linde opened the world’s first small-scale series production facility for hydrogen fueling stations at its application centre in Vienna, Austria [FCB, July 2014, p1]. The Linde Group, Hydrogen Energy: http://tinyurl.com/linde-hydrogen-energy
Fuel Cells Bulletin
7
Doosan starts new chapter, wins order for Amgraph Packaging
C
onnecticut-based Doosan Fuel Cell is leveraging 50-plus years of fuel cell technology to start a new chapter in US clean energy production, converting optimism into the reality of employing 300 people by the end of this year. Confirmation of this success comes from Amgraph Packaging, which has ordered two PureCell® Model 400 power plants for its headquarters and production facility in Baltic, Connecticut. Doosan Fuel Cell America only came into existence a year ago, when South Korean industrial conglomerate Doosan Corporation acquired the assets of ClearEdge Power [FCB, July 2014, p5]. Doosan FC is focusing on the PureCell Model 400 stationary phosphoric acid fuel cell products that ClearEdge Power acquired from UTC Power in 2013 [FCB, January 2013, p8], and has established its headquarters at the former UTC Power site in South Windsor [FCB, August 2014, p1]. Doosan FC is building on five decades of fuel cell technology, patents, and manufacturing expertise inherited from UTC Power to build a 50 MW global sales pipeline, and has reached all-time highs in production levels. Multiple contracts have been signed by Doosan during the past 12 months to install and operate 440 kW PureCell power plants at mixed-use properties, office and government buildings, college campuses, utilities, mining operations, and production facilities. Recent orders include Korea South-East Power in Seoul and CTtransit in Connecticut [FCB, July 2015, p7], part of a total of 140 PureCell systems under long-term service contracts in the US and Korea [see the PureCell feature in FCB, February 2012]. And now PureCell power plants will provide combined heat and power (CHP) for Amgraph Graphics, which produces flexible packaging for the food, pharmaceutical, health, and beauty industries. Amgraph is transitioning to fuel cells that run on natural gas, with Doosan manufacturing, installing and servicing the power plants. ‘We had conversations with a variety of fuel cell manufacturers, and selected Doosan’s PureCell technology because it most closely aligns with our environmental goals,’ says Kenneth A. Fontaine, president and CEO of Amgraph. ‘It’s quiet, clean, reliable, and produces the ideal combination of power and heat.’ The fuel cell’s high electrical and thermal
6
Fuel Cells Bulletin
efficiency and virtual lack of pollutants mean that this project has been awarded a grant under the Connecticut Low and Zero Emissions Renewable Energy Credit (LREC) programme. The commercial startup of the power plant will be by the end of 2015. Doosan Fuel Cell America, South Windsor, Connecticut, USA. Tel: +1 860 727 2200, www.doosanfuelcell.com Amgraph Packaging: www.amgraph.com
FCES, E.ON project development deal for MW units in Europe
I
n Germany, FuelCell Energy Solutions GmbH has signed an agreement with E.ON Connecting Energies GmbH, to offer decentralised combined heat and power (CHP) solutions with MW and multi-MW Direct FuelCell® power plants to its existing and prospective customer base, via a power purchase agreement financing or leasing structure. The partnership is also installing what it says is the first commercial MW-class fuel cell in Europe in an industrial environment. The agreement launches with the sale of a 1.4 MW DFC® plant for the German headquarters and production facility of FRIATEC AG in Mannheim. FRIATEC will benefit from ultra-clean, efficient and reliable power and high-quality heat, along with a reduction of power costs and enhanced energy security. E.ON will own the power plant, while FuelCell Energy Solutions will install, operate and maintain the plant under a long-term service agreement. The 1.4 MW power plant installation at FRIATEC – a specialist producer of noncorroding and wear-resistant materials – will meet approximately 60% of the power needs of the manufacturing operations. The high-quality heat from the power plant will be supplied to the existing onsite heating grid for use at multiple production areas within the facility. The FCES–E.ON project development agreement targets CHP applications for largescale power users that require continuous power, delivered economically and in an environmentally friendly manner. DFC molten carbonate fuel cell power plants are operating globally in multi-MW installations, providing both onsite power as well as utility grid support, including a 15 MW fuel cell park in Bridgeport, Connecticut [FCB, February 2015, p6], and the world’s largest, a 59 MW fuel cell park in South Korea [FCB, March 2014, p6].
