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In
principle, a fuel cell operates like a battery. Unlike a
battery, a fuel cell does not run down or require
recharging. It will produce energy in the form of
electricity and heat as long as fuel is supplied.
A
fuel cell consists of two electrodes sandwiched around
an electrolyte. Oxygen passes over one electrode and
hydrogen over the other, generating electricity, water
and heat.
Hydrogen
fuel is fed into the "anode" of the fuel cell.
Oxygen (or air) enters the fuel cell through the
cathode. Encouraged by a catalyst, the hydrogen atom
splits into a proton and an electron, which take
different paths to the cathode. The proton passes
through the electrolyte. The electrons create a separate
current that can be utilized before they return to the
cathode, to be reunited with the hydrogen and oxygen in
a molecule of water.
A
fuel cell system which includes a "fuel
reformer" can utilize the hydrogen from any
hydrocarbon fuel - from natural gas to methanol, and
even gasoline. Since the fuel cell relies on chemistry
and not combustion, emissions from this type of a system
would still be much smaller than emissions from the
cleanest fuel combustion processes.
Fuel
cells have the power to change our future. A
breakthrough "clean machine," the fuel cell
harnesses the chemical energy of hydrogen and oxygen to
generate electricity without combustion or pollution.
Fuel cells will power the boat or car of tomorrow --
quieter, cleaner and more energy efficieint, with good
range and performance. This could benefit: national
energy security, cleaner air, and economic growth.
There
is intense competition around the world in fuel cells.
Companies in Germany and Japan are testing fully
engineered vehicles. The country that develops practical
fuel cell technology may hold the key to the next
generation of power production.
To
keep abreast of the latest advancements in the
transportation industry, see Fuel
Cell Technology Updates.
Fuel
cells are modular, scalable and fuel flexible,
characteristics that make them excellent candidates for
a wide range of specialty applications in vehicles and
for portable power. Fuel cells are being examined for
use in deep mines and on board unmanned aircraft capable
of flying for months at a time. In between are various
specialty vehicles, such as bicycles and scooters, some
of which come with an on-board electrical outlet. The
following is not meant to be a complete listing of every
fuel cell specialty vehicle; these are the major
developers and demonstrations underway. For some
pictures of specialty vehicles, check out our Fuel
Cells in Transportation: What in the World is Going On?
brochure.
FuelCell
Propulsion Institute
FuelCell
Propulsion Institute and the U.S. Department of Energy
are working together, along with contributions from
Natural Resources Canada (NRCan) and more than 20
international partners, has developed a fuel cell
powered mining locomotive. The 25-month project
converted a 13.3 kW battery-powered mining locomotive to
a 14.4 kW fuel cell design. Research at the Institute
has shown that using fuel cells coupled with
metal-hydride onboard energy storage will provide
improved health and safety, enhanced performance, and
reduced mine operating costs, since the diesel engine is
not well suited for underground operation and becomes
extremely costly.
U.S.
Office of Naval Research
The
U.S. Office of Naval Research (ONR) has funded research
at the Naval Undersea Warfare Center to test a new,
high-energy electric power source to propel unmanned
undersea vehicles. Researchers have conducted a
continuous 37-hour demonstration of a semi-fuel cell,
which combines features of a fuel cell and a standard
battery, carrying a permanent internal power generator
that runs on external liquid hydrogen peroxide tanks.
Energy
Partners
Energy
Partners joined with John Deere Corporation to develop
fuel cell utility vehicles based on Deere's
"Gator" vehicle. With a 10kW PEM fuel cell
engine, the Gator can run for 5.3 hours, and can be
refueled with hydrogen in five minutes.
Energy
Partners build a fuel cell "Genesis" people
mover, similar to a golf cart. The 7.5kW PEM fuel cell
engine uses stored hydrogen for a range of 45 miles
between fuelings.
FuelCell
Propulsion Institute
FuelCell
Propulsion Institute and the U.S. Department of Energy
are working together, along with contributions from
Natural Resources Canada (NRCan) and more than 20
international partners, has developed a fuel cell
powered mining locomotive. The 25-month project
converted a 13.3 kW battery-powered mining locomotive to
a 14.4 kW fuel cell design. Research at the Institute
has shown that using fuel cells coupled with
metal-hydride onboard energy storage will provide
improved health and safety, enhanced performance, and
reduced mine operating costs, since the diesel engine is
not well suited for underground operation and becomes
extremely costly.
SOLAR
NAVIGATOR'S STORAGE BRIEF
Solar
Navigator needs sufficient storage capacity to even out
the vagaries of natural supply, after the global weather
system has had its say. Fortunately, BP has a
number of monitoring stations around the world
constantly measuring incoming radiation so we have a
good idea what to expect. The battery banks of
Solarnavigator must cater for the worst scenario and
still keep something in reserve for a rainy day.
Imagine:
There has been no Sun for several days. To
maintain steerage and conserve energy Solar Navigator
has been cruising at 1/4 speed waiting for the weather
to break. The emergency reserve is coming close
and then unfavourable winds threaten to drive you close
to an approaching land mass. This is what the reserve
was intended for - to keep you out of trouble.
