The Energy Blog

Fuel Cell Energy's Hydrogen Separation Process

FuelCell Energy, Inc. (NasdaqNM:FCEL), has developed a cost-efficient system to separate pure hydrogen from a gas mixture that then can be sold as fuel for hydrogen vehicles or industrial uses. The U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) has awarded FuelCell Energy $1.36 Million to advance this Electrochemical Hydrogen Separator (EHS) project for use with the company's Direct FuelCell(R) (DFC(R)) power plants.

Unlike other means of separating hydrogen, which rely on compression, the company's proprietary EHS technology has no moving parts. FCEL anticipates that their process to be significantly more reliable and efficient than conventional methods and to save up to one-half of the energy required when compared to conventional compression based-methods of hydrogen separation.

A subscale prototype EHS unit is currently operating at the University of Connecticut Global Fuel Cell Center. The subscale EHS system currently produces 1200 liters per hour of pure hydrogen. With the DoD award, the unit will be scaled up by a factor of 25 and will operate in conjunction with a sub-megawatt DFC power plant in Danbury for testing.

RE: The False Hope of Biofuels

The Sunday, July 2, edition of the Washington Post had a column titled "The False Hope of Biofuels" which had the basic premise that biofuels could only supply half of our transportation fuel needs by 2025 and that food supplies would be compromised if it did so.  I don't think that any responsible person has argued that we could supply more than 30% of our current transportation fuel requirements, rather a diversity of fuels and conservation methods, featuring plug-in hybrid electric vehicles, will be required to provide relief from our increasingly expensive oil supplies.

In the most authoritative report on this subject "Biomass as Feedstock for a Bioenergy and Bioproducts Industry: The Technical Feasibility of a Billion-Ton Annual Supply", an ORNL study determined that enough fuel could be produced from biomass to meet more than one-third of our current demand for transportation fuels in the U.S. by 2030. As far as the arguments about land usage, the land necessary for producing the biofuels includes currently unused marginal land on which switchgrass or similar crops could be grown, land that is currently idle, and cellulose products produced from forestry wastes and the like, that do not require any additional land usage, as well as a fraction of the land currently devoted to the production of food, which is currently used to produce food for export or to produce food that is bought by the government to subsidise farmers. This study did not include the very significant amount of fuel that could be made from municiple solid waste, or methane from landfills and animal wastes (manure).

The answer to our increasingly expensive fuels is a diversified utilization of several technologies, not just biofuels.  The combination of biofuels; vehicles that use less fuels, such as energy efficient hybrid electric vehicles (HEVs): those made by Toyota, the Honda Insight and Civic and the Ford Escalade; more importantly plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs); all electric vehicles (EVs); fuels made by coal liquefaction; vehicles running on CNG; our remaining domestic supplies of oil; and gains in efficiency made possible by more widespread use of mass transportation are more than sufficient to supply our transportation needs for the foreseeable future, even after allowing for population growth and land needed for growing food crops.

Renault Fuel Cell Vehicle with Reformers

Renault, along with Nissan and Nuvera, is developing a power train using fuel cells with reformers. This technology directly produces the hydrogen from a variety of fuels on board the vehicle, solving the problem of very high-pressure or cryogenic storage. They have been working together on this technology since 2002 which can be used immediately, without waiting for a hydrogen distribution network to be established.

The power train consists of the following four components:

1. A fuel tank that can contain gasoline, diesel and ethanol, all of which can be used to supply the reformer. This option was chosen to reduce concerns about the future availability of hydrocarbons. It also means that motorists can choose the cheapest available type of fuel.
2. The reformer, which transforms the liquid fuel into reformate, a hydrogen-rich gas that can be used to supply the fuel cell. The process has six distinct stages. First, the cracking phase breaks down the long hydrocarbon molecule chains into simpler molecules: hydrogen, water, carbon, etc. In the next five stages, the gas is purified until it is ready for use with the fuel cell.
3. The fuel cell, which generates electric power by combining hydrogen and oxygen. The only by-product of this electro-chemical reaction is water, which is then returned in a closed circuit to the reformer that needs water to operate. The water produced by the fuel cell is reinjected into the system.
4. The electric power generated by the fuel cell is transformed to the appropriate voltage by the power electronics and then drives an electric motor.

Sulfur Contaimination Problem in SOFC Fuel Cells Solved

Sulfur degradation of SOFC fuel cell anodes has been solved by researchers at Tufts University led by Maria Flytzani-Stephanopoulos who has developed "sorbent" materials that reversibly adsorb hydrogen sulphide (H₂S) from the flow of gas that passes over a fuel cell’s anode.  These cerium and lanthanum oxide sorbent surfaces can work at temperatures up to 800 °C. The work, published in the June 9 issue of Science (abstract), could be a significant step in making high-temperature fuel cells practical.

Removing sulfur from SOFC fuel cells has been a problem because they operate at temperatures that are too high for sorbents used in PEM fuel cells.  Stephanopoulos's technology frees SOFC cells from having to work with natural gas or other sulfur-free fuels. 

Research is being funded by the Army Research Laboratory, which wants to use SOFCs as backup power for tanks and trucks. Since these vehicles run on fuel oil, such as JP8, that's rich in sulfur, they need effective sulfur removal.

Hydrogen from Coal Technologies

This post is being made to 1) explain the technology that is being proposed to produce and distribute hydrogen and 2) to help both my readers and myself understand whether the hydrogen economy is the right choice for our future energy requirements or whether some alternative technologies would make a better choice.  The material has been taken from the two resources noted at the end of the post, with very little editing, except to use only the pertinent excerpts.  The Program Plan is a very long document and I have tried to use only the portions that will help us understand the technology. Please also see my comments at the end of the post.

There are many long-term options for providing hydrogen as a fuel of the future, but coal is the leading contender to provide a hydrogen source in the near term. In his remarks on the Department of Energy’s (DOE) hydrogen research activities at the National Hydrogen Association Annual Conference in March 2005, Secretary of Energy Samuel Bodman stated “The progress that DOE and the automotive and energy industries have made so far has us on the path to an industry commercialization decision in 2015. If our research program is successful, it is not unreasonable to think we could see the beginning of mass market penetration by 2020.”

"While someday we may be able to produce hydrogen by breaking up water molecules in association with the high-temperature heat from nuclear power reactors, or through renewable energy technologies," said Chris Shaddix, principal investigator for clean coal combustion at Sandia, "right now the most cost-effective way to produce hydrogen is with coal."

Two approaches to burning coal now are under study. The first, oxy-combustion, combines coal with pure oxygen. The second, gasification, burns coal only partially to create a fuel gas.

Oxy-combustion is driven by concern over emissions of CO2 and other pollutants. Burning coal in oxygen is a near-term solution that can produce exhaust streams that are close to pure CO2, Shaddix said. Harmful pollutants like nitrogen oxides, sulfur compounds and mercury are virtually eliminated.

Companies in Japan, Canada, Germany and elsewhere favor oxy-combustion and are building pilot plants.  U.S. companies tend to favor gasification technologies, which offer higher efficiency and low pollution formation. Gasification technologies are the only ones described in this post.

