- Email: [email protected]
SFC fuel cells for fire detection, portable military applications
NEWS So far the material has demonstrated a 6.7% conversion to hydrogen, which is already better than alternative methods on the market, Varma says. The team hopes to increase the yield to about 10% through additional experiments. A provisional patent application has been filed. The team envisions a future system in which pellets of their hydrogen-releasing material would be contained in disposable credit-cardsize cartridges. In the proposed battery recharging application, a computer chip would automatically detect when the battery needed to be recharged, activating a new pellet to operate the fuel cell until all were consumed. Reaction byproducts are environmentally benign and can be discarded or recycled, the team says. Elsewhere at Purdue, associate professor of chemistry Mahdi Abu-Omar has discovered a new method to generate hydrogen from water through its reaction with organosilanes in the presence of a rhenium-based catalyst. He and colleagues were studying the catalyzed hydrolysis of organosilanes to produce silanols, when they observed that the reaction facilitated by the rhenium catalyst also generated hydrogen at a high rate in proportion to the amount of water, without needing extreme temperatures or pressures. The team estimates that about 7 gallons each of water and organosilane liquid (about 53 liters in total) could combine to produce 2.9 kg of hydrogen, which could power a car for approximately 240 miles. While acknowledging that the method has not yet been evaluated for economic feasibility on a large scale, or for its ecological impact, Abu-Omar says it demonstrates production and storage of hydrogen on demand. The findings are published in the 31 August issue of the Journal of the American Chemical Society. Contact: Professor Arvind Varma, Department of Chemical Engineering, Purdue University, West Lafayette, Indiana, USA. Tel: +1 765 494 4075, Email: [email protected], Web: engineering.purdue.edu/ChE Or contact: Mahdi Abu-Omar, Department of Chemistry. Tel: +1 765 494 5302, Email: [email protected], www.chem.purdue.edu
First UK domestic fuel cell cogen installation
A
consortium led by Scottish fuel cell integrator siGEN has installed a fuel cell powered, micro-cogeneration unit at a housing estate in Eyemouth, Scotland. The Home Energy Centre, supplied by the Baxi Group, will supply all the heat and electricity for a new four-bedroom house during a 12-month trial running until next September. 6
Fuel Cells Bulletin
Running on mains natural gas, the Home Energy Centre is based around a PEM fuel cell, combined with a natural gas reformer to produce hydrogen. The system provides 1.5 kW of electricity and 18 kW of heat, sufficient for all of an average domestic property’s heat requirements and up to 75% of its electrical power needs, all year round. The Eyemouth micro-cogeneration unit has been developed at Baxi Group subsidiary, european fuel cell gmbh in Hamburg, Germany and is the first of its kind to be installed in the UK. It will be evaluated as part of a larger-scale, Europe-wide field test of the technology. The installation is the result of a consortium of organizations keen to investigate future forms of supplying heat and power into homes. With siGEN responsible for project management and installation, the consortium also comprises Berwickshire Housing Association (BHA), which owns the new development on which the Home Energy Centre is sited, Scottish Power, Scottish Enterprise and Baxi Group. Commenting on the installation, siGEN’s managing director Dave McGrath says it is ‘critical that the UK trials these systems, and establishes the necessary skills and service base for these new technologies as they become more widely available.’ He also credited the BHA for making the project possible through its recognition that long-term energy costs will become a serious issue for tenants. Contact: siGEN Ltd, Aberdeen, Scotland, UK. Tel: +44 1224 715568, www.sigen.co.uk Or contact: Baxi Group, Derby, UK. Tel: +44 1332 524800, www.baxigroup.com Or contact: european fuel cell gmbh, Hamburg, Germany. Tel: +49 40 2366 7600, www.europeanfuelcell.de
SFC fuel cells for fire detection, portable military applications
I
n Germany, several remote fire watchtowers in the Brandenburg region are being equipped with combined solar/ fuel cell systems to provide all-weather power to ‘Firewatch’ forest-fire detection cameras. The remote power system comprises an SFC A50 direct methanol fuel cell from SFC Smart Fuel Cell, integrated into a 220 Wp photovoltaic system. The ‘Firewatch’ automatic early warning system for forest fires was developed by Berlinbased IQ wireless GmbH. A camera installed on a fire watchtower rotates once every eight
