FuelCellsWorks

The fuels cell that four Scandinavian industrial companies are developing in collaboration with SINTEF could supply power to trailers and fork-lift trucks. The electricity generated by this “mini power-station” could be capable of stopping heavy goods vehicle engines from having to run in neutral when their drivers are resting, and replace the use of diesel fuel in fork-lift trucks.

In the USA alone, HGVs that run in neutral during rest pauses generate 1.1 million tonnes of CO₂ a year, more than the total emissions produced by all Norwegian road transport.

A single fork-lift truck powered by fuel cells can reduce CO₂ emissions by the equivalent of eight private cars.

Volvo Technology AB, StatoilHydro ASA, the Danish company H2 Logic AS, Powercell Sweden AB and SINTEF have joined forces to develop a new hydrogen-driven fuel-cell system that will be an important aspect of efforts to greatly reduce CO₂ emissions of this sort.

Specially developed for winter conditions

Hydrogen can be generated by using electricity to break down water into hydrogen and water, or fossil fuels into hydrogen and CO₂.

Hydrogen-powered fuel cells are not a new invention, but the fuel cell in the fork-lift truck is a special version, of which few already exist in the world. The fuel cell can be powered by hydrogen generated from the diesel fuel carried by the truck.

Fuel cells are small power stations, and when they are powered by hydrogen, their only waste product is water. The new Scandinavian system has been specially developed for operation at sub-zero temperatures. Fork-lift trucks using the new system can therefore be operated outdoors on cold winter days, and in cold-stores.

Mini power-stations in HGVs and fork-lift trucks

This fuel cell is ideal for use as a mini power-station in HGVs and fork-lift trucks, and could potentially offer significant environmental benefits. In HGVs, the fuel-call system could eliminate running in neutral at night and during obligatory rest periods. In fork-lift trucks it would completely replace the use of diesel fuel.

Of the 2.3 million HGVs on the road in the USA, 600,000 are fitted with sleeping alcoves. In these vehicles, the diesel engine is kept going in neutral in order to supply power for heating,  air-conditioning, lighting, fridge and TV. HGVs of this type are estimated to be run in neutral for 1800 hours (almost 11 weeks) a year, generating a total of 11 million tonnes of CO₂ a year in the USA alone.

Large diesel-powered fork-lift trucks are often used so intensively in industry that the CO₂ from a single truck is as much as that emitted by eight private cars.

Scandinavian project

The Powercell company has started to develop a “mini power-station” for HGVs, an important component of which is the Scandinavian fuel cell. A very large proportion of the CO₂ emissions from HGVs as they run in neutral could be eliminated by means of this system.

This was the background for AB Volvo and its Scandinavian partners starting to develop the new fuel-cell system. The Scandinavian energy research sector found that this was a very interesting concept, and have invested NOK 4.4 million in the project.

In warehouses and harbour facilities, the fuel cell will make it possible to power large fork-lift trucks by electricity, replacing diesel fuel and in this way improving the work environment, as well as offering benefits in the form of lower CO₂ emissions.

Other areas of application

Fuel cells of this type will also find other applications. At first, the Scandinavian fuel cell will be adapted for use in pleasure boats.

Following the trading update released on 17 July 2009, Acta has completed the scale-up of its full size electrolyser prototype, which has now successfully passed initial tests for gas output volume, hydrogen purity, gas pressure and system efficiency. Indicative system and hydrogen generation costs are well below current market prices for comparable systems.

Having completed the performance tests with results that exceeded initial expectations the Company is pushing forwards with its plans for a wider launch of the demonstration unit in October 2009, and industrial production and commercialisation of the product thereafter for domestic and light industrial applications.