Biological Fuel Cell Development

A team of researchers at the University of Oxford have developed an enzyme based biological fuel cell that takes oxygen and hydrogen from an atmosphere to power electrical devices. The enzymes used were isolated from bacteria that evolved naturally to use hydrogen in their metabolic process.  The enzymes are highly selective and tolerant of gases that poison traditional fuel cell catalysts.  The advantage is that the enzymes are a cheap and renewable alternative to expensive platinum catalysts normally used in fuel cells.

Professor Fraser Armstrong and his colleagues built a fuel cell consisting of two electrodes coated with the enzymes in a small gas tank containing air with a few percent added hydrogen. The fuel cell was used to power a digital watch and the researchers believe that this development marks a milestone in the development process to improve the power density and lifetime of the enzymes.

According to a NREL website, other researchers are attempting to develop microbes to produce hydrogen from water, but as they produce oxygen as well as hydrogen and the hydrogen-evolving microbes are oxygen sensitive, this limitation must be overcome before a biological fuel cell that is fed by nothing but water could be developed.

Resources:

Milestone Achieved in the Development of Biological Fuel Cells, Newswise via Fuel Cell Today, April, 1, 2006
Hydrogen Production and Delivery, NREL R&D, Hydrogen and Fuel Cell Research website

Technorati tags: fuel cells, hydrogen, energy, technology

Is This the Best They Have to Offer?

The following, from a recent press release, seems to me to be a reflection of where the fuel cell vehicle program stands.  Is an 88 hp, 100 mile range vehicle the best Chrysler has to offer after over a billion dollars worth of research?  Considering their claim "No other manufacturer comes close to the efforts of DaimlerChrysler with fuel cell technology", we must have a long ways to go before cars that appeal to the consumer are available. Granted it is a supervisors vehicle, but I thought all police vehicles were supposed to be usable in all types of service.  It certainly is not a vehicle that will grab the attention of US consumers.

DaimlerChrysler has introduced the first fuel cell-powered police vehicle to the world. The Wayne State University Police Department in Detroit will operate the Mercedes F-Cell as a supervisor's vehicle on and in the immediate vicinity of the campus, located in Detroit's Cultural Center.

The Mercedes F-Cell is a reflection of DaimlerChrysler's leadership in fuel cell technology. The entire fuel cell system is housed in the floor of the vehicle, leaving full use of the passenger and cargo spaces. It has a range of approximately 100 miles and a top speed of 85 mph. The electric motor develops 88 hp (65 kW), enabling acceleration from 0 to 60 mph in 16 seconds. The stack has been developed by the DaimlerChrysler cooperation partner, Ballard Power Systems.

PEM Fuel Cells

Polymer electrolyte membrane (PEM) fuel cells—also called proton exchange membrane fuel cells—deliver high power density and offer the advantages of low weight and volume, compared to other fuel cells. PEM fuel cells use a solid polymer as an electrolyte and porous carbon electrodes containing a platinum catalyst. They need only hydrogen, oxygen from the air, and water to operate and do not require corrosive fluids like some fuel cells. They are typically fueled with pure hydrogen supplied from storage tanks or on board reformers. 

PEM fuel cells are the leading type of fuel cell being developed for transportation applications.  Their development time table is critical for timely deployment of fuel cell vehicles to enable the major element of the hydrogen economy.

Due to their fast startup time, low sensitivity to orientation, and favorable power-to-weight ratio, PEM fuel cells would be particularly suited for use in passenger vehicles.

However the cost of these fuel cells is currently prohibitive for vehicular use.  Additionally their lifetime, especially of the membranes has not been demonstrated to a satisfactory degree.  The membranes, catalysts and bipolar plates in particular need significant improvement before PEMFC are economically viable for light vehicle use.  One bright spot appears to be the fuel cells developed by Honda.  Competitors could emulate and even improve on this technology, if it is as good as I interpret it.  In addition to the fuel cell, economical hydrogen storage systems capable of storing enough hydrogen to give a range comparable to that of typical gasoline fueled cars have yet to be developed.

PEM Fuel Cell Membranes

The hydrogen fuel cell electrolyte or more commonly the polymer electrolyte membrane (PEM) is a material that looks something like ordinary kitchen plastic wrap.  It conducts only positively charged ions and blocks the electrons. The PEM is the key to the fuel cell technology; it must permit only the necessary ions to pass between the anode and cathode. Other substances passing through the electrolyte would disrupt the chemical reaction.

Three major characteristics of membranes are not totally satisfied by today's membranes when applied to a hydrogen automotive fuel cell.

1. The demand for continuous peak power in hot ambient environments,
2. Cold start capability
3. Stable performance at low relative humidity

DOE has set 2010 technical goals of conductivity of 0.1 Ohms-cm² @ 160 C, oxygen and hydrogen crossover of 2 mA/cm² or less, cost of $5.00/kW and durability of greater than 5,000 hours for transportation applications and 40,000 hours for stationary applications.

FuelCell Energies First Quarter Report

FuelCell Energy reported Results and Accomplishments for their first quarter of 2006, the period ending January 31, 2006.  Highlights were:

• Selected, with PPL, for 4 megawatt project in Connecticut
• Sited first 1 megawatt DFC installation in Japan for Sharp Corp.
• Targeted design cost for 2 MW plant approaches market clearing price
• Increased manufacturing production to 9 megawatts
• Selected by Department of Energy for $85 million coal-based multi-megawatt solid oxide fuel cell project

Commenting on the third item the report said:

Top priorities are continued reduction of the initial and life-cycle costs of the Company's products, and extending stack life from the current three years (24,000 hours) to five years (40,000 hours). To achieve profitability, product costs need to be in a range of $2,000 to $4,000 per kilowatt, depending on local electricity rates and fuel prices. Current design costs are now approximately $4,300 per kilowatt for the 1 megawatt product and $4,600 per kilowatt for the sub-megawatt product.

Extending FuelCell Energy's value engineering initiatives to the multi-megawatt DFC3000 power plant, the Company anticipates reducing the cost of this product to between $3,200 and $3,500 per kilowatt by the end of 2006, and below $3,000 per kilowatt with increased volume. This should be the Company's first product to show positive margins.

Further commentary can be found in the complete report which can be found here.

Technorati tags: fuel cells, energy, technology

The Energy Blog: FuelCell Energies First Quarter Report

Additional Hydrogen Storage Information

While researching the previous post on the Honda micro CHP system I came across this information on hydrogen storage in their fuel cell vehicle.  I have added this paragraph to the recent hydrogen storage post, but I am posting it here for those of you that have already read that post. This is the first storage system that I have seen that appears to be near what will be required in a commercial fuel cell vehicle (FCV).  Honda said in January that they would begin production of a FCV that would be very close to their FCX in 3 or 4 years.

Honda had this phrase in their announcement of their newest model of their fuel cell car, the 2006 FCX: Honda has now developed a new approach to expanding storage capacity, a newly developed hydrogen absorption material in the tank doubles capacity to 5 kg of hydrogen at 5000 PSI, extending cruising range to 350 miles, equivalent to that of a gasoline-engine car. The tank is located behind the rear seat. No other details were given, but I presume that by increasing the tank pressure to 5,000 PSI they were able to increase the capacity of absorbent material to an acceptable value. This is the same pressure as is used in most cars using a simple pressure vessel and has the accompanying disadvantages of the high pressure, but requires much less volume than a simple tank.