minutes, continuously recording a 360° panorama of the surrounding forests. When a trail of smoke is identified by the system’s image-processing software, the smoke’s bearing and distance are immediately transmitted to the wood fire control station for visual analysis of the situation. The ‘Firewatch’ system operates at 24 V with a peak power demand of 120 W, which should be halved in further developments. ‘The adoption of Firewatch in the Brandenburg area, which has one of the highest fire danger ratings in Europe, has considerably reduced forest-fire damage in the last few years, thanks to the early detection’, says Holger Vogel, VP of IQ wireless. Its use has also led to considerable cost savings in surveillance tasks, previously performed by forestry rangers. Now, the introduction of the combined PV/ fuel cell system is allowing IQ wireless to extend ‘Firewatch’ to previously inaccessible off-grid locations. The fuel cell takes over whenever the solar system is unable to provide enough power, ensuring 100% availability of the early detection system in any weather. The first remote system was installed in June, and is reported to be ‘operating to fullest satisfaction’. Three more were scheduled to start operation in the fall. In other news, SFC is joining forces with the German Federal Army’s Military Vehicle and Tank Technology Department WTD 41 to develop a next-generation portable fuel cell as a power supply for soldiers in the field. The objective of the cooperation program is to increase the soldiers’ tactical operating range by reducing the weight and size of their equipment while increasing the amount of available electrical energy. Soldiers today must carry up to 40 kg (88 lb) in mission-relevant equipment, much of it electrical devices and the batteries required to run them. For a typical, three-day mission requiring an average of 20 We of electric power, an infantryman would have to carry 12.6 kg of rechargeable secondary batteries, or 9.3 kg of more costly, single-use primary batteries. In contrast, SFC’s current portable DMFC, the SFC C20, weighs only 3.3 kg, including the fuel. The cooperation program will see the development of a new DMFC product, the C20-II, with weight further reduced to 2.2 kg. The device will be able to directly power electrical devices or recharge secondary batteries. It will work reliably even at very high or low ambient temperatures and will be robust, shock-resistant and waterproof. The new product will also contribute to a considerable reduction of operating and logistics costs, as the cost of consumables is low compared with batteries; transportation costs will also be reduced. The dvelopment of the SFC C20-II is expected to be finalized by the end of this year. The German Federal Army will carry out lab
October 2005
NEWS and field testing of the product in real operating conditions and compare the results with battery-based solutions. The aim is to make the fuel cell fully ready for use as soon as possible. Contact: SFC Smart Fuel Cell AG, Brunnthal-Nord, Germany. Tel: +49 89 607 45460, www.smartfuelcell.com
GE SOFCs exceed SECA Phase I performance
G
E Hybrid Power Generation Systems reports that recent advances in its SOFC technology have dramatically improved baseline cell performance and accelerated its prospects for achieving the system efficiency and cost objectives of the DOE’s Solid State Energy Conversion Alliance (SECA) program. GE researchers have developed full-size single-cell SOFC modules that are reported to consistently achieve a power density of 404 mW/cm2 at 88% fuel utilization. This far surpasses their SECA Phase I goal of 300 mW/cm2 and represents a 47% increase over their 2004 baseline performance, GE says. The cells have also demonstrated stable operation at 95% fuel utilization, thought to be a record for full-size planar SOFCs. The GE cells are fabricated using the company’s tape calendering process, a mass-production manufacturing technique that supports the $400/kWe system cost goal of the SECA program. At $400/kWe – nearly one-tenth the cost of power-generating fuel cells currently on the market – fuel cells would compete with traditional gas turbine and diesel electricity generators for stationary applications, and become viable auxiliary power supplies for transportation. GE’s SOFC technology has been incorporated into a 5 kWe SECA prototype fuel cell system. The compact, fuel-flexible system operates now on methane, and will be able to operate on pipeline natural gas, coal gas, propane and other fuels in the future, GE says. To optimize performance and reliability, the system uses an integrated thermal management approach, in which internal components that generate heat are connected with those that use it, so energy is not lost to the environment. The system also employs a flexible control structure that allows the system’s operating characteristics to be easily adjusted. Prototype testing began in April. Contact: GE Hybrid Power Generation Systems, Torrance, California, USA. Tel: +1 310 538 7200, www.gepower.com/research/seca/sofc_research.htm For more information on the SECA program, go to: www.seca.doe.gov