Acta has employed its deep knowledge of catalysis and alkaline membrane technology to develop a highly innovative water electrolyser product. The electrolyser is precious metal-free, and is capable of safely producing clean, dry, low cost pressurised hydrogen. The initial demonstrator developed by Acta produces high purity hydrogen at 100 litres per hour, at 30 bar pressure, and at high electrical efficiency.
The combination of cost and technical performance offered by the Acta electrolyser makes it ideal for domestic or light industrial applications, such as refilling hydrogen cylinders or hydride canisters for portable and mobile applications. It has the potential to enable the commercial launch of various small to mid-sized fuel cell applications, such as fuel cell bikes, outboard motors, and other personal mobility and light transport applications, where difficulties in refilling the hydrogen supply have previously delayed customer acceptance of currently available fuel cell products.

Acta believes that its water electrolyser is ideally suited as a compact and simple to operate “recharger” of such devices, and through enabling pressurised hydrogen to be generated inexpensively, safely and on demand by domestic users, will accelerate the market’s adoption of hydrogen as a practical fuel source for a wide range of emission-free consumer applications. The Company will be demonstrating the electrolyser, together with examples of the fuel cell applications that it supports, during the last quarter of 2009.

The Naval Research Laboratory has completed a successful flight test of the fuel cell powered XFC (eXperimental Fuel Cell) unmanned aerial system (UAS). During the June 2 flight test, the XFC UAS was airborne for more than six hours. NRL’s Chemistry and Tactical Electronic Warfare Divisions are developing the XFC UAS as an expendable, long endurance platform for Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance (ISR).

Compared to internal combustion powered vehicles, battery powered UAS are inherently stealthy in that they are relatively free of noise and thermal signature, and are easy to start, operate and maintain. However, they have poor payload capacity and endurance. The electrically powered UAS could have more tactical utility and be a platform for ISR if endurance could be increased.

NRL and its fuel cell development and manufacturing partner, Protonex Technology Corporation (Southborough, MA) have addressed these issues by developing a hydrogen fuel cell power plant system that greatly extends endurance and permits increased payload capacity. The technology has been successfully integrated into the XFC UAS, a folding wing, expendable UAS that has a small footprint with a standard lightweight rail launcher. The non-hybridized power plant supports this fully autonomous aircraft and an EO/IR payload for a flight endurance that enables relatively low cost, low altitude, ISR missions of up to seven-plus hours in its current configuration. In its final form, the XFC will be capable of self-launching from a folded configuration with loiter speed of 30 knots and a dash speed of 52 knots.

NRL’s XFC UAS will be on display in booth 256 at the 2009 Association for Unmanned Vehicle Systems International (AUVSI) meeting in Washington, DC from August 10 – 13.

The Office of Naval Research, the Department of Defense’s Rapid Reaction Technology Office, and the Office of Technology Transition sponsor this research program.

Developed by BlueBird Aero Systems and powered by Horizon Fuel Cell Technologies, the world’s first long endurance, commercial hydrogen fuel cell powered Unmanned Aerial System (UAS) named “Boomerang” will be showcased as one of the top innovations at this year’s upcoming AUVSI conference in Washington, D.C. Horizon will also display its brand new AEROPAK, a new self-contained 2kg fuel cell power system able to deliver 900Wh, which can increase the flight endurance of small and stealthy UAS by as much as 300 percent.

Unmanned aircraft are used in a variety of military, homeland security and civilian applications. The unique ability to perform long endurance missions with a mini UAS, as presented by BlueBird’s Boomerang, is a great benefit especially for border patrol, infrastructure surveillance, critical assets and environmental monitoring missions.

BlueBird’s “Boomerang” is a field-operational 9kg electric powered UAS which is now able to fly for over nine hours using Horizon’s high performance hydrogen-electric power system. BlueBird Aero Systems concluded a three-year effort to integrate the Proton Exchange Membrane (PEM) fuel cell technology into a specially designed UAS, developing support systems like hybrid capabilities for system power redundancy, fuel-cell cooling mechanism and more. The fuel cell-powered UAS is already licensed for flights in Israel and is graded as a “matured” system.

Horizon Fuel Cell Technologies of Singapore have been known to deliver the world’s highest energy density performance for PEM fuel cell technology, and orders of magnitude beyond than what is possible today even with the best lithium batteries. The company has made significant technological progress in the recent months and believes it currently offers the world’s lightest and most compact electrical energy storage system, which fits very well with the needs of small electric UAS.

