Ballard PEM fuel cell

Since 1985, Canada has been one of the pioneers in the development of PEM technologies and applications. Largely through cost-shared agreements with the private sector, one of the most successful developments has been the Ballard PEM fuel cell - which is used in many of the fuel cell vehicles currently in demonstration/operation today. 

Key technology developments Ballard PEM fuel cells and Stuart Energy electrolyzers. 

The Chicago Transit Authority announced plans for long-term testing of three hydrogen-fueled Ballard PEM-fuel-cell buses. 

The Chula Vista Hydrogen Bus Project is to demonstrate zero-emission bus transportation. The buses are equipped with Ballard PEM fuel cells and fueled by compressed hydrogen with a range of 250 miles [24]. 

Campbell S. 2006. Ballard Power System. Development of transition metal/chalcogen based cathode catalysts for PEM fuel cells. DOE Hydrogen Program Review, May 16-19, Washington, DC. Available at http //www.hydrogen.energy.gov/annual review06 fuelcells.html (click on catalysts section). 

Bewag AG s Treptow heating plant, located in Berlin, Germany received a 250 kW PEM fuel cell unit in April 2000 from Ballard Generation Systems, a subsidiary of Ballard Power System, of Burnaby, BC, Canada. 

To overcome these disadvantages, a thin-film CL technique was invented, which remains the most commonly used method in PEM fuel cells. Thin-film catalyst layers were initially used in the early 1990s by Los Alamos National Laboratory [6], Ballard, and Johnson-Matthey [7,8]. A thin-film catalyst layer is prepared from catalyst ink, consisting of uniformly distributed ionomer and catalyst. In these thin-film catalyst layers, the binding material is not PTFE but rather hydrophilic Nafion ionomer, which also provides proton conductive paths for the electrochemical reactions. It has been found that the presence of hydrophobic PTFE in thin catalyst layers was not beneficial to fuel cell performance [9]. 

Sart Tilman Project Establishment of Ballard stationary fuel cell, PEM of 220 kW. 

See color insert following page 140.) PEM fuel cell. (Courtesy of Ballard Power Systems Inc.)... 

Ballard Generating System s first field trial 250 KW Natural gas Polymer, Electrolyte Membrane (PEM) Fuel Cell Power Generator is sited at the Crane Naval Surface Warfare Center, in Indiana, for a two-year demonstration and testing program. This system would be smaller and simpler if it were... 

Developing a small, affordable reformer for delivering high-grade hydrogen for a PEM fuel cell has been difficult. Ballard, a fuel cell pioneer and a leader in PEM fuel cells, dropped its fuel reformer development. Ballard has a 1-kW PEM fuel cell for 6,000 that runs on pure hydrogen. The product is available with storage tanks for industrial and residential use. 

General Motors Allison Gas Turbine Division began work on a methanol-fueled 10-kilowatt Proton Exchange Membrane (PEM) fuel cell in conjunction with the Los Alamos National Laboratory, the Dow Chemical Company, and Ballard Power Systems, Inc. 

Ballard Power Systems rolled out the world s first PEM-fuel-cell bus at its facilities in Vancouver. 

Daimler-Benz unveiled a third-generation PEM-fuel-cell vehicle the experimental NECAR HI, powered by a 50-kilowatt Ballard fuel cell running on methanol. 

Ballard Power Systems unveiled the world s first production-ready PEM fuel cell for automotive use at the Detroit Auto Show. The 70-kilowatt unit was to be the basic design to be used by carmakers such as DaimlerChrysler and Ford in the first generation of fuel cell cars, promised for 2004. Also at the Detroit Auto Show, Ford showed a fuel cell version of its new small Focus model, and General Motors showed a fuel cell demonstrator version of a new hybrid five-passenger car, the Precept. 

Furthermore, in 2001, Ballard entered an alliance with Victrex to produce two new membrane alternatives. One membrane is based on sulfonated poly(arylether) ketone (a variant of s-PEEK) supplied by Victrex, which may be better suited to PEM fuel cell fabrication applications. In March 2002, U.S. Patent 6359019 was issued to Ballard Power for a graft-polymeric membrane in which one or more trifluoro-vinylaromatic monomers are radiation graft polymerized to a preformed polymeric base. The structures of BAM membranes have been studied by way of small-angle neutron scattering or SANS. ° The study of the ionomer peak position suggests the existence of relatively small ionic domains compared to Nafion, despite large water content. Phase separation in the polymer matrix is possibly crucial for the manbrane s mechanical and transport properties. 

While consumer applications such as cell phones, notebook computers, camcorders, and cordless tools will be the obvious mass market application for direct methanol fuel cells at a power level up to 100 W, there should be an earlier market for PEM fuel cells in a niche sub-1 kW market. The t)rpe of device that fits this class includes weather stations, signal units, APUs, gas sensors, and security cameras. Companies involved in this area include Plug Power www.plugpower.com and Ballard Power Systems www.ballard.com." ... 

PEM fuel cells are manufactured by Allied Signal Aerospace, Analytic Power, Energy Partners, Fuel Cell Energy Inc., H Power Corp., Ida Tech, International Fuel Cells and Proton Energy Systems Inc. in the USA Ballard Power Systems, in Canada (the world leader in PEM fuel cells) Daimler Benz and Siemens AG in Germany Alternative Systems Ltd. in the UK and de Nora S.p.A in Italy. 

IdaTech A world leader in developing and manufacturing PEM fuel cell systems for emergency and primary applications, particularly using reformed methanol as the fuel. IdaTech was founded in 1996 with headquarters located in Bend, Oregon, USA, and was acquired by Ballard Power Systems in 2012. Company website http //www.ballard.com. 

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