FuelCellsWorks

MISSISSAUGA — Hydrogenics Corporation (Nasdaq:HYGS) (TSX:HYG), a leading developer and manufacturer of hydrogen generation and fuel cell products, today announced that the company has been awarded a contract to supply the United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO) with six HyPM™ HD8 fuel cell power modules for a boat project coordinated by the International Centre for Hydrogen Energy Technologies (ICHET) in Istanbul, Turkey. Hydrogenics will also supply carbon composite hydrogen storage tanks and components, other auxiliaries and spare parts for two years of operation to ICHET, which is overseeing the integration.

This contract follows on the award in 2009 of four HyPM™ HD12 fuel cell power modules for a passenger boat application ordered by the engineering organization BELBIM A.S. for Istanbul’s Municipal Transit Authority, in which UNIDO-ICHET participated as a hydrogen and fuel cell consultant.

“Hydrogenics has slowly worked to pave a presence in fuel cell powered water mobility applications, starting with our Venice water taxi project several years ago,” said Daryl Wilson, President and CEO. ”As in other important end markets, our efforts are now bearing fruit, and we look forward to working with ICHET on this integrated hydrogen system.”

Additional information on ICHET can be found at http://www.unido-ichet.org/ichet.org/index.html.

ABOUT HYDROGENICS

Hydrogenics Corporation (www.hydrogenics.com) is a globally recognized developer and provider of hydrogen generation and fuel cell products and services, serving the growing industrial and clean energy markets of today and tomorrow. Based in Mississauga, Ontario, Canada, Hydrogenics has operations in North America and Europe.

Powered by ISE Corp's hybrid-electric drive system, this bus is one of 20 that makes up the world's largest zero-emission fleet operated by BC Transit.

The ISE Limited Hybrid Drive System Powers BC Transit’s Entire Fleet of 20 Fuel Cell Hybrid Buses and This Fleet Constitutes the World’s Largest Zero-Emission Bus Fleet in Operation Today

SAN DIEGO, CA–(Marketwire – February 24, 2010) – Bus travelers in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, are riding greener because of 20 zero-emission, fuel cell hybrid buses produced by California-based ISE Limited (TSX: ISE). ISE’s hybrid drive system technology is helping BC Transit progress into a low carbon future.

Rick Sander, CEO and President of ISE, said, “This is an exciting opportunity for visitors from all over the world to see the commercial strength and viability of these hybrid buses. This represents another milestone for ISE as a global leader in zero-emission hybrid technologies for a cleaner world.” The BC Transit fleet is comprised of 20 hybrid buses that use ISE’s core technologies in the complete hybrid propulsion system: energy storage, controls software and power electronics. The hybrid buses also use Ballard fuel cells and New Flyer chassis.

ISE Limited Conducted Rigorous Performance Tests

Since ISE was first selected to provide the drive systems inside these state-of-the-art vehicles, ISE has conducted hundreds of complex and rigorous performance tests over more than 12 months to ensure their safety, reliability, and performance in extreme conditions.

To assess operational performance ratings in freezing weather and on tough terrains, cold chamber testing was conducted on each hybrid fuel cell vehicle. The low temperature assessments test safety as well as optimal functionality in temperatures as low as -20C. These tests provide real-world data regarding operation and reliability of the hybrid fuel cell vehicles in environments that simulate the coldest winter temperatures in Vancouver.

Road testing was conducted over tens of thousands of accrued miles/kilometres, generating critical durability, reliability, and operational performance data. A significant amount of this performance data was collected via ISE’s proprietary Remote Diagnostic Unit (RDU).

Alex Bernasconi, Sr. Vice President, Sales and Marketing, said, “It is especially important to ISE that we ensure a smooth operation of the hybrid buses because we know the hybrid buses are one of the green highlights of the 2010 Winter Games. The exhaustive testing that we conducted prior to the delivery of the fleet was essential to ensuring safety and reliability. Our service team is currently in British Columbia during the games, as part of our commitment to BC Transit.”

Tavin Tyler, Director of Fuel Cell Bus Programs, said, “Because our drive system does not burn fossil fuel, there is a nearly non-existent environmental impact. This translates into increased safety and lower maintenance costs.” The ISE fuel cell hybrid system powering these buses converts the chemical energy of hydrogen to mechanical energy. The combination of hydrogen and oxygen in the fuel cell powers the electric drive system without any carbon exhaust.

After the conclusion of the 2010 Winter Games in Vancouver, the fuel cell hybrid buses will remain in service throughout specified routes determined by BC Transit. Local riders will benefit from smoother and quieter commutes as a result of ISE’s fuel cell hybrid technology powering each bus. Because hydrogen fuel only emits water vapour, there is no exhaust odour of Nitrogen Oxides, black tailpipe soot (particulate matter), or polluting carbon dioxides.