Hydrogen-electric powered UAS will bring important new capabilities – reduced acoustic signature, smaller size, as well as increased effectiveness in increasingly important persistent intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance (ISR) missions. Where battery performance limits the effective use of these promising systems, Horizon’s next-generation fuel cell power systems will improve versatility and open new mission possibilities for small aircraft such as BlueBird’s Boomerang UAS. In addition to increasing flight endurance, Horizon’s new fuel cell system also makes it possible to increase the capability of smaller and lower cost aircraft by integrating more power draining electronic devices, such as electro-optical sensors, infrared cameras and laser designators.

Over the next 10 years, industry analysts expect the acquisition market for UAS to exceed $44 billion in the U.S. alone. According to Ron Stearns of G2 Solutions in Seattle, WA, “the use of pervasive UASs is increasing because the persistent ISR capabilities they bring are unmatched. Horizon’s fuel cells have the potential to improve the Size, Weight and Power (SWaP) configuration for tactical UAS propulsion, leading to increased UAS endurance or expanded sensor and/or communications-relay capabilities.”

Horizon Fuel Cell Technologies and BlueBird Aero Systems will be located in Booth 1170 in Exhibit Hall E at the AUVSI Unmanned Systems North America 2009, Aug 11-13 at the Walter E. Washington Convention Center in Washington, DC.

Stationary on-site power units based on solid oxide fuel cell (SOFC) technology and with a generation capacity of around 100 kW will be commercially available in 7–10 years, according to Xin Li, a Technical Specialist with Cummins Power Generation. SOFC products for transport applications ready for market much sooner.

The company’s history with fuel cells dates back as far as the 1960s but was renewed in late 2001, when the company began an association with the US Department of Energy’s Solid State Energy Conversion Alliance (SECA) programme. Cummins elected to focus its research and development on SOFC technology due to its potential to be cost effective while operating cleanly and efficiently on existing hydrocarbon fuels – as well as hydrogen as it becomes more widely available.

In 2007 Cummins Power Generation was one of six industry teams involved in the DOE SECA programme to successfully complete the Phase One tests of the first SOFC prototypes. ‘These units offered the potential to be manufactured at costs approaching to conventional stationary power-generation technology’, said Xin Li. The resulting SOFC power system (developed with Versa Power) has the potential to directly replace its diesel powered generator sets in many applications and can provide virtually silent power with significantly lower fuel consumption and exhaust emission than existing generator sets. Additional benefits projected include higher reliability and lower maintenance than today’s systems, says Cummins.

The prototype unit tested for SECA produced 3 kW of electrical power while operating on commercial pipeline natural gas and ran flawlessly for over 2000 hours at Cummins Power Generation’s test facility in Minneapolis, Minnesota demonstrating an efficiency of over 37%.

Commenting on the advantages of the SOFC system Xin Li said: ‘In the case of CHP, in addition to the significant green credentials, the possible financial savings to the consumer are considerable. For example, for home CHP applications the natural gas-powered SOFC system can deliver over 70% efficiency which, when converted to current home pipeline natural gas prices, represents half the cost of regular supply electricity.’

Added presence, potential expansion at U.S. HQ in North Canton surprises even company officials

Walking through the Fuel Cell Prototyping Center at Stark State College of Technology, a visitor can see how the college originally planned to divvy up the space for several fuel cell companies.

The school’s plans changed, however, when the U.S. headquarters of Rolls-Royce Fuel Cell Systems moved in.

The subsidiary of the English jet engine maker not only fills the whole building, but it will lease more space in the center once the college finishes an expansion financed in part by a $3 million grant from the Third Frontier program, the state’s $1.6 billion, technology-focused economic development initiative.

Plus, Rolls-Royce is in talks with state officials about possibly expanding its local presence further, said Mark Fleiner, CEO of the U.S. subsidiary. He would not give details other than to say the company also is in talks with officials in England and Singapore, both of which already house some of Rolls-Royce’s development efforts related to fuel cells.

