NEWS

10Fuel Cells Bulletin June 2013

Proton Motor stack passes 10 000 h of start/stop operation

German-based Proton Motor Fuel Cell GmbH reports that its 7 kW

PM200 fuel cell stack has successfully achieved 10 000 h of start/stop operation, confirming the reliability of the company’s hydrogen PEM fuel cell stack.

The PM200 fuel cell has been running in a long-term test with daily start and stop operation since 2008. After 10 000 h of operation, the PM200 stack is performing well and achieving the predicted low power degradation. The current test proves that the Proton Motor stack is a reliable solution for backup power, maritime, and mobile applications.

Fuel cell based backup power systems can provide power with a very long runtime in banks, data centres, hospitals, and other applications. For mobile applications, there is an immediate demand in the bus sector for public transport and for logistic light-duty vehicles.

Proton Motor – a subsidiary of UK-based Proton Power Systems Plc – specialises in industrial fuel cells, offering complete fuel cell and hybrid systems from a single source – from development and production through to implementation of customised solutions. Its focus is on back-to-base applications for mobile, maritime, as well as stationary solutions.

Earlier this year the company supplied a 5 kW PEM fuel cell module for E.ON’s Bachhausen power grid substation in Bavaria [FCB, January 2013, p3], and a year ago it completed the first full integration of its fuel cell power and range extender system into a commercial Newton™ truck for Smith Electric Vehicles [FCB, April 2012, p2].

Proton Power Systems recently acquired SPower GmbH, which supplies power solutions for IT, telecoms, public infrastructure, and healthcare customers in Germany, Europe, and the Middle East [FCB, March 2013, p7]. SPower will be integrated into the Proton Motor division, with its products sold under an SPower product line within Proton Motor.

Proton Motor Fuel Cell GmbH, Puchheim/Munich, Germany. Tel: +49 89 1276 2650, www.proton-motor.de

Proton Power Systems Plc, UK: www.protonpowersystems.com

Florida Institute funds Bing to accelerate component production

The Florida Institute for the Commercialization of Public

Research has finalised a funding agreement with Bing Energy International, which will use the seed funding to create a more commercially viable PEM fuel cell based on its carbon nanotube membrane technology.

Bing Energy has an exclusive commercialisation agreement to use patented breakthrough nanotechnology developed at Florida State University by Professor Jim P. Zheng, who is now also a technical advisor to the company. The ‘buckypaper’ nanotechnology membrane structure incorporates a thin layer composed of carbon nanotubes (buckypaper), enhancing strength and durability while reducing the need for expensive platinum catalyst.

Bing Energy says that its innovation in nanotechnology composite membrane-electrode assemblies (MEAs) will lead to fuel cells with lower cost and higher durability. Its standard MEAs are made with the buckypaper cathode/anode technology in 5- or 7-layer configurations. Fabrication of carbon nanotube buckypaper in a gradient structure improves gas flows and the effectiveness of catalyst utilisation, and provides a more durable structure.

‘This funding through the Institute’s Seed Capital Accelerator Program will enable Bing Energy to accelerate production of core fuel cell components at our manufacturing facility in Tallahassee,’ says Dean Minardi, CFO of Bing Energy. The company also has a Chinese manufacturing facility, located in the city of Rugao, Jiangsu Province.

The Florida Institute works with the state’s research universities and institutions to support new company creation and job growth. Its $10 million Seed Capital Accelerator Program bridges early funding gaps, enabling recipients to reach critical milestones and attract additional private investment capital. The initiative provides ‘repayable on liquidity’ loans to qualifying companies, who must match the funding with private investment capital.

‘This company is solving one of the most difficult challenges we face today – how to provide clean and efficient energy in a cost-effective, reliable manner,’ says Jamie Grooms, CEO of the Florida Institute. ‘Our goal is to support companies at these early stages so they can achieve product commercialisation and

success, and deliver high-skill, high-wage jobs in the state of Florida.’

Bing Energy International, Tallahassee, Florida, USA. Tel: +1 850 597 7431, www.bingenergyinc.com

Florida Institute for the Commercialization of Public Research: www.florida-institute.com

Simon Fraser, Ballard study doubles lifetime of fuel cells in buses

Canadian researchers working to improve fuel cell durability in

hydrogen buses, including a team from Simon Fraser University in Vancouver, have discovered links between electrode degradation processes and the durability of the PEM fuel cell membranes. The team is quantifying the effects of electrode degradation stressors in the operating cycle of the bus on the membrane lifetime.

To improve fuel cell module durability and predict longevity, researchers are studying the degradation mechanisms in the fuel cells that occur under real-world transit bus conditions. The findings of the study, led by SFU graduate student Natalia MaCauley, are the latest in a long-term study at Ballard Power Systems, and funded by Automotive Partnership Canada, that aims to make fuel cell buses competitive with diesel hybrids [FCB, September 2011, p3]. Testing to improve the understanding of membrane failure mechanisms and validate developed predictive models is under way in labs at Ballard, SFU, and the University of Victoria (UVic).

‘Our strong multidisciplinary collaboration between chemistry and mechatronic systems engineering (MSE) is bearing fruit,’ says SFU project lead Erik Kjeang. ‘The fuel cell is a mechatronic device, and the bandwidth of this project allows advances in chemistry to be engineered and implemented into Ballard’s products.’

‘We are pleased with the progress that our multidisciplinary team from SFU and UVic is making to develop improved membrane lifetimes for our next-generation fuel cell bus module, and to understand the details of these complex failure mechanisms,’ adds Ballard project lead, Dr Shanna Knights. ‘With continued work, this research will permit significant product costs savings and improved fuel cell lifetimes, so we can directly compete against incumbent diesel technology.’

RESEARCH