About ISE Limited
ISE Limited (www.isecorp.com) is a leading developer, manufacturer and distributor of heavy duty hybrid-electric drive systems based on our core proprietary technology, which is focused on three critical subsystems: energy storage, controls software and power electronics. ISE specializes in series hybrid-electric and all-electric/zero emission technologies, and offers industry-leading energy storage systems and hybrid system components. Over the past 10 years, ISE has sold over 300 hybrid-electric drive systems that have demonstrated reliability and performance in over 12 million miles of fleet operation.

Established in 1995, ISE is headquartered in San Diego, California. ISE’s history of innovation and technological leadership has resulted in the design and development of systems and components that deliver superior operating performance. For more information visit www.isecorp.com.

WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. – Researchers have completed work on a crucial component for an experimental hydrogen storage system for cars, part of efforts to reduce pollution and the use of fossil fuels in transportation.

The system uses a fine metal powder to absorb hydrogen gas under high pressure. When the powder absorbs hydrogen, it becomes a “metal hydride,” and the process is called “hydriding.” By then decreasing the pressure in the vessel or warming the metal hydride, the hydrogen can be released to drive a fuel cell or engine.

A complication in perfecting the technology, however, is that the hydriding process generates heat, which hinders the absorption process and prevents the hydrogen storage vessel from being filled rapidly, said Issam Mudawar, a Purdue University professor of mechanical engineering who is leading the work with research assistant professor Timothée Pourpoint and doctoral student Milan Visaria.

“If you’re driving your hydrogen car, you can’t wait an hour at the filling station,” Mudawar said. “For this system to be practical, you have to be able to cool the hydride efficiently so that the storage vessel can be filled within five minutes with enough fuel to drive 300 miles.”

The researchers have made progress in solving the problem by designing, building and testing the system’s heat exchanger and circulating coolant through tubes to remove heat and speed hydrogen storage, Mudawar said.

The engineers filed a final patent in February for the heat exchanger, a coil of stainless steel tubing that fits inside a hydrogen storage “pressure vessel” 4 inches in diameter. Standard automotive coolant is circulated through the tubing.

Such a storage technology could help make hydrogen cars a reality if other researchers are successful in developing improved alloys for hydriding and better fuel cells, which generate electricity to power an electric motor. The hydrogen also could be burned instead of gasoline in internal combustion engines.

Due to space constraints, it is essential that the heat exchanger occupy the least volume possible inside the storage vessel. Using a theoretical model they developed, the researchers determined how to precisely position the tubing so that no fins are needed to dissipate heat.

Eliminating the fins reduces the cost, weight and size of the heat exchanger, Mudawar said.

The researchers designed a system that occupies the least space possible while also properly cooling the hydride. Whereas an earlier prototype occupied 30 percent of the vessel, leaving 70 percent for the metal hydride, the new design occupies 7 percent, leaving 93 percent for the hydride.

“The idea behind this latest design is to provide the coolant as close as possible to the hydride while eliminating the need for bulky heat spreading components like fins,” Mudawar said. “The main advantages of this design are simplicity and flexibility. It can easily be adapted depending on cooling and size requirements.”

The work was conducted in Purdue’s Hydrogen Systems Laboratory at the university’s Maurice J. Zucrow Laboratories.

Writer: Emil Venere, 765-494-4709, venere@purdue.edu

Sources: Issam Mudawar, 765-494-5705, mudawar@ecn.purdue.edu

Timothée Pourpoint, 765-494-1541, timothee@purdue.edu

Milan Visaria, mvisaria@gmail.com

The Bloom Box fuel cell device has been the subject of plenty of controversy since its unofficial unveiling in a 60 Minutes segment earlier this week. The device, which has already been installed on the campuses of major companies like eBay, Google, Staples, and FedEx, converts natural gas into electricity. But how efficient is it? Is the box worth the money?  Amy Szoczlas Cole, the Director of eBay’s Green Team, spoke with us briefly about eBay’s installation of five Bloom Boxes.

According to Cole, the boxes take up 3,000 square feet of space and produce 500 kilowatts of power–enough to take 15% of the San Jose, California, campus’s energy use off the grid. At the moment, eBay is running its Bloom Boxes off natural gas, but the company plans to switch to biogas sometime in the near future. “We’re in the stages of finalizing the contract to turn on biogas,” Cole explained. Once the system switches to biogas, CO2 will not longer be released as a byproduct of the Bloom Box energy production process.

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