October 2005
Nuvera’s new automotive stack beats milestones
U
S/Italian-based Nuvera Fuel Cells reports that its next-generation Andromeda II automotive fuel cell stack achieved several major milestones during recent qualification tests at the company’s facility in Milan. The new stack, capable of generating 125 kWe and available for delivery to qualified customers developing FCVs, exceeded key targets for power density, coldstart capability, system efficiency, durability and high-volume production cost. Specifically, Andromeda II is reported to have demonstrated the following product milestones: • 1.6 kWe/liter power density at high pressure, and 1.3 kWe/liter at low pressure. • Low pressure (<1.6 bar) operation. • No external humidification for fuel or air. • Repeatable freeze start from –30°C, reaching 50% power in 30 s. • Greater than 1500 h steady-state operation with a 10 µV/h/cell decay rate. • 100 000 cycles during operation with no measurable decay. • Non-coated stainless steel bipolar plate construction for low cost. According to Giovanni Bruni, Nuvera’s Automotive Platform Leader, the advances are significant because they address critical challenges to FCV commercialization. ‘Andromeda II was engineered with the entire power system in mind,’ he says. ‘By rethinking the stack engineering, we were able to significantly reduce system humidity and pressure, which enables faster coldstart capabilities and lowers parasitic power demand, thus increasing reliability and overall system efficiency.’ Contact: Nuvera Fuel Cells Inc, Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA. Tel: +1 617 245 7500, www.nuvera.com Or contact: Nuvera Fuel Cells Europe Srl, Milan, Italy. Tel: +39 02 2129 2316.
Chinese SOFC JV for Digital Sofcell, Goeta
D
igital Sofcell, the solid oxide fuel cell subsidiary of Michigan-based Digital Gas, is to participate in a joint venture with Shanghai ShenLi High Tech Co and Goeta Technology Developer International to develop and commercialize new SOFC technology in China.
IN BRIEF Summit Medi-Chem releases fuel cell catalyst capable of using ethanol Following the recent signing of an exclusive sales and distribution agreement [FCB, July], the advanced Hypermec™ fuel cell catalysts developed by Italy’s Acta SpA are now available in Japan, South Korea and Taiwan through Summit Medi-Chem, the industrial chemical subsidiary of Japan’s Sumitomo Corporation. Sumitomo is reported to be aiming for ¥5bn (US$45m) in sales of the catalysts by fiscal 2008. Summit Medi-Chem and Sumitomo will also ask Acta to approach Japanese universities and research institutions for joint research, according to a Japan Corporate News Network report. Acta’s proprietary platinum-free nanotechnology is reported to boost catalytic activity to levels similar to conventional DMFC catalysts. The catalyst technology can also handle ethanol, which Pt-based catalysts cannot. Rental program for portable DMFCs Sandpiper Technologies Inc (STI) in California has introduced a program that enables customers to rent its Sentinel 50 We/12 V direct methanol fuel cells for evaluation. The DMFCs are supplied by German-based SFC Smart Fuel Cell. The Sentinel product is rugged, self-contained and portable, weighing about 28 lb (13 kg) in a weatherproof case (compared with a typical 75 lb for a lead battery). Methanol is provided in easily changed 5 or 10 liter cassettes. The so-called Fuel Cell Power Rent-to-Own Program allows first-time users to try the fuel cell for at least two weeks, with a 100% rental credit towards an immediate purchase and a 50% credit towards later purchases. Weekly rental rates are from $99 to $149. STI says the fuel cells can also be used to power other 12 Vdc research tools such as GPS equipment and laptops, or to recharge batteries. Iwatani, Ebara develop emergency fuel cell generator In Japan, Iwatani International has developed an emergency-use, fuel-cell power generator in cooperation with Ebara Corporation, reports the Nihon Keizai Shimbun. The generator is designed to provide electricity to homes when power is lost, such as after an earthquake. Each unit can output 0.85 kWh of electricity, enough to meet the daily power needs of a family of four. Iwatani combined its technology for compressing hydrogen gas with Ebara Ballard’s fuel cell technology to design a power generator that weighs around 70 kg, similar in weight to a comparable gasoline-powered generator. Iwatani’s small, lightweight hydrogen cylinder makes the overall generator easy to transport. The company will market the product to municipal governments from next spring, emphasizing the clean, quiet operation of fuel cells.
