FuelCellsWorks

Development of innovative low-cost and high reliability fuel cell technology is now in its industrial testing phase

Solvay announces today that it has decided to increase its stake in the UK-based fuel cell developer ACAL Energy by investing GBP 1.5 million (EUR 1.75 million). ACAL will use the funds to accelerate the next stage in the development of ACAL Energy’s FlowCath® platinum-free cathode technology for low cost fuel cell systems. This technology uses a proprietary low cost liquid catalyst in the cathode instead of the more expensive precious metal catalyst used in the cathode of conventional fuel cells.

Solvay and ACAL Energy are currently preparing to install the world’s first demonstration fuel cell system using FlowCath® at Solvay Interox’s industrial site at Warrington, Cheshire, UK. This installation will be a major step on the commercialization road map for this innovative technology. The project represents an investment of £1.9 million and has been awarded funding by the Technology Strategy Board.

The system is expected to become operational in the second half of 2010 and will consist of three demonstration fuel cell stacks with an electric power of 5 kilowatt per unit. One of the fuel cell stacks will be equipped with membrane electrode assemblies containing Solvay’s innovative special polymers. These assemblies are manufactured by SolviCore, a European leader in its field and a 50-50 joint venture of Solvay and Umicore.

“Solvay expects fuel cells to quickly become one of the new important energy conversion technologies. The FlowCath® fuel cell in Solvay’s Warrington plant gives Solvay and SolviCore an industrial stage to demonstrate the efficiency of their fuel cell technology in view of a significant upscale of this promising technology”, comments Leopold Demiddeleer, Executive VP Future Businesses at Solvay.

Fuel cells are a highly efficient and clean energy conversion technology, with a wide variety of applications including remote and distributed power, residential cogeneration, as well as automotive and mobile applications. In fuel cells hydrogen binds with oxygen into water in a catalytic reaction and this reaction produces electrical energy and heat.

ACAL Energy is a developer of a new fuel cell technology that will enable low cost and highly reliable fuel cell systems for a wide variety of applications. The company was founded in August 2004 by FlowCath® inventor Dr Andrew Creeth and is headquartered in Runcorn, United Kingdom.

SOLVAY is an international industrial Group active in Chemistry. It offers a broad range of products and solutions that contribute to improving quality of life. The Group is headquartered in Brussels and employs about 19,000 people in 50 countries. In 2009, its consolidated sales amounted to EUR 8.5 billion. Solvay is listed on the NYSE Euronext stock exchange in Brussels (NYSE Euronext: SOLB.BE – Bloomberg: SOLB.BB – Reuters: SOLBt.BR). Details are available at www.solvay.com.

Fuel cell technology is based on the catalytic transformation of hydrogen – in a chemical reaction with oxygen – into electricity, heat and water. It is likely to become a new energy technology in the medium and long term future for a wide variety of portable (for example personal computers), stationary (for example combined heat and power – CHP – generation)and transportation and automotive applications.

Schematic overview of a proton exchange membrane fuel cell using hydrogen as primary energy

Fuel cells, which convert a primary energy source such as hydrogen into electrical power, are not only much more environmentally friendly than traditional combustion engines; they are also much more efficient: the power conversion rate is twice as high. Moreover, as hydrogen can be produced from renewable sources, fuel cell technology will also help to reduce the dependence of our economy on oil and other fossil fuels.

Solvay produces innovative special polymers for Proton Exchange Membrane (PEM) fuel cells. These polymers are used by SolviCore in its membrane electrode assemblies. SolviCore is a 50-50 joint venture of Solvay and Umicore. This company was incorporated in 2006 and is based in Hanau, Germany.

ACAL Energy is developing fuel cells which use hydrogen as fuel. The ACAL fuel cells are designed to achieve higher power density and lower fabrication costs compared to conventional proton exchange membrane fuel cells. ACAL fuel cell cathode does not use a catalyst containing platinum.

Solvay’s New Business Development

Solvay New Business Development (NBD) activity is organized in strategic platforms around specific themes. These have been selected as echoing the major challenges of tomorrow’s world, to which the chemicals industry is helping provide solutions. They are climate change, limited resources, new consumers (in particular in Asia) and displacement of economic centers of activity.

NBD is busy developing new areas of potential growth, through a process of open and collaborative innovation. This approach is reflected in particular by partnerships and consortia with start-ups and research organizations.

A first Competence Center, Future Businesses, is tasked with developing innovative combinations of functional materials for the applications of tomorrow. It manages two platforms, renewable energies and printable organic electronics. The second Competence Center, Advanced Technologies, has been set up to detect and acquire new technological expertise of potential interest to Solvay. Two platforms, nanotechnology and renewable chemistry, are currently active.

The Institute of Advanced Energy Technologies “Nicola Giordano”, CNR, in addition to the bicycle pedal assisted hydrogen-powered, has built a prototype hydrogen buses for urban use. H-Bus, the name of the vehicle with zero emissions, is a “powertrain” hybrid electric batteries and fuel cells, integrated with a storage system and hydrogen power. At the launch, during normal driving and during acceleration, power the electric motor of the vehicle is guaranteed by the battery and fuel cells (fuel cells). At low load, however, cells have two important functions: on one hand contribute to the propulsion of the vehicle, the other recharges the batteries (this happens even when the bus is stationary). During deceleration and braking, then the medium recovers kinetic energy.

The H-Bus is a collaborative effort between the CNR ITAE, that the project conducts research and testing bench of two hybrid prototypes, the company Sol, which supports the realization of the storage system and power of ‘hydrogen on-board and the design of the filling station for hydrogen and the column of gas distribution and the company STMicroelectronics, working on inverters’ power switches and the new concept demonstrator prototype. The final step of the project is providing the optimization of the “Powertrain” and assembly of the prototype.