Honda Annnounces First Installation of Micro-CHP System

American Honda Motor Company and Massachusetts-based Climate Energy, LLC have collaborated in the first test installation of a micro-sized combined heat and power system (Micro-CHP system).  At the Braintree, Mass., residence of Mr. Bernard Malin, the Climate Energy system is now using cogeneration technology with natural gas to provide residential heat more efficiently than ever before, given the added benefit of producing electric power.

Honda supplies its compact home-use cogeneration unit to Climate Energy, which in turn, combines it with a furnace or boiler as a supplemental system to conventional space heating and electric power in new and existing homes, while delivering ultra-quiet operation.

The complete Climate Energy Micro-CHP system, powered by the Honda MCHP unit, results in more than 85 percent efficiency in converting fuel energy into useful heat and electric power.  The system also is expected to yield a 30 percent reduction in carbon dioxide emissions as compared with conventional heating appliances and grid supplied electricity.

DOE Awards FuelCell Energy Contract to Develop 100 MW Fuel Cell Power Plants

The Department of Energy (DOE) today announced the third project selected under its new Fuel Cell Coal-Based Systems program. FuelCell Energy, Inc., of Danbury, Conn., will conduct research ultimately leading to the development of near-zero emission fuel cell power plants that efficiently convert coal to electricity.

Under the project FuelCell Energy is to develop an affordable fuel-cell-based technology that will operate on synthesis gas from a coal gasifier. The key objectives of the project are:

• Development of fuel cell technologies, fabrication processes, and manufacturing infrastructure and capabilities for scale-up of solid oxide fuel cell stacks for large, multi-megawatt base-load power generation plants.
• The implementation of an innovative system concept for the design of a power plant larger than 100 megawatts,
• The power plant is expected to achieve greater than 50 percent overall efficiency, approaching 60% of the higher heating value of coal.
• Near-zero levels of emissions of sulfur dioxide and NOx, to the environment.
• Capture of 90 percent or more of the system's CO2 emissions
• Cost of $400 per kilowatt, exclusive of the coal gasification unit and CO2-separation subsystems.

Fuel Cell Generator Sets Record Efficiency

The following press release indicates the continuing progress that fuel cell systems are making in the stationary power sector. This sector, along with the specialty vehicle, ie fork lifts, etc, is going to remain the mainstay of the fuel cell industry for quite some time.

DANBURY, Conn.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Feb. 23, 2006-- FuelCell Energy, Inc. (NasdaqNM:FCEL), a leading manufacturer of ultra-clean and efficient electric power generation plants for commercial and industrial customers, today announced that its patented Direct FuelCell/Turbine(R) (DFC/T(R)) achieved a record-setting performance -- establishing a mark of 56 percent electrical efficiency in the sub-megawatt (sub-MW) class for 800 continuous hours during initial testing.

This significantly exceeds the electrical efficiency of other distributed generation technologies of similar size. For example, gas engines have an electrical efficiency of 30 to 42 percent, low temperature fuel cells have an electrical efficiency of 30 to 35 percent and microturbines have an electrical efficiency of 25 to 30 percent. ....

The DFC/T system is based on FuelCell Energy's 250 kilowatt (kW) Direct FuelCell(R) (DFC(R)) power plant and an integrated 60 kW microturbine from Capstone Turbine Corporation. Heat generated by the fuel cell is used to drive a modified unfired microturbine to generate additional electricity. The supplemental microturbine power increases the electrical efficiency and reduces the cost of power generated without using additional fuel. The combined-cycle DFC/T system has the same ultra-clean emissions profile of FuelCell Energy's Direct FuelCell(R) (DFC(R)) power plants.

Technorati tags: fuel cells, electric generation, energy, technology

DOD Funds Advanced PEM Fuel Cell Development

Plug Power Inc. (PLUG) and Ballard Power Systems (BLDP) announced they have been awarded a $2M program by the U.S. Department of Defense to develop an advanced prototype PEM fuel cell system to support Defense Continuity of Operations (COOP).

Under this program, Plug Power and Ballard will jointly develop a next-generation prototype PEM fuel cell power solution to be used in backup power applications. Plug Power will act as the systems integrator, using a Ballard® fuel cell stack for evaluation and potential use in COOP programs for the U.S. Department of Defense and Department of Homeland Security.

See entire press release for more details.

PEM fuel cells have held promise for small, under 100kW, applications, such as vehicle power, battery replacement, and UPS service. This effort has only met with limited sucess and this program may help to bring the technology into more practical use.

Technorati tags: fuel cells, energy, technology

FuelCell Energy Sells 1 MW Unit in Japan

FuelCell Energy announced that it has sold a one megawatt (MW) Direct FuelCell(R) (DFC(R)) power plant to provide electric power and high-quality heat for a Sharp Corp. production facility in Japan that manufactures advanced flat-screen TVs.  The DFC power plant will provide Sharp's Kameyama manufacturing facility with a portion of its base load electricity needs and supply heat byproduct for air conditioning by means of absorption chilling.

"This is our first international megawatt-class installation, showing growing acceptance in Japan of our larger ultra-clean DFC power plants," said R. Daniel Brdar, President and CEO of FuelCell Energy.

Installation of the DFC power plant is expected to be complete by second calendar quarter of 2006. The unit will operate on liquefied natural gas -- supplied via a newly installed 17-kilometer pipeline from Toho Gas.

For further details see FuelCell Energy press release, January 24, 2005

FuelCell Energy based in Danbury, CT is the leading producer of molten carbonate fuel cells (MCFC), which were the subject of a previous post.  MCFC's are produced in sizes above 250 kW and obtain extremely high efficiencies, as high as 85%, when the waste heat is captured and used as is the case in this application.

This is an example how high effiency fuel cells can provide distributed power to help reduce consumption of fossil fuels.  Not only is electricity produced at a higher efficiency than in any conventional power plant and the waste heat recovered and used, but the not insignificant distribution losses are eliminated

Technorati tags: fuel cells, energy, technology

Hydra Fuel Cell Corporation

Hydra Fuel Corporation, a fuel cell company that is a (the only) wholly owned subsidiary of American Security Resources Corporation (OTCBB: ARSC.OB), an "acquisition vehicle" in Houston, TX, announced in December that  it plans to ship beta units of its proprietary hydrogen fuel cells to select customers in January, 2006. On January 19 ARSC announced:

Hydra fuel will demonstrate beta units of its proprietary hydrogen fuel cells to a select group of potential customers which includes the Department of Defense -- Army Corps of Engineers, Qwest Communications, Verizon Communications, Foxconn, the Oregon Institute of Technology and a major regional utility, among others.  The demonstration took place at Hydra's facilities in Beaverton, Oregon, on Friday, January 20, 2006.

Ed Davis, Chairman of Hydra, explained, "The HydraStax® hydrogen fuel cell is designed to be the first commercially mass producible hydrogen fuel cell. Our beta units are performing much better than expected. The applications for this type of fixed power with the military and commercial customers number in the hundreds of thousands."

The ARSC website gives this description, in part, of Hydra:

The emerging need for stationary Fuel Cell technology for the industrial/ commercial sector for standby and remote power, and for high-end residential users, is evident. The Freedonia Group projects that the Fuel Cell Opportunity is currently a $5 billion segment of a Trillion dollar industry for reliable power and distributed generation for the digital economy.