Fuel Cells Bulletin
7
First UK domestic fuel cell cogen installation
A
consortium led by Scottish fuel cell integrator siGEN has installed a fuel cell powered, micro-cogeneration unit at a housing estate in Eyemouth, Scotland. The Home Energy Centre, supplied by the Baxi Group, will supply all the heat and electricity for a new four-bedroom house during a 12-month trial running until next September. 6
Fuel Cells Bulletin
Running on mains natural gas, the Home Energy Centre is based around a PEM fuel cell, combined with a natural gas reformer to produce hydrogen. The system provides 1.5 kW of electricity and 18 kW of heat, sufficient for all of an average domestic property’s heat requirements and up to 75% of its electrical power needs, all year round. The Eyemouth micro-cogeneration unit has been developed at Baxi Group subsidiary, european fuel cell gmbh in Hamburg, Germany and is the first of its kind to be installed in the UK. It will be evaluated as part of a larger-scale, Europe-wide field test of the technology. The installation is the result of a consortium of organizations keen to investigate future forms of supplying heat and power into homes. With siGEN responsible for project management and installation, the consortium also comprises Berwickshire Housing Association (BHA), which owns the new development on which the Home Energy Centre is sited, Scottish Power, Scottish Enterprise and Baxi Group. Commenting on the installation, siGEN’s managing director Dave McGrath says it is ‘critical that the UK trials these systems, and establishes the necessary skills and service base for these new technologies as they become more widely available.’ He also credited the BHA for making the project possible through its recognition that long-term energy costs will become a serious issue for tenants. Contact: siGEN Ltd, Aberdeen, Scotland, UK. Tel: +44 1224 715568, www.sigen.co.uk Or contact: Baxi Group, Derby, UK. Tel: +44 1332 524800, www.baxigroup.com Or contact: european fuel cell gmbh, Hamburg, Germany. Tel: +49 40 2366 7600, www.europeanfuelcell.de
SFC fuel cells for fire detection, portable military applications
I
n Germany, several remote fire watchtowers in the Brandenburg region are being equipped with combined solar/ fuel cell systems to provide all-weather power to ‘Firewatch’ forest-fire detection cameras. The remote power system comprises an SFC A50 direct methanol fuel cell from SFC Smart Fuel Cell, integrated into a 220 Wp photovoltaic system. The ‘Firewatch’ automatic early warning system for forest fires was developed by Berlinbased IQ wireless GmbH. A camera installed on a fire watchtower rotates once every eight
minutes, continuously recording a 360° panorama of the surrounding forests. When a trail of smoke is identified by the system’s image-processing software, the smoke’s bearing and distance are immediately transmitted to the wood fire control station for visual analysis of the situation. The ‘Firewatch’ system operates at 24 V with a peak power demand of 120 W, which should be halved in further developments. ‘The adoption of Firewatch in the Brandenburg area, which has one of the highest fire danger ratings in Europe, has considerably reduced forest-fire damage in the last few years, thanks to the early detection’, says Holger Vogel, VP of IQ wireless. Its use has also led to considerable cost savings in surveillance tasks, previously performed by forestry rangers. Now, the introduction of the combined PV/ fuel cell system is allowing IQ wireless to extend ‘Firewatch’ to previously inaccessible off-grid locations. The fuel cell takes over whenever the solar system is unable to provide enough power, ensuring 100% availability of the early detection system in any weather. The first remote system was installed in June, and is reported to be ‘operating to fullest satisfaction’. Three more were scheduled to start operation in the fall. In other news, SFC is joining forces with the German Federal Army’s Military Vehicle and Tank Technology Department WTD 41 to develop a next-generation portable fuel cell as a power supply for soldiers in the field. The objective of the cooperation program is to