FCES is the sales, manufacturing, and service business for the European Served Area for US-based FuelCell Energy Inc, with its administrative offices in Dresden and manufacturing operations in Ottobrun. FCES is a joint venture between FuelCell Energy and the Fraunhofer Institute for Ceramic Technologies and Systems IKTS in Germany [FCB, February 2012, p1]. FuelCell Energy Solutions GmbH, Dresden, Germany. Tel: +49 351 2553 7390 or 0800 181 8890 (toll-free in Germany), www.fces.de/?lang=en FuelCell Energy Inc, Danbury, Connecticut, USA. Tel: +1 203 825 6000, www.fuelcellenergy.com E.ON Connecting Energies GmbH: http://tinyurl.com/eon-connecting-energies FRIATEC: www.friatec.com
PORTABLE & MICRO
SFC Energy wins two major military deals for its DMFC systems
I
n Germany, SFC Energy has received a E1.3 million (US$1.4 million) order from the Bundeswehr (federal armed forces), for direct methanol fuel cells to power devices on military vehicles and for soldiers in the field. The company has also been awarded a E1.2 million ($1.3 million) Low Rate Initial Production order by an unidentified international defence force, for the shipment of a Next Generation Fuel Cell system for defence applications. The Bundeswehr order represents repeat business for SFC, following its successful deployment of the Emily fuel cell in December 2011. The Emily was also assigned a NATO stock number, and is still the only fuel cell in Germany to have achieved this level of standardisation [FCB, April 2012, p6]. The Emily generator was specifically developed to meet the demanding requirements of defence applications. When installed in military vehicles, it is connected to the vehicle battery, automatically providing power with minimal emissions and noise signature. Weighing only 12 kg (27 lb), the fuel cell can also be used to provide power to mobile command posts or as a field charger. Deployed off the vehicle, it will power almost any electric device (up to 100 W average load) via the SFC Power Manager. Meanwhile, SFC will produce, test, and deliver units under a Low Rate Initial Production Order for a Next Generation Fuel Cell system. The NGFC has been designed and
August 2015
NEWS developed under a joint development agreement as a fully integrated, non-detectable power source for off-grid defence applications in unmanned – e.g. covert and undercover – scenarios in the field. The extremely high energy density of the methanol fuel will allow the fuel cell to power stationary off-grid applications automatically for extended periods of time without requiring any user intervention. SFC will base the NGFC on its proven and tested fuel cell architecture, which is fully commercialised and ruggedised for powering electric and electronic devices, and for charging batteries onboard vehicles. The silent power source also reliably charges batteries offvehicle as a field charger. The Emily and Jenny systems have been successfully qualified and officially cleared for military use by the German Bundeswehr. SFC will optimise the fuel cell system as well as all individual components for maximum lifetime, safety, and reliability. SFC Energy offers a portfolio of portable, mobile, stationary, and vehicle-based fuel cells for defence applications, including the SFC Energy Network and the portable Jenny fuel cell [see the SFC feature in FCB, January 2013]. Its fuel cells are in field use with several major NATO defence organisations around the world [FCB, April 2014, p7 and January 2015, p4]. SFC is also partnering with ZephIR Lidar in the UK to serve the wind energy industry, and with a new marine distributor in the US [see page 10]. SFC Energy, Brunnthal/Munich, Germany. Tel: +49 89 673 5920, www.sfc.com or www.sfc-defense.com
FUELING
Air Products grant to enhance hydrogen station user experience
I
n the UK, two Air Products projects have been awarded funding from the Hydrogen Refuelling Station (HRS) Infrastructure Grants Scheme, run by the Office for Low Emission Vehicles (OLEV). The funding will be used to upgrade two of the company’s existing SmartFuel® stations in London, in particular to enhance user experience. The HRS Infrastructure Grants Scheme is managed for OLEV by Ricardo-AEA and E4tech [FCB, March 2015, p11]. In the spring it announced £6.6 million (US$9.6 million) in funding for three new hydrogen fueling projects and nine station upgrades [FCB, April 2015, p9].
