Alternative Power sources - Military Applications of Fuel Cell Technologies

Author

Military Applications of Fuel Cell Technologies

lkgeo1

2006-10-15, 1:25 pm

Military Applications of Fuel Cell Technologies

Publication Date:15-October-2006
12:30 PM US Eastern Timezone
Source:Defense Update
Fuel cells offer significant savings of loads, in weight and volume,
compared to conventional power sources. For example, a 13 pack BA-5590
batteries weigh more than 29 lbs and cost $100 each. (Thirteen
batteries are required to support a typical 72-hour deployment.) The US
Army is evaluating the use of inexpensive, injection-molded fuel cell
technology formed into the common BA-5590 form factor, to power SOF
PRC-117 field radio, resulting in a weight saving of over 13 lbs and
decrease its cost by at least 50%. Other power sources are provided by
Direct Methanol Micro Fuel Cell (DMFC), under development at MTI Micro.
The company has already demonstrated the operation of its power system
on 100% methanol fuel resulting in 0.9 watt hours of energy per cubic
centimeters (cc) of fuel, extracting from methanol more than three
times the energy of most current lithium ion batteries. The company is
teaming with Harris RF Communications Division, to develop a fuel cell
prototype that will replace standard batteries in Harris' Falcon II
portable, military radio. The MTI Micro-Harris prototype is currently
producing a power output of 5 watts with a peak power of 25 watts and
an energy content of greater than 50 watt hours. The fuel cell is
designed to fit into a size and form of a standard BA-5590 battery,
while generating twice the energy of the radio's internal battery, and
approaching the energy of the external rechargeable battery - the
BB390.
DMFCC Introduces Methanol Fuel Cell Cartridges

Direct Methanol Fuel Cell Corporation (DMFCC), has completed product
development of a first methanol fuel cell cartridge. The new cartridge
was co-developed with and manufactured by DMFCC's Korean partner, SMC
Co., Ltd. Fuel cells offer longer operating time as compared to current
lithium ion batteries. With the introduction of the new cartridges,
fuel cells could be instantaneously recharged by replacing the
disposable fuel cartridge.

These fuel cell powered devices are expected to be introduced into the
marketplace by major electronic product manufacturers in 2007. One
cartridge is expected to provide five to 10 hours of computer operation
depending on the efficiency of the fuel cell. The DMFCC methanol
cartridge holds 50 cubic centimeters of 100% methanol and is designed
for a laptop computer and similar applications. Cell phones will
require smaller cartridges, and other applications may require larger
ones. DMFCC also plans to develop cartridges for other fuels such as
formic acid or ethanol, as customers require.

DMFCC focuses on producing disposable fuel cartridges containing liquid
fuels, such as methanol, to provide the energy source for laptop
computers, cell phones and other portable electronic devices powered by
direct methanol fuel cells.
Palm Power Application

Another use of DMFC studied by DARPA is Palm Power program. This future
portable man-packed power unit could replace larger diesel generator
sets that are currently towed on a trailer. Palm Power will utilize
compact fuel cells and thermal to electric energy conversion
technologies. Where applicable, these power sources are also providing
co-generation (producing heating, hot water, or cooling, in addition to
electricity). Fuel chemistries considered for the program are Direct
methanol oxidation fuel cells (DMFCs). The Palm Power Program will
produce a completely packaged 20-watt direct methanol fuel cell, that,
combined with a battery, could yield a hybrid soldier power system with
significantly longer endurance than a system using batteries alone.
Typical consumers for such power cells are robots and autonomous ground
vehicles, future soldier systems, micro-air vehicles etc. DARPA is
expecting radically new approaches developed to meet the specific
energy goals of the program, which is on the order of thousands of
Whr/kg at the system level. Higher power levels envision other
approaches, including planar solid oxide fuel cells (SOFC),
thermo-photo-voltaics (TPV), alkali metal thermal to electric
converters (AMTEC), and small turbine engines, that will operate in the
300- to 500-W range on approved military fuels.
Vehicular Power Cell

