Sacramento, CA--Near-to-market products are the focus of the upcoming Hydrogen Expo US, held with the National Hydrogen Association's (NHA) Annual Hydrogen Conference, on March 30-April 1 at the Sacramento Convention Center. Expo attendees will have the chance to see real-life applications of hydrogen technologies and to drive one of 15 hydrogen vehicles. On Monday, March 31, admission to Hydrogen Expo US and participation in the Ride & Drive are free to the public.

Live demonstrations of the technology include a fuel cell powered blender, a cybercafe running on fuel cell power, and hydrogen gas leak detection equipment.
Ninety exhibitors from eleven countries will show the latest in hydrogen and fuel cell developments at the 2008 Hydrogen Expo US. Live demonstrations of the technology include a fuel cell powered blender, a cybercafe running on fuel cell power, and hydrogen gas leak detection equipment. Three special interest pavilions in the exhibit hall will feature hydrogen generation from renewables and nuclear energy, and technology "Made in Germany". At the Exhibitor Forum attendees will learn more about available products, regional and international hydrogen initiatives.

New products and projects showcased at the Expo include:

Hydrogen Generation
Proton Energy Systems' high pressure electrolyzer module (HPEM): A prototype HPEM was delivered and commissioned at the U.S. Army Construction Engineering Research Lab in December 2007, and is being evaluated for a renewable backup power application. The HPEM system is designed to produce hydrogen at pressures up to 2,400 psig (165 bar), without the need for mechanical compression. This capability allows for more efficient energy systems for both grid-tied and renewable applications. In February 2008, a 2,400 psi HPEM cell stack achieved over 10,000 hours of operation, and is still running.

Hydrogen Storage
Cryofab's portable dewar: According to the company, this vessel is the only portable liquid hydrogen storage dewar manufactured in the United States. Sizes range from 100 liters to 10,000 liters for storage and transport. Vessels include vacuum insulated fill/withdrawal valve with purge port and female bayonet outlet/inlet. High purity type vent valve and redundant relief devices are designed for pipe away exhaust. Dewars are supplied on casters as a standard feature and fork lift provisions can be added to the 400 and 10,000 liter size. This dewar is built to order and graphic representations of the system are available at the Expo.

Hydrogen Leak Detection
H2Scan's Hy-Alerta(TM) 500: This sensor probe has a unique, visual LED array that will effectively help navigate a user to the source of a hydrogen leak wherever hydrogen gas is produced, used, transported, or stored. With two sensing elements on the same semiconductor die, the Hy-Alerta (TM) 500 can detect hydrogen leaks as low as 15 ppm and will not saturate or be destroyed when detecting high concentrations of hydrogen up to 100%. The flexible cable allows the sensor probe access to virtually all potential leak sources. In addition to this, H2Scan will exhibit two other product series.

HYDROGEN SAFETY
Forschungszentrum Karlsruhe (FZK, Karlsruhe Research Center): In February 2008, FZK together with the University of Karlsruhe founded the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT). Main research topics in the hydrogen arena include: investigation of safety related questions; analysis of release, distribution and combustion scenarios; model development and validation of specialized 3D computational fluid dynamics codes. New achievements: acquisition of new large scale experimental facilities for hydrogen safety studies; successful participation in blind benchmark simulations of hydrogen distribution and combustion experiments; hydrogen related safety investigations for three operating German nuclear power plants; successful analysis of workshop for hydrogen cars.
About:

The NHA Annual Hydrogen Conference & Hydrogen Expo US is the largest hydrogen conference in the US and the longest running annual hydrogen conference in the world. More than 1,500 business professionals and expo visitors are expected to attend the 19th Annual Conference in Sacramento, California. The 2008 theme is "Ramping Up Commercialization." As a result, a major focus of the Conference and Expo will be the challenges and opportunities in early markets, as well as ways to advance the commercial use of hydrogen products currently available in the marketplace.

Conference: March 30-April 3, 2008
http://www.hydrogenconference.org