Hence never use your emergency reserve, unless for an
emergency situation.
The
size of the reserve depends on how cautious you want to
be. Our backers and insurers will want to know
that we are prepared for the worst and then some.
Indeed, we will be. However, at the back of our
mind is the weight penalty having too much insurance
could impose. All design, is of course a
compromise.............................
TRANSPORTATION
APPLICATIONS
Ballard
to Provide Fuel Cell Engines to Australia, Delivers Fuel
Cell Buses to London.
Ballard Power Systems will provide three of its latest
generation heavy-duty fuel cell engines to EvoBus for
integration into Mercedes-Benz Citaro buses for the
public transport system in Perth, Western Australia.
Ballard will deliver the 205 kW heavy-duty fuel cell
engines in the first half of 2004 and the buses will be
placed in routine transit operation in the second half
of 2004 as part of a two-year demonstration program.
Ballard also delivered three Mercedes-Benz Citaro buses,
powered with Ballard® fuel cell engines, to the public
transport authorities in London. The City of London will
operate the Ballard powered fuel cell buses on a central
London bus route, beginning in January 2004, as part of
the Clean Urban Tranport for Europe (CUTE) project.
http://www.ballard.com/
U.S.
Air Force Fuel Cell Bus a Success.
Enova Systems has successfully integrated a fuel cell
system into the U.S. Air Force's first hybrid fuel cell
bus at Enova's facilities in Honolulu, Hawaii. The
partners on the bus project include Enova, the U.S. Air
Force, the State of Hawaii's High Technology Development
Corporation (HTDC) and Hydrogenics.
http://www.enovasystems.com/investor/pressContent/12112003.asp
GVB
Begins Hydrogen Bus Operation.
GVB, the transit authority of Amsterdam, The
Netherlands, began operating four hydrogen-fueled buses
on two routes in the northern part of the city. The
buses extract hydrogen from nine roof-mounted water
tanks, each capable of supplying enough fuel to power
the bus for 250 kilometers (155 miles). The two-year
project will cost 7 million euros (US$8.6 million), with
funding supplied by the European Union, the Dutch
Transport Ministry and the Amsterdam Council. Also
involved in the project are DaimlerChrysler, Hoek Loos,
Nuon, Shell and the Netherlands Agency for Energy and
the Environment.
Proton
Energy Wins Two SBIR Awards. Proton
Energy Systems, Inc. was awarded a Small Business
Innovative Research (SBIR) Phase II contract from NASA
for development of lightweight unitized regenerative
fuel cell technology for unmanned aerial vehicles.
Proton also received a SBIR Phase I contract from the
U.S. Army Missile Defense Agency (MDA) for development
of lightweight regenerative fuel cell technology for
high altitude airships.
http://www.protonenergy.com/
STATIONARY
POWER
Yale
Fuel Cell Dedicated. FuelCell
Energy, Inc., the Connecticut Clean Energy Fund and Yale
University dedicated a high-efficiency Direct FuelCell®
power plant at the Environmental Science Center (ESC)
near Yale University's Peabody Museum. The 250 kilowatt
fuel cell will provide approximately 25 percent of the
building's electricity needs, with the heat being used
primarily to maintain tight temperature and humidity
controls at the ESC. http://www.fce.com/#
PORTABLE/BACKUP
POWER
Astris
Launches New Fuel Cell Generator. Astris Energi Inc.
has unveiled the 2.4 kW model E8 alkaline fuel cell
generator. The E8 is a completely self-contained
portable unit, powered by Astris' new POWERSTACK MC250
fuel cell, which performs 30%-60% better than previous
units. Astris Energi plans to place the POWERSTACK MC250
into pilot production in its Vlasim, Czech Republic
facility in the first half of 2004.
http://www.astris.ca/news/index.php
Plug
Power Begins Product Shipments. Plug Power has
shipped fifteen GenCore™ 5T 5kW hydrogen fueled
back-up power system to customers in the United States,
the United Kingdom and Japan to support a variety of
applications in the telecommunication, industrial,
research, and government sectors.
http://www.plugpower.com/
Hitachi
and Tokai Develop DMFC Prototype. Hitachi, Ltd. and
Tokai Corporation have developed a prototype direct
methanol fuel cell for use in handheld electronic
devices. The DMFC has a methanol concentration of
approximately 20 percent, which is expected to be
increased by 10 percent once the units are commercially
available. Hitachi plans to introduce the DMFC by 2005
for use in a compatible personal digital assistant.
ERD
and Manhattan Scientifics Sign Licensing Agreement.