August 2015
‘Having already achieved the necessary technical and operational standards, improving the user experience is the natural next step,’ says Diana Raine, European hydrogen energy business manager for Air Products. ‘Working in consultation with car manufacturers such as Hyundai and Toyota, we will use the funding provided by OLEV to introduce enhancements to our Heathrow and Hendon fueling stations [FCB, April 2015, p10], aimed at encouraging commercial and public adoption of hydrogen transport.’ Air Products is rolling out its proven hydrogen infrastructure technology around the world in parallel with automakers’ hydrogen vehicle deployment plans. In London, the company operates the UK’s first network of publicly accessible hydrogen stations. These dispensers refuel hydrogen cars such as the Hyundai ix35 Fuel Cell, vans and taxis delivered through projects supported by the European Fuel Cells and Hydrogen Joint Undertaking (FCH JU) and Innovate UK. The OLEV funding will also be used to enable Air Products to deploy its mobile hydrogen fueling solution, to allow vehicle demonstration and testing across the UK, including areas where the fixed fueling infrastructure is not yet developed. Both the mobile fueler and upgraded fueling stations use Air Products’ high-pressure delivery trailer [FCB, February 2014, p7]. Delivering high-pressure hydrogen – unlike other stations that produce hydrogen onsite – reduces the need for onsite compression, leading to high levels of reliability and minimising the forecourt footprint. This is an important distinction as the industry moves towards commercial adoption of the technology. This proven model is demonstrated at Air Products’ SmartFuel bus refueling station in east London, where on-stream levels are consistently in line with industry expectations [see the Air Products feature in FCB, February 2013]. Air Products, Hydrogen Energy: www.airproducts.co.uk/h2energy Hydrogen Refuelling Station Infrastructure Grants Scheme: http://tinyurl.com/ricardo-aea-hrs-grants
Total opens Munich hydrogen station for CEP with BMW, Linde
I
n Germany, Total and BMW have partnered to develop the Total multi-energy service station in Detmoldstrasse, directly opposite the BMW Group Research and Innovation Centre (FIZ) in Munich, as part of the
Clean Energy Partnership. In addition to the existing 700 bar gaseous hydrogen fuel pump, a second hydrogen pump uses innovative cryo-compressed fueling technology developed by Linde. Linde was commissioned to install its high-pressure cryogenic hydrogen pumps (cryopumps) at the station. The technology is designed to directly compress cryogenic liquid hydrogen stored at –253°C. ‘Linde is harnessing its expertise in cryogenic gases to reduce the amount of energy and storage space required at an integrated multi-energy fueling station,’ explains Dr Andreas Opfermann, head of technology & innovation. Linde’s advanced technology allows the station to offer two different fueling technologies at separate pumps. Drivers can choose between industry-standard 700 bar compressed gaseous hydrogen (at –40°C), and cryo-compressed hydrogen at –233°C (pressurised at up to 300 bar). This latter technique is suited to the pressurised cryogenic tanks in BMW’s nextgeneration FCEVs, e.g. based on the BMW 5 Series Gran Turismo demonstrator car [see page 2]. Total has invested more than €2 million ($2.2 million) in the station project, including €1.4 million ($1.6 million) in public funding. The station, under the umbrella of the Clean Energy Partnership, is the first publicly accessible hydrogen fueling service in the Bavarian capital [see the CEP feature in FCB, June 2011]. Total opened the first motorway hydrogen station in Germany in the spring, at Geiselwind [FCB, June 2015, p7], and operates seven of the country’s 18 public hydrogen stations. BMW is using the cryo-compression technology, which it says offers up to 50% more hydrogen storage capacity than 700 bar tanks, in its new generation of FCEVs. The automaker believes that it is important to have both systems available for testing in the real world, not just in the lab. More realistic test scenarios can be achieved if lab tests are supplemented by testing at a public fueling station. The Linde Hydrogen Center in Unterschleissheim, near Munich, has been serving as a hydrogen refueling station (although not open to the public), technology testing, training and demonstration centre since 2006. Linde has already established a strong position in the hydrogen refueling market with its ionic compressor technology [see the Linde feature in FCB, September 2014]. To meet rising demand for building up hydrogen infrastructure, last summer Linde opened the world’s first small-scale series production facility for hydrogen fueling stations at its application centre in Vienna, Austria [FCB, July 2014, p1]. The Linde Group, Hydrogen Energy: http://tinyurl.com/linde-hydrogen-energy
Fuel Cells Bulletin
7