About Solid Oxide Fuel Cells

The Solid Oxide Fuel Cell (SOFC) uses a ceramic, solid-phase electrolyte which reduces corrosion considerations and eliminates the electrolyte management problems associated with liquid electrolyte fuel cells. To achieve adequate ionic conductivity in such a ceramic, however, the system must operate at temperatures between 650 and 1000°C (1200 and 1830°F). High temperature operation removes the need for precious-metal catalyst, thereby reducing cost. At these temperatures, internal reforming of carbonaceous fuels is possible, and the waste heat from such a device can be utilized by conventional thermal electricity generating plants to yield excellent fuel efficiency. Solid Oxide Fuel Cells (SOFCs) are currently being demonstrated in sizes from 1kW up to 250-kW plants, with plans to reach the multi-MW range.  Commercial SOFCs are expected to have around 50-60 percent efficiency. In co-generationapplications overall efficiencies should be in the 80-85 percent range.

In operation, hydrogen or carbon monoxide (CO) in the fuel stream reacts with oxide ions (O=) from the electrolyte to produce water or CO2 and to deposit electrons into the anode. The electrons pass outside the fuel cell, through the load, and back to the cathode where oxygen from air receives the electrons and is converted into oxide ions which are injected into the electrolyte. It is significant that the SOFC can use CO as well as hydrogen as its direct fuel. This allows SOFCs to use gases made from coal.

 

About Molten Carbonate Fuel Cells

The molten carbonate fuel cell (MCFC) gets its name because it uses molten carbonate salt as the electrolyte.  MCFCs are high-temperature fuel cells in which the electrolyte is suspended in a porous, chemically inert ceramic matrix. They are currently being operated on natural gas and other fuels containing methane in stationary applications in the wastewater treatment, industrial, hotel and government markets. 

They must operate at the extremely high temperature of 650°C (roughly 1,200°F) or above to obtain good conductivity of the electrolyte.  This enables the use of non-precious metals as catalysts at the anode and cathode, reducing costs and enables reformation of gaseous fuels to hydrogen within the fuel cell eliminating the need to supply hydrogen to the fuel cell.  MCFCs can reach efficiencies approaching 60 percent; when the waste heat is captured and used, overall fuel efficiencies can be as high as 85 percent.

The anode process involves a reaction between hydrogen and carbonate ions (CO3=) from the electrolyte which produces water and carbon dioxide (CO2) while releasing electrons to the anode. The cathode process combines oxygen and CO2 from the oxidant stream with electrons from the cathode to produce carbonate ions which enter the electrolyte. The need for CO2 in the oxidant stream requires a system for collecting CO2 from the anode exhaust and mixing it with the cathode feed stream.

Fuel Cell Technology Overview

Fuelcellworks has an excellent article on the emerging fuel cell technologies, that is worth your reading to bring you up to date on fuel cell technology.  The fuel cell is emerging as the leader in distributed power because of their high efficiency; 50% plus at the present with 70% considered a realistic goal, lower emissions: 80% lower carbon emissions than combustion technologies and almost no other emissions and their high reliability--95-99% vs 85% for reciprocating engines and gas turbines.  Fuel cells cost a few thousand dollars per kW, down from $20,000/kW in 1999 with a continuing downward trend towards the "magic price" of $1000/kw that is the price buyers want to pay.  Various government subsidies can make the first cost of fuel cells competitive with other sources of power at the present time.  In some situations fuel cells are able to command their premium price because of their other advantages and because they are already competitive with existing technologies on a lifetime cost basis.

Fuel Cells Coming Into View, Kujawa, Michael, fuelcellworks, December 20, 2005

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More Proof of Global Warming

Dr Michael Coughlin, head of the National Climate Centre was reported as saying that the world is now hotter than any time since prehistoric times.  He is supported by research using gas trapped in Antarctic ice going back 650,000 years that found that current levels of carbon dioxide in the air are 27% higher than at any tiny time during that period.  This goes along with NASA's report that says that 2005 is the hottest year on record.

Effects that have been attributed to the warming include that the Artic sea ice dropped to its lowest level ever, the record hurricane season and an unprecedented drought that reduced the flow of the Amazon river to its lowest ever rate.  Canada and Australia had their hottest ever weather this year, while India, Pakistan, Bangladesh and Algeria suffered heatwaves reaching 50C.

If this isn't strong enough proof that global warming is real, what do you need Mr President?  It certainly should be enough to convince you to take all possible measures to reduce global warming, which should include as its main point the reduction of burning of fossil fuels. The time required for any mitigating measures to have any impact is so great, that all stops have to be pulled out now.  Items that have been repeatedly indicated as being necessary include:

How GE Captures New Energy Markets

An article from Fortune magazine via the World Business Council for Sustainable Development, gives a comprehensive review of General Electrics activities in the energy market. In perhaps the broadest and largest corporate effort anywhere, GE spent $700 million in 2004 on clean-energy R&D--ranging from hydrogen production to solar cells, cleaner coal plants, and biofuels. Their wide variety of activities include:

• Their very successful wind turbine business has sold 5,500 turbines since 2002, with 1,600 to be installed this year.  They hope wind power will eventually supply 20% of U.S.'s total energy.
• They are developing hybrid electric locomotives that they have running on an eight mile long test track, which they will start selling in 2007.
• They have many hydrogen related projects including solid oxide fuel cells for stationary applications, ICE engines modified to run on hydrogen, gas stations that use electrolysis to generate hydrogen, methods of storing hydrogen in man-made nanoparticles or in metal hydrides and thermochemical methods of producing hydrogen.
• GE has been building new high temperature nuclear reactors in Europe and Asia.
• They have teamed with Exxon Mobil and Schlumberger to study how to sequester carbon dioxide.
• They are developing IGCC technology for producing electricity and hydrogen.
• GE is pursuing three ways of using solar cells: developing more efficient solar cells, developing electrochemical cells that produce hydrogen, reducing the size of thermal solar farms from hundreds of acres to tens of acres by improving concentrating solar system efficiency.  An example of their research in solar is the development of nanodiodes--whiskers 1/80,000th the thickness of a human hair--displaying a photovoltaic effect that converts sunlight into electricity.

John K. Reinker, who runs a team of about 60 scientists on hydrogen related subjects, is excited about the sheer scope of GE's energy R&D. "I don't think there is any other company in the world that is looking at so many energy technologies and as a result is able to understand which have the most probability of success." Thomas Edison, GE's original research scientist, would be proud.

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Hyundai Fuel Cell Vehicles

December 16, 2005--Hyundai Motor Company delivered the first of 10 Hyundai and Kia Fuel Cell Electric Vehicles (FCEV) to the Alameda-Contra Costa Transit District (AC Transit) today. The delivery marked the beginning of a five-year demonstration and validation project designed to evaluate fuel cell vehicles and hydrogen infrastructure technologies.

A team, consisting of Hyundai, Chevron and UTC power, officially began testing to support research into hydrogen-powered fuel cell technology in February 2005 when Chevron opened it first-ever hydrogen energy station at the Hyundai America Technical Center (HATCI) in Chino CA .