increase the soldiers’ tactical operating range by reducing the weight and size of their equipment while increasing the amount of available electrical energy. Soldiers today must carry up to 40 kg (88 lb) in mission-relevant equipment, much of it electrical devices and the batteries required to run them. For a typical, three-day mission requiring an average of 20 We of electric power, an infantryman would have to carry 12.6 kg of rechargeable secondary batteries, or 9.3 kg of more costly, single-use primary batteries. In contrast, SFC’s current portable DMFC, the SFC C20, weighs only 3.3 kg, including the fuel. The cooperation program will see the development of a new DMFC product, the C20-II, with weight further reduced to 2.2 kg. The device will be able to directly power electrical devices or recharge secondary batteries. It will work reliably even at very high or low ambient temperatures and will be robust, shock-resistant and waterproof. The new product will also contribute to a considerable reduction of operating and logistics costs, as the cost of consumables is low compared with batteries; transportation costs will also be reduced. The dvelopment of the SFC C20-II is expected to be finalized by the end of this year. The German Federal Army will carry out lab
October 2005
NEWS and field testing of the product in real operating conditions and compare the results with battery-based solutions. The aim is to make the fuel cell fully ready for use as soon as possible. Contact: SFC Smart Fuel Cell AG, Brunnthal-Nord, Germany. Tel: +49 89 607 45460, www.smartfuelcell.com
GE SOFCs exceed SECA Phase I performance
G
E Hybrid Power Generation Systems reports that recent advances in its SOFC technology have dramatically improved baseline cell performance and accelerated its prospects for achieving the system efficiency and cost objectives of the DOE’s Solid State Energy Conversion Alliance (SECA) program. GE researchers have developed full-size single-cell SOFC modules that are reported to consistently achieve a power density of 404 mW/cm2 at 88% fuel utilization. This far surpasses their SECA Phase I goal of 300 mW/cm2 and represents a 47% increase over their 2004 baseline performance, GE says. The cells have also demonstrated stable operation at 95% fuel utilization, thought to be a record for full-size planar SOFCs. The GE cells are fabricated using the company’s tape calendering process, a mass-production manufacturing technique that supports the $400/kWe system cost goal of the SECA program. At $400/kWe – nearly one-tenth the cost of power-generating fuel cells currently on the market – fuel cells would compete with traditional gas turbine and diesel electricity generators for stationary applications, and become viable auxiliary power supplies for transportation. GE’s SOFC technology has been incorporated into a 5 kWe SECA prototype fuel cell system. The compact, fuel-flexible system operates now on methane, and will be able to operate on pipeline natural gas, coal gas, propane and other fuels in the future, GE says. To optimize performance and reliability, the system uses an integrated thermal management approach, in which internal components that generate heat are connected with those that use it, so energy is not lost to the environment. The system also employs a flexible control structure that allows the system’s operating characteristics to be easily adjusted. Prototype testing began in April. Contact: GE Hybrid Power Generation Systems, Torrance, California, USA. Tel: +1 310 538 7200, www.gepower.com/research/seca/sofc_research.htm For more information on the SECA program, go to: www.seca.doe.gov
October 2005
Nuvera’s new automotive stack beats milestones
U