A different fuel cell technology is considered for an auxiliary power
unit developed by Radian Inc. The system is planned for deployment on
US army vehicles. The fuel cell consists of the Proton Exchange
Membrane (PEM) technology, developed by Hydrogenics Corp. Since modern
armored vehicles rely on the use of many electronic and electrical
systems, even when positioned in stationary positions, the APU will
offer adequate supply of electrical power, to operate digital equipment
and extended silent watch requirements. As an alternative to the
battery systems and diesel generator sets currently being used by the
military, fuel cell power generation offers longer operation, zero
emissions, improved cycle-life, low noise signature, reduced
deterioration and improved cold weather performance. In Regenerative
fuel cell technology the system's electrolyser will recharge the
hydrogen supply while the vehicle engine is operating, supplying the
hydrogen storage subsystem with sufficient fuel to operate the fuel
cell auxiliary power system for up to ten hours at the field
destination with a load of 3 kW average, and peak demand of 5 kW.
Solid Oxide Fuel Cell Process (SOFC)

SOFC to Operate on Military JP8 Fuel - (January 16, 2006): Gas
Technology Instituute (GTI) has demonstrated operation of a
high-power-density solid oxide fuel cell (SOFC) using standard military
logistics fuel (JP8) containing 600 to 700 ppm of sulfur. This is an
important milestone on the path to developing SOFC technology providing
efficient, clean, and quiet power for military applications.

The process uses steam reforming process that prepares the gas for the
SOFC stack, enabling effective thermal management which is key for the
system's efficiency. The JP8 fuel processor uses an advanced sulfur
tolerant catalyst, novel JP8 burner, and radiant heat transfer system
to convert JP8 military logistics fuel into hydrogen and other SOFC
fuel gases. This JP8 fuel processor has operated stably for 600 hours
of testing to date. The overall system is designed to capture and
recycle water so that it can operate without an external water supply.

The planar SOFC stack was supplied by Versa Power Systems (VPS). It is
built of twenty-one cell stack, producing about 800 watts from JP8
processing, with an impressive power level of 315 mW/cm2. The next
generation demonstration system will use advanced SOFC stacks to
achieve the 3 to 10 kW power goal - suitable to meet the military's
Mobile Electric Power (MEP) generation requirements.

The work is funded through the U.S. Department of Defense under the
U.S. Army Engineer Research and Development Center's Construction
Engineering Research Laboratory (ERDC-CERL).

Tony Wesley

2006-10-15, 8:25 pm

lkgeo1 wrote:
> Military Applications of Fuel Cell Technologies [...]

You realize that this group is alt.energy.homepower.

The description of this group is "Home Power/Home-Made Power for
Off-Grid Living."

Your posting are not just spam, but off-topic spam,

Alan Connor

2006-10-15, 9:25 pm

On alt.energy.homepower, in <1160934165.399616.120300@f16g2000cwb.googlegroups.com>, "lkgeo1" wrote:
>
>
> Military Applications of Fuel Cell Technologies

Yeh. You are going to need a big and viscious military to make
sure you and your allies can control enough of the world's
resources to make your hi-tech lifestyle possible.

Just like it is now, but more so.

But what the hell: Trashing the planet and committing mass murder
in other people's countries is all perfectly okay as long as they
are sacrifices to the God of Technology, right?

Obviously, you think so.

Or do you even think?

<snip>

Alan

--
http://home.earthlink.net/~alanconnor/contact.html
http://home.earthlink.net/~alanconnor/cr.html
http://home.earthlink.net/~alanconnor/publickey.html

Ignoramus17993

2006-10-16, 3:25 am

On Mon, 16 Oct 2006 02:15:00 GMT, Alan Connor <i3x9mdw@j9n35c.invalid> wrote:
> On alt.energy.homepower, in <1160934165.399616.120300@f16g2000cwb.googlegroups.com>, "lkgeo1" wrote:
>
> Yeh. You are going to need a big and viscious military to make
> sure you and your allies can control enough of the world's
> resources to make your hi-tech lifestyle possible.