In addition to HATCI and AC transit, fleets will also be placed at Southern California Edison and the U.S. Army facilities in Detroit to develop and implement a practical, business-based hydrogen energy infrastructure and associated technologies as a part of the five year program.

Hyundai plans to place two addition Tucson FCEV with AC Transit in early 2006 and will round out the fleet with six Kia Sportage FCEV models in late 2006 and 2007.

While the delivery of the first vehicles in itself is newsworthy, the observation that I have is: Where are the American companies that could have been involved in the development of these vehicles? With all of the controversy now going on about the possible failure of Ford and General Motors, this is just more evidence that these companies are and were not investing their R&D dollars in the right technologies. For the most part American car companies have said that they were not investing in hybrid technologies because the fuel cell was a better answer to our automotive technology requirements. Now they do not have that technology either. Hyundai is a newcomer to automotive technologies, we should be able to beat the pants off of them with the megabucks (formerly) available to our automotive industry. The answer is fairly obvious; the new companies are more flexible, are more open to new ideas and do not have the bureaucracy that stymies adaptation of change.  I do not in any way want to demean the capability or the significance of Hyundai, I am sure their products represent a sigificant contribution to fuel cell technology, certainly more than American car companies are capable of at the present time.

Resource: Hyundai Delivers First Fuel Cell Vehicle to AC Transit to Initiate Fleet Testing Program, Tuscon Post, December 16, 2005

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Breakthrough Oil Shale Technology?

A relatively unknown company, Digital Gas has signed an agreement with an undisclosed private company (PRIVATCO) to use high temperature fuel cells (HTFC) to recover a variety of unconventional hydrocarbon resources, especially shale oil.  The following is their press release announcing the agreement:

Dec. 9, 2005--Digital Gas, Inc. Ann Arbor, MI (OTC Pink Sheets: DIGG - News) announced today that it has signed an agreement to partner with a private US-based company (PRIVATCO) that owns the exclusive rights to a high temperature fuel cell (HTFC) method which is expected to dramatically reduce the cost for oil and gas recovery from a variety of unconventional hydrocarbon resources.

The broadly-patented HTFC approach is designed to make it possible to economically produce oil and gas from unconventional resources, such as oil shale, tar sands, heavy oil deposits, and coal bed methane, while producing electricity as a byproduct. Under the terms of the agreement, Digital Gas intends to make an equity investment in PRIVATCO, be responsible for drilling contract and funding matters on PRIVATCO-controlled properties, and will have the right to use the HTFC method on properties it acquires independent of PRIVATCO, subject to a royalty payment. Digital Gas expects initial HTFC units to be operational during 2006.

Direct Carbon Fuel Cell (DCFC)

SRI International introduced their direct carbon fuels cell (DCFC) technology to the fuel cell research community at the 2005 Fuel Cell Seminar on Monday, November 14.  According to their announcement:

DCFCs convert the chemical energy in coal directly into electricity without the need for gasification. SRI's new DCFC technology has several potential benefits. It produces electricity at a competitive cost from a variety of fuels including coal, coke, tar, biomass and organic waste. In addition, it is two times more fuel-efficient than today's coal-fired power plants, resulting in reduced carbon dioxide emissions. The process produces almost pure carbon dioxide, which can be contained in a concentrated stream and easily captured for downstream use or disposal.

Sony Develops High Efficiency Fuel Cell

Fuel Cell Works reported that Sony has developed a direct methanol fuel cell that can generate 100 milliwatts-hours per square centimeter at room temperature, the highest generation efficiency ever achieved by that type of fuel cell.

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NRL Demonstrates Fuel Cell Aerial System

The Naval Research Laboratory (NRL), in collaboration with industrial partners, demonstrated an unmanned aerial system (UAS) flight solely powered by fuel cell technology. The flight of the 5.6-pound 'Spider-Lion" lasted 3 hours, 19 minutes and consumed 15-grams of compressed hydrogen gas.

The 100-watt fuel cell system was designed and constructed at NRL largely using commercially available hardware and a fuel cell stack and components developed by Protonex. The "Spider-Lion" UAS was developed by NRL as a high-impact research platform for testing fuel cell technology. Research and development continues aimed at developing a fuel cell system capable of powering small military platforms currently in the field or in advanced development stages requiring extended operation that is not achievable using current battery technology.

Protonex develops and manufactures high-performance, long-duration fuel cell power systems for portable and remote applications in the 10-500W power range. Protonex products and platforms are based on patent-pending fuel cell stacks. Protonex stacks are claimed to deliver the industry's best metrics on virtually all dimensions including weight, size, durability, and lifetime performance. They have developed fuel cells that are powered by chemical hydride cartridges, direct hydrogen storage or reformers that can extract hydrogen "as-needed" from commercially available liquid fuels such as methanol, ethanol, propane, gasoline, diesel, and JP8.

The Spider-Lion project is a joint venture between NRL's Chemistry and Tactical Electronic Warfare Divisions and Protonex Technology Corporation.

Resources:

US Naval Laboratiory press release
Protonex Technology Corporation, Southborough, MA

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GreenShift Invests in Aerogel Composite

Aerogel Composite, Inc. (ACI) is a development stage materials science company with proprietary technologies involving meso-porous carbon aerogel composites.  Aerogels are solid-state substances similar to gels but where the liquid phase is replaced with gas. Aerogels have a highly dendritic tree-like structure and rank among the world's lowest density solids. They have a remarkably high surface area and are very porous and light. Their microstructure and physical properties can be manipulated at the nanometer scale by selection of raw material and modification of manufacturing conditions. Aerogel products can be engineered to exhibit desired thermal, acoustic, mechanical and/or chemical properties. Aerogel materials can be produced as monoliths, thin-films, powders, or micro-spheres to respond to given application requirements.

ACI has patented nanotechnology for the preparation of aerogel composites for a wide variety of applications. Applications of ACI's Hyrogel(TM) carbon aerogel supported catalysts are planned to include hydrogen powered stationary and mobile PEM fuel cells, direct methanol fuel cells (DMFC) for portable electronic devices such as laptop computers and cell phones, and other metal oxide aerogel supported catalyst for catalytic converters for gasoline and diesel powered vehicles and other internal combustion engines. Aeogels have the potential for reducing the precious metal content of fuel cells, batteries and catalysts by 90% over prevailing levels.

GreenShift Corporation (OTC Bulletin Board: GSHF) is a publicly traded business development company (BDC) whose mission is to develop and support companies and technologies that facilitate the efficient use of natural resources and catalyze transformational environmental gains. Today GSHF announced that it had purchased a 25% interest in ACI, and receive certain commercial rights in return for GreenShift's investment, with an option to purchase an additional 5% of ACI.

FuelCell Energy Commissions Wastewater Power Plant

From news release of November 7:  FuelCell Energy, Inc. (FCEL ), a leading manufacturer of efficient, ultra-clean power generation plants for commercial and industrial customers, announced today that its European partner MTU CFC Solutions GmbH, a subsidiary of DaimlerChrysler, and RWE Fuel Cells have commissioned a 250-kilowatt  power plant incorporating FuelCell Energy's technology to run a municipal wastewater treatment facility in northeastern Germany.