S/Italian-based Nuvera Fuel Cells reports that its next-generation Andromeda II automotive fuel cell stack achieved several major milestones during recent qualification tests at the company’s facility in Milan. The new stack, capable of generating 125 kWe and available for delivery to qualified customers developing FCVs, exceeded key targets for power density, coldstart capability, system efficiency, durability and high-volume production cost. Specifically, Andromeda II is reported to have demonstrated the following product milestones: • 1.6 kWe/liter power density at high pressure, and 1.3 kWe/liter at low pressure. • Low pressure (<1.6 bar) operation. • No external humidification for fuel or air. • Repeatable freeze start from –30°C, reaching 50% power in 30 s. • Greater than 1500 h steady-state operation with a 10 µV/h/cell decay rate. • 100 000 cycles during operation with no measurable decay. • Non-coated stainless steel bipolar plate construction for low cost. According to Giovanni Bruni, Nuvera’s Automotive Platform Leader, the advances are significant because they address critical challenges to FCV commercialization. ‘Andromeda II was engineered with the entire power system in mind,’ he says. ‘By rethinking the stack engineering, we were able to significantly reduce system humidity and pressure, which enables faster coldstart capabilities and lowers parasitic power demand, thus increasing reliability and overall system efficiency.’ Contact: Nuvera Fuel Cells Inc, Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA. Tel: +1 617 245 7500, www.nuvera.com Or contact: Nuvera Fuel Cells Europe Srl, Milan, Italy. Tel: +39 02 2129 2316.
Chinese SOFC JV for Digital Sofcell, Goeta
D
igital Sofcell, the solid oxide fuel cell subsidiary of Michigan-based Digital Gas, is to participate in a joint venture with Shanghai ShenLi High Tech Co and Goeta Technology Developer International to develop and commercialize new SOFC technology in China.
IN BRIEF Summit Medi-Chem releases fuel cell catalyst capable of using ethanol Following the recent signing of an exclusive sales and distribution agreement [FCB, July], the advanced Hypermec™ fuel cell catalysts developed by Italy’s Acta SpA are now available in Japan, South Korea and Taiwan through Summit Medi-Chem, the industrial chemical subsidiary of Japan’s Sumitomo Corporation. Sumitomo is reported to be aiming for ¥5bn (US$45m) in sales of the catalysts by fiscal 2008. Summit Medi-Chem and Sumitomo will also ask Acta to approach Japanese universities and research institutions for joint research, according to a Japan Corporate News Network report. Acta’s proprietary platinum-free nanotechnology is reported to boost catalytic activity to levels similar to conventional DMFC catalysts. The catalyst technology can also handle ethanol, which Pt-based catalysts cannot. Rental program for portable DMFCs Sandpiper Technologies Inc (STI) in California has introduced a program that enables customers to rent its Sentinel 50 We/12 V direct methanol fuel cells for evaluation. The DMFCs are supplied by German-based SFC Smart Fuel Cell. The Sentinel product is rugged, self-contained and portable, weighing about 28 lb (13 kg) in a weatherproof case (compared with a typical 75 lb for a lead battery). Methanol is provided in easily changed 5 or 10 liter cassettes. The so-called Fuel Cell Power Rent-to-Own Program allows first-time users to try the fuel cell for at least two weeks, with a 100% rental credit towards an immediate purchase and a 50% credit towards later purchases. Weekly rental rates are from $99 to $149. STI says the fuel cells can also be used to power other 12 Vdc research tools such as GPS equipment and laptops, or to recharge batteries. Iwatani, Ebara develop emergency fuel cell generator In Japan, Iwatani International has developed an emergency-use, fuel-cell power generator in cooperation with Ebara Corporation, reports the Nihon Keizai Shimbun. The generator is designed to provide electricity to homes when power is lost, such as after an earthquake. Each unit can output 0.85 kWh of electricity, enough to meet the daily power needs of a family of four. Iwatani combined its technology for compressing hydrogen gas with Ebara Ballard’s fuel cell technology to design a power generator that weighs around 70 kg, similar in weight to a comparable gasoline-powered generator. Iwatani’s small, lightweight hydrogen cylinder makes the overall generator easy to transport. The company will market the product to municipal governments from next spring, emphasizing the clean, quiet operation of fuel cells.
Fuel Cells Bulletin
7