Honey or gear oil can be called viscous, but a particularly mean
spirited military (or a mad kook USENET poster) would be called
vicious.

i

lkgeo1

2006-10-16, 9:25 am

How is Sheila?
Alan Connor wrote:
> \>
> Or do you even think?
>
> <snip>
>
> Alan
>
> --
> http://home.earthlink.net/~alanconnor/contact.html
> http://home.earthlink.net/~alanconnor/cr.html
> http://home.earthlink.net/~alanconnor/publickey.html

Hunter

2006-10-16, 1:25 pm

lkgeo1 wrote:
> Military Applications of Fuel Cell Technologies

Ok, so the fuel cells are lighter.....what about their fuel source??
That has been one of the major challenges with fuel cell
applications....

lkgeo1

2006-10-16, 1:25 pm

Hard cell

Publication Date:16-October-2006
12:30 PM US Eastern Timezone=20
Source:The Engineer
>From buildings and cars to buses and submarines, UTC Power, the fuel
cell arm of $37bn (=A319.4bn) US manufacturing behemoth UTC Corp, has
its fingers in all kinds of renewable energy pies. So it's not
surprising that UTC Power president Jan Van Dokkum seems so upbeat
about the future of the hydrogen economy. Enthusiastic and passionate
about his subject, Van Dokkum, who joined UTC from Siemens in 2002, has
been extremely active in making the fuel cell business a success,
particularly in the field of onsite generation.

UTC Power's key fuel cell technology comprises a range of PureCell
proton-membrane exchange (PEM) fuel cells. Its latest product, the
PureCell 5, is a 5KW cell developed to provide power for
telecommunications towers and other critical applications. Later this
year it is also launching the PureCell400, the latest version of its
larger fuel cells that provide power for hospitals and banks. Van
Dokkum described the PureCell400 as the 'product of the future'.

In addition to fuel cells, the company is also pushing its PureComfort
product: a microturbine system that as well as providing heat and power
can also act as a cooling system, thanks to an absorption chiller that
is driven by exhaust heat from the microturbines.

One of these systems has been installed in Wal-Mart's experimental
'green' store in Colorado. 'Heating and chilling within the same
installation makes it a very innovative product; unique in the world in
fact,' claimed Van Dokkum.

What is exciting Van Dokkum most at the moment, however, is his
company's recent foray into geothermal energy production. The first
installation of a new kind of geothermal power plant was completed in
late July at the Chena Hot Spring spa in Alaska.

The plant produces electricity from low-temperature thermal wells using
an innovative process that effectively reverses the usual refrigeration
cycle. First, heat from the geothermal source is used to boil the
refrigerant, which has a much lower boiling point than water. The
refrigerant vapour passes through the turbine, making its blades spin
at around 13,500rpm, which in turn drives the generator, producing
electricity. According to Van Dokkum, this is an entirely new approach
to tapping the Earth's natural heat.

'Instead of the other way round, where you use electricity to chill
air, we did it in reverse,' he said. 'Look at the western US, China,
Taiwan, lots of places in Europe; all places where you have geothermal
wells. This system means we can operate at far lower temperatures -
below 200=BAC - than current geothermal power stations and there's no
other solution that can do that. It's a really exciting area.'

The company is also involved in projects even further afield than
Alaska. It has designed, developed, and continues to support the three
fuel cell power plants aboard each of NASA's Space Shuttles.

UTC Power has quite a heritage when it comes to involvement in the
space industry. It supplied the fuel cells used on Apollo moon missions
in the 1960s, and has since provided the fuel cells that not only
provide power but also drinking water for all US manned space flights.

Fuel cells are hugely important for manned space missions. Their high
energy density helps to reduce a vehicle's launch weight, while the
water produced as a byproduct can be used not just for drinking but
also cooling the spacecraft.

The fuel cells used for space missions are highly specialised alkaline
fuel cells that can reach efficiencies of up to 60 per cent in space
flights, but are strictly limited in terms of terrestrial applications
because they are susceptible to carbon contamination. Van Dokkum said
that while future unmanned exploratory missions will undoubtedly use
solar power, fuel cells will remain the ideal solution for manned
missions.

On the transportation side, things are moving a little more slowly.
Even though the company is already working with Nissan, Hyundai and BMW
to develop fuel cell technology for cars, commercialisation of the
technology is a little way off yet.

Demonstrations of fuel cell technology in cars are under way with the
US Department of Energy and the PureCell is being adapted to work with
UTC Power's automotive partners.

Van Dokkum is not put off by the slow pace of making fuel cell
transport a reality. For him, any work that is under way is good PR for
the future of fuel cells.

