Transportation Power Systems

l Atmospheric Fuel Cell Power System for Transportation 

DOE Technology Development Manager Patrick Davis (202) 586-8061, fax (202) 586-9811, e-mail Patrick.Davis ee.doe.gov 

The focus of UTCFC s program is an ambient pressure PEM power plant system operating on gasoline fuel and delivering 75 kW net dc power to the automotive electrical system. 

UTCFC will deliver to DOE a 50 kW-equivalent gasoline fuel processing system, a 50 kW PEM power plant, and a 75 kW advanced PEM power plant. 

The power plant was installed for demonstration testing at UTCFC s facilities in South Windsor, Connecticut. A California Phase II reformulated gasoline (RFG) fuel was used throughout the test program. 

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In electric power systems, it is essential to have permanent control of the power in electricity production, transportation, and consumption. Because of speed and reliability requirements, electric power systems were the first large systems to use a variety of automatic control devices for the protection of different parts of the system. 

An electric power system involves the production and transportation of electrical energy from generating facilities to energy-consuming customers. This is accomplished through a complex network of transmission lines, switching and transformer stations. 

The North American electric power transmission system has been described as the largest, most complex machine ever built by humanity. It is a massive network of generating stations, transmission lines, substations, distribution lines, motors, and other electrical loads all interdependently linked for the conversion, transportation, and control of electrical energy. Approximately 60 percent of all energy utilized in the United States passes through the interconnected electric power system. The major goal of the system is to most efficiently and reliably deliver electric power from generating stations to residential, commercial, and industrial consumers. 

One of the outstanding features of fluid power systems is that force, generated by the power supply, controlled and directed by suitable valving, and transported by lines, can be converted with ease to almost any kind of mechanical motion. Either linear or rotary motion can be obtained by using a suitable actuating device. 

S. Chalk, FY 2000 Progress Report for Fuel Cell Power Systems, Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy Office of Transportation Technologies, U.S. Department of Energy, Oct. 2000, p. 163. 

There is a major potential for energy conservation in transportation, by increasing the energy efficiency of automobiles. The recent commercialization of hybrid vehicles, which combine electric and gasoline motors, demonstrates how much more efficient automobile transport can be. Hybrid power systems deliver double the fuel efficiency of conventional engines. Moreover, as fuel cells are perfected, even greater energy efficiencies may be achieved. 

Canadian interests span into hydrogen production, delivery and utilization, primarily in fuel cell applications in transportation, stationary and portable systems. Furthermore, codes and standards for hydrogen systems are an important area of activity. The range of future electrical requirements for early adopters, such as the military, is very wide with numerous applications for various electrically powered systems. The introduction of hydrogen as an energy carrier into the commercial and military sector offer similar and sometimes unique challenges in all the areas discussed. 

For in vitro toxicity studies and assessment of the barrier function, drug transport, cell physiology, and metabolism as well as the development of delivery systems, cell culture models provide powerful systems for scientific research. As the corneal epithelium is the main barrier for ocular penetration, various corneal epithelial cell cultures were established besides the corneal constructs that mimic the whole cornea and serve as reductionist models for the ocular barrier. In general, two types of cell culture models are available primary cell cultures and immortalized, continuous cell lines. 

Recently, the major activity in transportation fuel cell development has focused on the polymer electrolyte fuel cell (PEFC). In 1993, Ballard Power Systems (Burnaby, British Columbia, Canada) demonstrated a 10 m (32 foot) light-duty transit bus with a 120 kW fuel cell system, followed by a 200 kW, 12 meter (40 foot) heavy-duty transit bus in 1995 (26). These buses use no traction batteries. They operate on compressed hydrogen as the on-board fuel. In 1997, Ballard provided 205 kW (275 HP) PEFC units for a small fleet of hydrogen-fueled, full-size transit buses for demonstrations in Chicago, Illinois, and Vancouver, British Columbia. Working... 