This system combines FCE's efficient and low-emission Direct Fuel Cell® (DFC®) stacks with MTU's balance of plant design that it manufactures for the European market. Situated at the Municipal Wastewater Treatment Works in Ahlen, Germany, it is the first fuel cell in Europe to operate on anaerobic digester gas.

Using sewage gas produced by the Ahlen facility itself as fuel, the power plant generates electricity to run the wastewater treatment process; any excess power is fed to the grid. The power plant also generates 180 kilowatts of heat byproduct. Ahlen harnesses this energy to operate its digestion tower (where sewage sludge is turned into the gas fuel source), while any remaining thermal energy is used to heat its office and plant buildings there.

Nanopowders Could Revolutionize Electrodes

QuantumSphere makes such products as nano-nickel/cobalt alloy nanopowder that behaves like platinum but is 80 percent cheaper. Since platinum is 40 percent of the cost of small batteries and fuel cells, QuantumSphere's alloy could greatly reduce the cost of batteries for laptops, cell phones, digital cameras and hearing aids. Most of QuantumSphere's 11 employees are scientists. So far, the company has grown without venture capital. It has started selling its products this year and could possibly break even in 2006. QuantumSphere was recently selected for a 2005 Technology Innovation of the Year award by research organization Frost & Sullivan. 

QuantumSphere claims to be the leading manufacturer of metallic nanopowders for markets demanding exacting material quality and performance. In their words: "Our exclusive manufacturing process provides consistent and narrow particle size distribution, low levels of agglomeration and impurities, a custom-tailored oxide shell thickness, and the highest purity metallic nanopowders on the market that are easier to transport and handle. The company accomplishes this without compromising its commitment to the environment and the community. No other company offers these performance advantages."

They see their applications as including:

• Electrodes in batteries, fuel cells and water hydrolysis/hydrogen production, where huge surface area and greater surface energy combined equals orders of magnitude Increase in reactive performance.
• Coatings and sealants, where enhanced performance characteristics including higher conductivity, magnetic, anti-corrosive, increased durability, antimicrobial, abrasion resistance and radio frequency shielding are desirable.
• Filtration of solutions or gases to remove bacteria, viruses, bio-hazards and pollutants in gas separation, biological protection systems and chemical catalysis.
• Biomedical to improve imaging of internal organs and tumors, bio-hazard protection, targeting drug delivery and tumor eradication and as a antimicrobial.
• Vehicles, where replacing platinum with nickel nanoparticles in lean-burn diesel engine catalytic materials and in catalytic emissions controls.

Increased Power Density for SOFCs

ESL Electro-Science has announced that the use of scandia stabilized zirconia (ScSZ) has recently been shown to more than double the power density achieved with conventional electrolyte materials for Solid Oxide Fuel Cells (SOFC).  ScSZ is now commercially available in both tape form and as a fired substrate.

High temperature SOFCs, based on an oxide-ion conducting electrolyte, offer a clean, low-pollution technology to electrochemically generate electricity at high efficiencies. SOFC provides many advantages over traditional energy conversion systems including high efficiency, reliability, modularity, fuel adaptability, and very low levels of SOx and NOx emissions.

It is expected that planar SOFCs will have widespread application in the stationary distributed power generation, transportation, and military market sectors. Systems based on both tubular and planar SOFCs are ideal power generation systems - reliable, clean, quiet, environmentally friendly, and fuel conserving, hence reducing dependence on imported oil.

The new ScSZ ceramic is made by adding scandia (Sc2O3) to zirconium oxide (ZrO2) to optimize the crystal structure. The raw materials are first tape cast into a flexible sheet, then sintered at high temperature. The new ScSZ exhibits improved ionic conductivity and mechanical strength while its coefficient of thermal expansion is about the same as yttria stabilized zirconia (YSZ). The use of ScSZ thus helps increase power-generating characteristics of the devices, while decreasing size and cost.

SoFCs operate at temperatures of 750-1000 C  Efficiencies of 50-60% can be obtained without cogeneration and 80-85% with cogeneration.  Operation at these temperatures eliminates the need for precious metal catalysts, reducing the cost and allowing the reforming of fuels internally, further reducing the cost and permitting the use of a variety of fuels without adding an external reformer.

ESL Electro-Science, King of Prussia, PA, USA

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New Material for SOFCs Reduces Operating Temperature

Toto LTD, Japan has announced that it has developed a solid oxide fuel cell (SOFC) stack that operates at 500 C, which is much lower than conventional SOFC stacks that typically operate in the 750 - 1000 C range.  The development is made possible through the use of ceramic materials that have not previously been used in fuel cells.   For mobile operations this reduces weight and size due to lesser amounts of heat insulation being required.  The cell is tubular shaped which can be more efficiently designed to be resistant to thermal stress than a planer arrangement.  Start up time is about 5 minutes. The output power is 500 W to 1000 W.  Specific applications anticipated are motor-driven chairs, motor-assist bicycles, etc.

In the newly developed SOFC stack, a reaction control layer is placed between the electrolyte and the fuel electrode to reduce the internal resistance, and to stabilize the low-temperature operation characteristic. To increase the integration density and the start-up time, the fuel electrode is molded to be a tubular member of 5mm in diameter. The outer surface of the fuel electrode is covered with the electrolyte and the air electrode.  Materials used are:

• Air electrode: lanthanum cobalt ceramics
• Electrolyte: lanthanum gallate ceramics
• Fuel Electrode: compound of nickel and zirconia ceramics
• Reaction control layer: ceria ceramics

Reference:  World's First SOFC Stack Operable at 500 Degrees Celsius, Fuel Cell Japan, 10/23-10/31/2005, Item 40-6

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Mobile Renewable Energy System

A renewable energy power station in a box is what SkyBuilt Power has and is continuing to develop.  The Mobile Power Station™ (MPS™) is a complete power station in a rugged shipping container utilizing almost any type of energy. It can operate with no fuel, using any combination of solar/wind/batteries and micro hydro power, and can also be configured to work with diesel, fuel cells or other fuel-based systems. The picture on the left shows a 20' x 8.5' x 8'-foot wide (MPS™) unit designed for rapid deployment of a fuel-less power system on display at the companies office in Arlington, Virginia. 

The MPS can be shipped by truck, rail, sea or airplane; even dropped from a plane via parachute.  A steerable wing-type of parachute can be guided by remote control to get it to an otherwise inaccessible location.  The small units can be set up by two men and running in hours, not days.  Using the heavy and rugged steel container as a base means that it is not necessary to pour heavy footings and install towers and guy wires to support the turbine, or hold solar panels steady against wind pressure. All the components are shipped in the container with the solar panels and/or wind turbines set up on preassembled supports and cabling at the site.  Batteries, if needed, remain inside the container. The container can be heated and cooled for climate-controlled and lighted storage, office, medical clinic, border patrol facility, telecom, operations/command control centers, or other secure, self-powered space in any environment from the desert to the arctic.

The Car that Makes its Own Fuel

Amnon Yogev, an retired Israeli professor from the Weizmann Institute and one of two founders of Engineuity, has invented a car that produces its own hydrogen fuel from light metals, such as magnesium or aluminum, eliminating all of the infrastructure required for making, transporting and storing hydrogen.  The inventor claims that when the cars become commercial, they will cost about the same as conventional cars and will be emission free.