Even without the expansions, Rolls-Royce Fuel Cell Systems already is one of Ohio’s biggest fuel cell companies with 45 employees, 35 of whom are full time. On top of that, a few other companies have started small fuel cell operations nearby, to make North Canton a focal point within Ohio’s emerging fuel cell industry.

Rolls-Royce’s local expansion has more than surprised Mr. Fleiner. He said if someone two years ago would have told him that the company would fill the current Fuel Cell Prototyping Center by now, he wouldn’t have believed them.

“I would’ve been shocked,” Mr. Fleiner said.

Building momentum

Back then, Rolls-Royce’s U.S. fuel cell operation still was new. It wasn’t until October 2006, just after the prototyping center was built, that Rolls-Royce Fuel Cell Systems announced it would open its U.S. headquarters in North Canton.

At the time, Rolls-Royce was focused on developing fuel processors that would attach to stationary solid oxide fuel cells, which electric utilities would use to help generate power. However, in April 2007, Rolls-Royce acquired SOFCo-EFS Holdings LLC, a solid oxide fuel cell developer in Alliance with which Rolls-Royce had worked. With that company came expertise and intellectual property related to the fuel cell itself, which combines hydrogen and oxygen to create electricity and water.

Though the company since has expanded its efforts to develop its fuel cell system, not everything has gone as expected. Rolls-Royce had planned to work with American Electric Power Co. of Columbus to test its fuel cell system on the power grid sometime in 2009, but in January Rolls-Royce announced the project would be postponed due to the worldwide credit crunch.

Rolls-Royce is still intent on growing its fuel cell development efforts, but cautiously, Mr. Fleiner said.

“If we had more money and more resources, possibly we could go faster,” he said.

The company’s development operation will continue growing once construction is finished on the Fuel Cell Prototyping Center, which will expand from roughly 25,000 square feet to about 37,000 square feet, Mr. Fleiner said. The additions, driven partly by Rolls-Royce’s desire to expand, will include a high-bay testing room, an outdoor testing area that will expose Rolls-Royce’s fuel cell system to the elements, and a classroom where Stark State instructors will teach students interested in working with fuel cells.

The college also is adding a fuel cell laboratory that will be used by other companies. Both Lockheed Martin and Cleveland-based fuel cell company Contained Energy already are using campus facilities for fuel cell projects.

The existence of facilities designed for fuel cell companies and students training to be fuel cell technicians should help Stark State continue attracting fuel cell companies to its campus, but the presence of a big name such as Rolls-Royce plays a major role as well, said Dennis Trenger, executive director of fuel cell technology and academic outreach at the college.

“That is really the magnet,” Mr. Trenger said.

Building the fuel cell industry

Meanwhile, the state of Ohio has its own magnet: the Third Frontier program.

Mr. Fleiner said the portion of money the state carved out for fuel cell projects was the deciding factor that caused Rolls-Royce to choose Ohio for its development center over Michigan, which had a broadly focused program aimed at financing the development of advanced energy technologies.

“It’s building the foundation of the industry,” he said.

The Ohio Department of Development has been pleased with Rolls-Royce’s development so far, said John Griffin, director of the technology and innovation division for the department.

The company has provided the state with what Mr. Griffin described as a “double payoff,” in that it is creating high-tech jobs while providing opportunities for Stark State students to gain experience in a growing industry.

He noted that Stark State’s campus has become a key piece of Ohio’s fuel cell industry.

“But the state will never be satisfied with just that. We want more. We want it statewide,” Mr. Griffin said.

Bob Rose, executive director of the U.S. Fuel Cell Council, said the state of Ohio is an up-and-coming player in the fuel cell industry, but it has a long way to go to catch up with areas such as Connecticut, which is home to both United Technologies Corp. and FuelCell Energy Inc. Both companies have plants that employ hundreds of people who make and sell fuel cells.

Ohio can get to that point, Mr. Rose said. Rolls-Royce’s presence should help, he added, given the company’s size, its name and the interest in using solid oxide fuel cells to help improve the efficiency of the power grid.