Several developers, including Nuvera, Honeywell, and Plug Power are active in the development for residential PEFC power systems. Most of the PEM system technology can be adapted for APU application, except that a fuel processor capable of handling transportation fuels is required. However, most of the players in the residential PEFC field are also engaged in the... 

N.C. Otto, P.F. Howard, "Transportation Engine Commercialization at Ballard Power Systems," Program and Abstracts 1996 Fuel Cell Seminar, November 17-20, 1996,... 

There has been an accelerated interest in polymer electrolyte fuel cells within the last few years, which has led to improvements in both cost and performance. Development has reached the point where motive power applications appear achievable at an acceptable cost for commercial markets. Noticeable accomplishments in the technology, which have been published, have been made at Ballard Power Systems. PEFC operation at ambient pressure has been validated for over 25,000 hours with a six-cell stack without forced air flow, humidification, or active cooling (17). Complete fuel cell systems have been demonstrated for a number of transportation applications including public transit buses and passenger automobiles. Recent development has focused on cost reduction and high volume manufacture for the catalyst, membranes, and bipolar plates. 

The fuel cell itself liberates heat that can be utilized for space heating or hot water. The reference article did not list any operating conditions of the fuel cell or of the cycle. The PEFC is assumed to operate at roughly 80°C. Another recent article (49) published by Ballard shows numerous test results that were performed at 3 to 4 atmospheres where fuel utilizations of 75 to 85% have been achieved. Performance levels for an air fed PEFC are now in the range of 180 to 250 mW/cm. Ballard Power Systems has performed field trials of 250 kW systems with select utility partners. Commercial production of stationary power systems is anticipated for the year 2002. Similarly sized transportation cycles also are anticipated for commercial production in the same year. 

Prior to this appointment. Dr. Wilkinson was the director, and then vice president of research and development at Ballard Power Systems and involved with the research, development, and application of fuel cell technology for transportation, stationary power, and portable applications. Until 2003, Dr. Wilkinson was the leading all-time fuel cell inventor by number of issued US. patents. Dr. Wilkinson s main research interest is in electrochemical power sources and processes to create clean and sustainable energy. He is an active member of the Electrochemical Society, the International Society of Electrochemistry, the Chemical Institute of Canada, and the American Chemical Society. 

This brief history of century-old investigations toward hydrogen interaction with solid materials and nanomaterials brings us to the current state of affairs when the hydrogen storage for fuel cell systems still remains to be solved. Indeed, in the first decade of the new Millennium, and at the advent of the Hydrogen Economy, fuel cell stacks for use in mass transportation, like those developed by Ballard Power Systems based in Canada, are ready for mass commercialization. Also, hydrogen... 

Develop a 60% efficient, durable, direct hydrogen fuel cell power system for transportation at a cost of 45/kW (including hydrogen storage) by 2010 and 30/kW by 2015. 

Another important area is the use auxiliary power systems (AFU), which are expected to be one of the first niche applications for fuel cells in the transport area. Auxiliary power today represents a significant portion of the power needs for transportation. Developments of AFUs may also have an impact in the stationary area. 

Specific targets for the development of fuel cell power system technologies for transportation,... 

Develop a 45% efficient reformer-based fuel cell power system for transportation operating... 

M. Krumpelt, R. Wilkenhoener, J.D. Carter, J.-M. Bae, J. Kopasz, T. Krause and S. Ahmed, U.S. DOE Annual Progress Report Transportation Fuel Cell Power Systems, 2000, pp. 65-70. 

The emerging overunity electrical power systems—including self-powered systems freely taking all their energy from the local vacuum—will produce a total revolution in transportation, electrical power systems, backup power systems, and so on [68,69]. In the process, the electrical power is obtained freely and cleanly from the vacuum, from permanent-magnet dipoles continuously replenished from the active vacuum via the giant negentropy process. 

The steady reduction and eventual near-elimination of hydrocarbon combustion in commercial power systems and transport, the dramatic reduction in nuclear fuel rod consumption, and other improvements will result in cleaner, cheaper, more easily maintained power systems and a reduction in the acreage required for these power systems. 

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