A coil of the fuel - aluminum or magnesium - is fed into a device called a Metal-Steam combustor that will separate hydrogen out of water that is heated to a very high temperature.  The oxygen atoms will bond to the metal forming a metal oxide, freeing the hydrogen.  The hydrogen and the steam, which forms when the pressure in the 'fuel' line is reduced below that in the combustor, are sent to the engine where they are used to generate power.  My explanation: The steam will be superheated in the engine and returned to the Metal-Steam combustor to provide the heat needed to generate more hydrogen.  The waste metal oxide and remaining unoxidized metal would be removed from the combustor and collected for recycling at the fuel station where the coils of metal are purchased.

A drawback is that the amount of metal needed for fuel, to give the car the same range as a conventional car, weighs about three times as much as the gasoline it replaces.  The engine should be a minor modification of ICE's. They claim neither the purchase price or the running cost should be much different than conventional cars.  Engineuity plans on developing a prototype in three years if they are able to raise enough money from investors.

I don't believe its that simple.  Does it really work?  Can some of you bright young readers analyze the cycle and see if it can work?  How do you start the car?  Do you need a heater for the combustor and where do you get the energy to do that?  Can you produce some excess hydrogen and store it, that sounds expensive. How do you adjust the speed?  Somehow you must dump some of the heat produced in the engine I guess or can you throttle the hydrogen and design the combustor to take the high pressure that might result.  Can that be combined with the engine cooling system?  What is the response time of the system?  You have a volume in the combustor that might have to be heated and cooled to provide response.  What about the cost of the Metal-Steam combustor?  It must operate at a pretty high pressure and the pressure vessel then adds weight to the car.  I guess there is no exhaust system which saves a bit. I would think the price of the "feed metal" would go up with the price of energy, so there is not a great saving there, if any.  I have added some to the cycle description to clarify it, I hope I did it correctly.

Resource:  The Car That Makes its Own Fuel, IsraCast, October 24, 2005

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New Honda Fuel Cell Concept Car

The new Honda FCX fuel cell concept car has a 100 kW power system, a 350 mile range, operation at -20 F and a new more compact fuel storage system.  It is supplied with a new version of Honda's home energy system, powered by natural gas, that generates hydrogen, electricity and heat for water heating, that is claimed to reduce household energy consumption by 50%.

It sounds like a lot of progress in this type of car, but generating hydrogen from natural gas is not what we need.  No mention of price, its a concept car, but it sounds expensive. I'm still not convinced that hydrogen is the way to go.

Green Car Congress has its usual excellent write-up about the car.

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Solid Oxide Fuel Cell Advancements

Stanford reseachers have come up with innovations to the solid oxide fuel cell which make it more attractive for use in cars.  The most significant drawback of current solid oxide fuel cells is their operating temperature; they typically operate at 1300 F (~700 C) which makes their use in cars unlikely.  One of the causes of high operation temperatures is the electolyte layer which, up to now, could not conduct negative oxygen ions without creating a lot of heat.

Stanford mechanical engineering proffessor Fritz Prinz and his collegues have improved the conductivity through the electrolyte layer—a membrane of yttria stabilized zirconia (YSZ)—by making it as thin as 50 nanometers.  The results are a fuel cell that operates at 750 F (~400 C) at the same power density as earlier solid oxide fuel cells operating at high temperatures.  His group has also improved the membranes conductivity by 34% by bombarding the membrane with positive argon ions and then heating the charged membrane to 1,470 F (800 C).  Apparently they have not combined the techniques, pehaps because the argon treatment may weaken the YSZ.

About Hydrogen Solar Tandem Cells

The Hydrogen Solar Ltd Tandem Cell™ is a self-contained unit which directly splits water molecules into high-purity hydrogen and oxygen using solar energy. It  significantly reduces carbon emissions by eliminating the fossil fuels normally used in electrolysis or steam reforming to produce hydrogen.

Now for an explanation of their system. A flow cell, through which the water electrolyte passes, is in the front of the stack, the light passes through this cell to the Tandem Cell™ which consists of two photo-catalytic cells in series: the front cell, coated with nano-crystalline metal oxide thin films, absorbs the ultraviolet and blue light from sunlight and oxygen is formed on the surface.  This cell does not generate enough voltage to split the water, so the electrons are connected to the back cell.  The longer wave-length green and red light pass through the front cell and are absorbed in the back dye-solar cell, increasing the potential of the electrons, which then flow to the hydrogen cathode where the hydrogen is formed. This is not the arrangement used in real modules, but illustrates the principle, if this arrangement were used, a transparent membrane would have to be placed in the water cell to separate the hydrogen and oxygen.  No external electricity is required. The process is renewable, produces no carbon dioxide or other emissions.

The cells are made from low cost materials.  The most expensive material used is the glass that the cells are made from.  The thin film semiconductors are iron or tungsten based rather than more expensive silicon materials. The process is now competitive, on the small scale, producing hydrogen at one third the cost than from PV solar panel-electrolysis systems.  On the large scale it was, mid 2004, about twice the cost of steam reforming with natural gas.

Fuel Cells Extend Range of NEVs

Fuel cell golf cart/NEV range extended to 6 hours, 100-150 miles

Anuvu Incorporated has scheduled production and delivery of a fuel cell-powered Neighborhood Electric Vehicle with On-Board Power generator to Reg Technologies Inc. for evaluation and testing. The design for the fuel cell power system for golf carts/NEVs would be a universal range extending power package that would be added to existing vehicle designs. The fuel cell would provide 2.5 kW of net power to the NEV, providing substantial range extension and enhanced performance over the entire duty cycle.

Technocrati tags: fuel cells, hydrogen, Energy, Renewable, Alternative energy

New Reformed Methanol Fuel Cell

Ultracell announced a reformed methanol fuel cell (RMFC) for portable electronic devices that has "twice the energy density of lithium batteries."  Their technology uses a patented reformer to generate hydrogen from a concentrated methanol solution.  The polymer electrolyte membrane (PEM) cell has the power density of a hydrogen fuel cell but uses liquid methanol fuel in a compact, non-pressurized container.  The cell develops up to 25 watts of continuous power, weighs 40 ounces and is about the size of a paperback novel.  The UltraCell25 will be available in 2006 for professional, industrial and mobile computing applications.

The complete UltraCell system includes fuel processor, fuel cell stack, control system, auxillary components and easily replaceable fuel cartridge. The control system manages a steady flow of power by adjusting pump and compressor settings. The fuel cell generates no excess water, and consequently does not need a water management system, saving size, weight and cost versus alternative micro fuel cell systems.  The system uses a PEMEAS high temperature membrane assembly (MEA) in its fuel cell stack with its advantages as describe below. The system's spent fuel canisters can be instantly "hot swapped," as needed, to provide continuous power in any remote situation.  A single cartridge powers an average laptop for an entire day.

Chemical: Triazole, Fuel Cell Breakthrough?

Researchers have identified a chemical, triazole, that could allow PEM fuel cells to operate more efficiently.  Polymer electrolyte membrane (PEM) fuel cells are the the most promising fuel cells for portable use such as automobiles.  A team lead by Dr. Meilin Liu, a professor in the School of Materials Science and Engineering at Georgia Tech, has discovered that a chemical called triazole is significantly more effective than similar chemicals researchers have explored to increase conductivity and reduce moisture dependence in polymer membranes.

