Archive for the ‘fuel cells’ tag
Panasonic engineers develop methanol fuel cell prototype
Panasonic Fuel Cell Prototype for Notebooks.
Engineers at Panasonic will showcase their new reduced size methanol fuel cell at the Hydrogen Energy Advanced Technology Exhibition 2008 in Fukuoka, Kyushu, Japan. Japan’s most populated city will host the exhibit on October 22-24, 2008.
Panasonic has been working on reducing the size and efficiency of its previously introduced fuel cell over the past eight-years. The new methanol fuel cell is about the size of a laptop battery. The fuel cell battery weighs approximately 11.29-ounces and can deliver an average of 10-watts of power with a maximum output of 20-watts.
According to Panasonic, the new methanol fuel cell battery has the unique advantage of being able to run 20-hours utilizing 200cc methanol. When the fuel cell runs low on methanol a quick refueling takes a few minutes. Unlike lithium ion batteries, methanol fuel cells are viewed as more environmentally friendly. The only by-product is water and a slight amount of carbon dioxide.
Read more on: battery, Design, Electronics, Energy, fuel cells, hydrogenFuelling the next generation of hybrid cars
Using a specially-coated form of clothing material Goretex, scientists at Monash University have developed an electrically-generated fuel cell which could make the next generation of hybrid cars more reliable and cheaper to build.
The team of Monash scientists have designed and tested an air-electrode, where a fine layer – just 0.4 of a micron thick, or about 100 times thinner than a human hair – of highly conductive plastic is depositied on the breathable fabric. The conductive plastic acts as both the fuel cell electrode and catalyst.
Dr Bjorn Winther-Jensen, Monash University, explained: “The same way as waste vapour is drawn out of this material to make hikers more comfortable and less prone to hypothermia, so it is able the ‘breathe’ oxygen into our fuel cell and into contact with the conductive plastic.”
Professor Doug MacFarlane, Monash University, continued: “The benefits for the motoring industry and for motorists are that the new design removes the need for platinum, which acts as the catalyst and is currently central to the manufacturing process.
Read more on: Automotive, catalyst, Design, electrodes, fuel cells, hybrid, vehicle24-hour solar power
Researchers from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, (MIT) have developed a way of storing solar energy for use when the sun isn’t shining.
In one hour, enough sunlight strikes the Earth to provide the entire planet’s energy needs for one year. However, solar power is usually a day-time only energy source because storing extra solar energy for later is prohibitively and grossly inefficient.
Drawing on the process of photosynthesis, Henry Dreyfus Professor of Energy at MIT, Daniel Nocera, and Matthew Kanan, a postdoctoral fellow in Nocera’s lab, have developed a process that will allow the sun’s energy to be used to split water into hydrogen and oxygen gases. Later, the oxygen and hydrogen can be recombined inside a fuel cell, creating carbon-free electricity to power homes, or electric cars, day or night.
Read more on: Design, electrodes, fuel cells, hydrogen, oxygen, solar energy, solar power, waterHydrogen power offers hope to drivers
ITM Power has unveiled a hydrogen refuelling station and a hydrogen-powered car which could revolutionise commuting while cutting fuel costs and CO2 emissions.
The conventional petrol-engined Ford-Focus, which has completed successful urban commuting trials, has been converted to run on hydrogen, which burns without emitting CO2, and could ultimately reduce drivers’ dependence on fossil fuels.
In addition, ITM Power has also revealed a hydrogen home refuelling station capable of producing the gas from water and electricity. The station overcomes one of the fundamental stumbling blocks to hydrogen economy – the lack of hydrogen refuelling infrastructure and utility supply network.
It has taken scientists and chemists at the company’s Sheffield research base eight years to create a low-cost means of manufacturing hydrogen. It’s patented electrolyser-based refuelling station uses a low-cost polymer which dispenses with the need for expensive platinum and can be manufactured at one per cent of the cost of traditional membrane materials.
The result is a hydrogen production system small enough to be used in a home or business, which can generate the gas from a supply of water and off-peak or renewable electricity – power created by wind, wave, solar or nuclear energy. The stored hydrogen could then be used to fuel converted cars or provide power for domestic or commercial purposes.
Read more on: Automotive, CO2, Design, fuel cells, hydrogen, polymer, solar energy, solar power, wave energy, wind powerAdditional funding powers methanol fuel cell development
California-based UltraCell Corporation has received a follow on contract jointly funded through the US Army and DARPA, to accelerate the further development and field testing of its next-generation 25-watt reformed methanol fuel cell, the XX25.
The XX25 converts a concentrated methanol solution into hydrogen, which is then used by the fuel cell to power computers and communication devices. While a small 250cc canister of fuel can keep devices going for up to eight hours, UltraCell says the system can be configured with large tanks for stationary tasks like surveillance and video monitoring.
Keith Scott, CEO, UltraCell, explained: “This new contract will drive advanced system design and provide units for further military field demonstrations and field testing.
“We look forward to continuing to supply the XX25 for both military and non-military applications.”
Read more on: Design, fuel cells, hydrogen, methanol, MilitaryHonda begins production of fuel cell vehicles
Japanese car manufacturer Honda, has begun commercial production of a zero emission, hydrogen fuel-cell powered vehicle that is said to offer three times better fuel efficiency than a traditional petrol powered car.
The FCX Clarity was designed from scratch as a dedicated fuel cell vehicle. It is powered by the Honda V Flow fuel cell stack, and will be produced at the Honda Automobile New Model Center, on a new dedicated fuel cell vehicle assembly line. This includes processes unique to a fuel cell vehicle such as the installation of the fuel stack and hydrogen tank.
The fuel cell stack will be produced separately at Honda Engineering Co. In manufacturing fuel cells, exclusively designed automated equipment was introduced to ensure high quality, and to enable the mass production of cells, as each fuel stack requires several hundred fuel cells.
Read more on: Automotive, Design, fuel cell stack, fuel cells, hydrogenNew material for fuel cells
MIT engineers have improved the power output of one type of fuel cell by more than 50 percent through technology that could help these environmentally friendly energy storage devices find a much broader market, particularly in portable electronics.
“Our goal is to replace traditional fuel-cell membranes with these cost-effective, highly tunable and better-performing materials,” said Paula T. Hammond, Bayer Professor of Chemical Engineering and leader of the research team. She noted that the new material also has potential for use in other electrochemical systems such as batteries.
Read more on: Design, fuel cells