Energy Related Devices (ERD) has entered into an
agreement with Manhattan Scientifics for a worldwide
non-exclusive license of Manhattan's MicroFuel Cell
technology. Under the agreement, ERD is allowed to
sublicense to any number of companies to produce and
sell MicroFuel Cells.
http://www.energyrelatedevices.com/
FUELS/REFORMERS/STORAGE
New
York to Build Hydrogen HI WAY. $2 million in federal
support has been awarded to establish the Hydrogen
"HI WAY" Initiative in New York State. Funding
for the project, which will create a hydrogen energy
infrastructure validation platform across the state, is
included in the Conference Report for Fiscal Year 2004
Energy and Water Appropriations. Reps. John M. McHugh
(R-NY), James T. Walsh (R-NY), and John E. Sweeney
(R-NY) spearheaded the effort, which will bring together
a team of industry, academic, state and federal partners
to create the infrastructure and end-use technology to
support production of hydrogen energy.
http://mchugh.house.gov/pr2003/111803_hiway.html
Proton
Unveils New Hydrogen Generator. Proton
Energy Systems, Inc. unveiled its HOGEN H Series
hydrogen generators at the POWER-GEN International
convention in December. The H Series hydrogen produces
ultra-pure hydrogen 24/7 at an output capacity of 80-240
standard cubic feet per hour at a fraction of the cost
of cylinder or tube trailer gas.
http://www.protonenergy.com/
Dynetek
to Deliver Storage Systems to Ford. Dynetek
Industries Ltd. will deliver on-board complete hydrogen
fuel storage systems for Ford Motor Company's 2004 Ford
Focus FCV zero emission automobiles. Dynetek will
provide complete fuel storage and components solution
using its certified 350 bar (5000 psi) hydrogen fuel
storage system.
http://www.dynetek.com/
QuestAir
and Iwatani Sign Marketing Agreement. QuestAir
Technologies Inc. has signed an agreement with Iwatani
International Corporation to market QuestAir's hydrogen
purification systems in Japan and other parts of Asia.
Under the terms of the three-year, non-exclusive
agreement, Iwatani received the right to market
QuestAir's HyQuestor® and QuestAir H- 3200 pressure
swing adsorption (PSA) products in Japan, China and nine
other Asian countries.
http://www.newswire.ca/en/releases/archive/December2003/22/c5062.html
Innovatek
Wins Army Contract. Innovatek, Inc. has received a
$780,000 contract with the U.S. Army to develop a new
fuel processor that will generate hydrogen for use in
portable fuel cells. The technology is built on
InnovaTek's proprietary compact microchannel
architecture that produces hydrogen from readily
available fuels such as gasoline and diesel.
http://www.tekkie.com/news/press_release_12162003.htm
FUEL
CELL COMPONENTS
UQM
Delivers Motor to Eaton, Receives Order from
Caterpillar. UQM
Technologies has developed and delivered a UQM®
compressor drive motor to Eaton Corporation for use as
part of the air handling system in a fuel cell. The
highly efficient UQM® motor operates at 24,000
revolutions per minute and is lightweight and compact.
UQM also received an order from Caterpillar Inc. for its
permanent magnet motors that will be installed on a fuel
cell powered Caterpillar-Elphinstone R1300 mine loader.
The mine loader is under development by a consortium of
companies led by Vehicle Projects LLC. and includes
Caterpillar Inc., Natural Resources Canada, and the U.S.
Department of Energy. The zero emission fuel cell
powered mine loader is expected to be placed in
demonstration at a mine in Nevada in early 2005 to
evaluate the operability, and productivity of the
system.
http://www.uqm.com/press/news/04-28.html
http://www.uqm.com/p-ress/news/0427.html
REPORTS/MARKET
STUDIES
Solid
Oxide Fuel Cells. Business Communications Company,
Inc. (BCC) has released a new report, "RGB-282
Solid Oxide Fuel
Cells," which reveals that the global market for
solid oxide fuel cells (SOFCs) is currently estimated at
$123 million, of which the North American market is
estimated to be approximately $67 million.
http://www.bccresearch.com/
North
American Stationary Fuel Cell Market. Frost &
Sullivan has released a new report, "North American
Stationary Fuel Cell Markets," which claims that
revenues in the stationary fuel cell market totaled
$21.4 million in 2002 and are projected to reach $1.27
billion by 2009.
http://www.frost.com/prod/servlet/frost-home.pag
MISCELLANEOUS
Palcan
Joins With Shanghai Mingliang Plastic.
Palcan Fuel Cells Ltd. has signed a joint venture
agreement with Shanghai Mingliang Plastic Co. Ltd. to
establish a commercial manufacturing facility in
Shanghai to produce PEM fuel cell stacks for the global
fuel cell marketplace. Palcan will have full managerial
control of the facility, which is expected to be
operational within six months. When fully operational,
the manufacturing facility will manufacture 20,000 PEM
fuel cell stacks units per year. The units will be sold
at substantially less than the current world market
prices.
http://www.palcan.com/
FuelCon
Selects Illies as Asia Sales Partner. FuelCon
has selected Illies & Co. as its sales partner for
the Asia region. Illies & Co. will market FuelCon's
fuel cell test systems in Japan, China, Taiwan and
Korea.
http://www.fuelcon.com/en/news/index.html#
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