A fuel cell essentially produces electricity by converting the chemicals, hydrogen and oxygen, into water. Proton exchange membranes used in fuel cells are a specially treated material that looks a lot like plastic wrap. It allows protons to pass through it virtually unimpeded, while electrons are blocked. The membrane is the key to building a better fuel cell.

Replacing water in the membrane with triazole has several positive effects:

• Previously membranes needed to operate at temperatures below 100 °C, usually about 80 °C, in order to retain the moisture needed to conduct protons.  Replacing the water in the membrane with triazole allows the fuel cell to operate at higher temperatures and thus more efficiently.
• The conductivity of the membrane is increased.
• The triazole-containing membranes operating at 120 °C eliminated the need for a water management system and dramatically reduced the cost and complexity of the membrane cooling system.
• The higher operating temperature, allows the use of lower purity hydrogen.  When operationg at lower temperatures; expensive, very high purity hydrogen, without traces of carbon monoxide, is required to prevent poisoning of the very sensitive catalyst required at these conditions.

While they have pushed their polymer fuel cells to 120 degrees Celsius with triazole, Liu’s team is looking into better polymers to get those temperatures even higher, he said.

Resources:

"Chemical Could Revolutionize Polymer Fuel Cells", Georgia Institute of Technology news release, 8/24/05
"Proton Exchange Membrane Fuel Cells (PEMFC)", FUEL CELL TODAY, Fuel Cell Types

Technocrati tags: fuel cells, triazole, hydrogen

Bush's Comments on Energy

The following are excerpts from President Bush's June 15th remarks to the 16th Annual Energy Efficiency Forum

The primary cause of rising gasoline prices is that the global demand for oil is growing faster than global supply....The first step toward making America less dependent on foreign oil is to improve conservation and efficiency....Hybrid vehicles are one of the most promising technologies immediately available to consumers....I propose that every American who purchases a hybrid vehicle receive a tax credit of up to $4,000....We are also encouraging automakers to produce a new generation of modern, clean-diesel cars and trucks.... Congress should extend the tax incentives for the purchase of hybrid vehicles to clean diesel cars and trucks....the Environmental Protection Agency is working to simplify rules and regulations for refinery expansion....my administration launched an ambitious program called the Hydrogen Fuel Initiative. The energy bill will authorize additional funds for this vital initiative. With bold investments now, we can begin to replace a hydrocarbon economy with a hydrogen economy....We've got to be aggressive about finding alternative sources of fuel. And one such source is ethanol....I like the idea of spending money on research to make ethanol more feasible....we can get the same type of alternative fuel from soybeans. It's called biodiesel....To encourage greater use of ethanol and biodiesel, my administration supports a flexible, cost-effective renewable fuel standard.... This proposal would require fuel producers to include a certain percentage of ethanol and biodiesel in their fuel. I proposed $84 million in the 2006 budget for ongoing research into advanced technologies that can produce ethanol from farms, forests, or even municipal waste dumps.... the Department of Energy is funding research and development of super-conducting power lines. It's important research because it will enable us to more efficiently move electricity....One day, technologies like solar panels and high-efficiency appliances and advanced insulation could even allow us to build "zero-energy homes" that produce as much energy as they consume....My budget for 2006 brings clean coal funding to $1.6 billion over five years....Congress needs to pass the Clear Skies Initiative....passing it, not only will we clean the environment, but it will result in tens of billions of dollars in clean coal investments by private companies....to further increase our natural gas supply, Congress needs to make clear federal authority to choose sites for new receiving terminals for liquefied natural gas....We need to expand our nation's use of nuclear power....So I've directed the Department of Energy to work with Congress to help pass legislation that will reduce uncertainty in the nuclear plant licensing process....such as federal insurance to protect the builders of the first four new plants against lawsuits, bureaucratic obstacles, and other delays beyond their control.

In general I support these ideas.  However (my cynical side), I don't think these remarks have much to do with what actually gets enacted into law.  It is good too see that the president acknowledges that demand rather than supply is driving our pending energy shortage.  His emphasis on hybrid cars is encouraging.  $84 million for research on alternative fuels seems like such a pittance compared to the billions on the hydrogen initiative and the clean coal program. I know that his remarks on coal and nuclear energy will be controversial, but I believe that we have no choice but to go ahead with these programs.  The clean coal program, which includes sequestration, is the one sure thing we have to fall back on.  The environmental issues associated with coal mining are probably not addressed and could and should be.  Building four nuclear power plants (I thought it was to be three) is essential to demonstrate that safer nuclear plants can be built.  I personally think that a fuel recycling program should be initiated to take care of our mounting nuclear wastes, rather than using the Yucca Mountain storage scheme.  If the hydrogen economy ever becomes a reality (I hope not) our coal reserves will deplete rapidly and nuclear may be our only option.  Development of a massive renewable fuels program would be a much wiser use of our tax dollars.

Technocrati tags: energy policy, renewable energy

N.Y. megamall aims to run on clean energy

A $20 billion, 800 acre shopping and entertainment project, DestiNY, would run entirely on green energy.  It will have the worlds largest solar installation at 32 MW, 28 MW of fuel cells, a combined total of 120 MW of biodiesel and biomass and 44 MW of wind power.  All construction equipment is being powered by biodiesel.  Hydrogen for the fuel cells will be generated from renewable energy.  Construction is scheduled to begin this June on the largest megamall ever built, near Syracuse, NY.  The 7.5 million sq ft mall would be nearly twice as big as the Mall of America.

As pointed out in the referenced article, the mall is all green energy, but what about all the gasoline used by the tourists and shoppers coming to the mall.

Technocrati tags: solar power, renewable energy, wind power, fuel cells

Proven Technology for the Next 20 Years

With oil probably peaking in less than 20 years, if not five years, the more I think we need an alternative to the emphasis being placed on the hydrogen economy.  Demonstrated and emerging technology as listed below likely to be the dominant technologies in the next thirty years.  None of these technologies alone can get us there but together but in some combination they make sense.

• The hybrid is here and can be ramped up as fast as anything.
• Diesel technology can be used now, and should be, as lower sulfur fuels are brought to market in 2005-2006. They will reduce the environmental impact of diesels significantly.  What we need is more models to choose from as there are very few.
• Electric cars and plug-in hybrids for commuting and shopping will be more attractive, with greater range, as gasoline prices go up and battery technology gets better as it is starting to.
• Unconventional oil is already starting to ramp up and will continue as oil companies cannot meet the demand.
• Ethanol production is already significant with 3.4 billion gallons produced in the US in 2004.
• Production costs for biodiesel can be reduced by using newer technologies.
• The Fischer-Tropsh process can be used to produce both ethanol and diesel in larger quantities, at lower cost, than current biofuel producers.  It can handle a much wider variety of feedstocks, like switchgrass, corn stover, wood chips, willows and poplars which are less costly.
• Coal liquefaction is a proven technology and could supply all of our needs, but not in the required time period.
• We can increase our electrical production from renewables like wind and solar systems.
• More rapid development of unconventional oil in Canada and Venezula.