'Using fuel cells in transport applications is extremely important for
the development of the technology, as we can demonstrate to people how
effective it can be,' he said. 'Zero emissions and high efficiency
could really get the public thinking about how fuel cells could work in
cars. We want to show people that we are moving towards the
commercialisation of fuel cells at an extremely rapid pace.'

The real obstacle to UTC Power replicating its onsite fuel cell success
in the transport industry is the lack of infrastructure for refuelling
hydrogen fuel cells. But Van Dokkum is already working on a solution to
this problem. 'For motor applications we are depending on the
infrastructure to help refuel these vehicles so we are working with
Shell and BP to make sure we have a transition strategy from gas to
hydrogen,' he said.

Van Dokkum believes that in the future, much of the existing
infrastructure could be used as part of this gradual changeover and
said the heads of big oil and gas companies are more prepared than one
might think to move towards a future hydrogen economy.

'They have a tremendous infrastructure, built up over the past 100
years, but I believe the leaders of these companies have become quite
sensitive to global warming and public perception. Hydrogen could be
integrated into their business model so they will start moving that
way, I believe.'

So far UTC Power's work on fuel cell engines has not gone beyond the
demonstration stage and Van Dokkum accepts that there is some way to go
before a fuel cell-powered car could match the performance of a
conventional internal combustion engine. But he is adamant that it is
merely the economies of scale that make fuel cell engines more
expensive than their internal combustion counterparts.

'If you look at the cost of building a fuel cell engine versus a
traditional engine, we win hands down,' he said. 'There are fewer
mechanical parts and less use of special materials, but they are
producing 16 million units a year, while we still have to hand-build
each one of our fuel cells.'

UTC Power is a dominant player in the world renewable energy market and
if anyone can make fuel cells work in the automotive field it is likely
to be Van Dokkum and his team - particularly as they have the backing
of one of the world's largest conglomerates.

Despite this, he is aware that it is still early days for both the
renewable industry and his own firm, however many in-roads it has made
in recent years. When compared with one of UTC's prime brands, UTC
Carrier, the world-leading refrigeration and air conditioning firm, UTC
Power is like a fledgling start-up, said Van Dokkum.

He added: 'UTC Power is a commercial power just like Otis, Carrier and
the others but, honestly, it is where Carrier was about 80 years ago in
terms of maturity. There is still a way to go.'
Hunter wrote:
> lkgeo1 wrote:
>
>
> Ok, so the fuel cells are lighter.....what about their fuel source??
> That has been one of the major challenges with fuel cell
> applications....

Eeyore

2006-10-16, 1:25 pm

lkgeo1 wrote:

> Military Applications of Fuel Cell Technologies

Headers for SPAM reporting

His ISP ( 152.163.100.69 ) is AOL btw - don't bother with Google, they're
not much bothered

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From:
"lkgeo1" <lkgeo1@aol.com>
Newsgroups:
alt.energy.homepower
Subject:
Military Applications of Fuel Cell Technologies
Date:
15 Oct 2006 10:42:45 -0700
Organization:
http://groups.google.com
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Eeyore

2006-10-16, 1:25 pm

lkgeo1 wrote:

> Hard cell

Take your stupid posts out of here or prepare to have to find a new ISP.

Graham

lkgeo1

2006-10-16, 1:25 pm

fuck off scumbag , or you'll be sorry
Eeyore wrote:
> lkgeo1 wrote:
>
>
> Headers for SPAM reporting
>
> His ISP ( 152.163.100.69 ) is AOL btw - don't bother with Google, they're
> not much bothered
>
> OrgName: America Online
> OrgID: AOL
> Address: 22000 AOL Way
> City: Dulles
> StateProv: VA
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>
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> Path:
>
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>
> From:
> "lkgeo1" <lkgeo1@aol.com>
> Newsgroups:
> alt.energy.homepower
> Subject:
> Military Applications of Fuel Cell Technologies
> Date:
> 15 Oct 2006 10:42:45 -0700
> Organization:
> http://groups.google.com
> Lines:
> 121
> Message-ID:
> <1160934165.399616.120300@f16g2000cwb.googlegroups.com>
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> 152.163.100.69
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> 1.0
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> 2006 17:42:49 GMT)
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> groups-abuse@google.com
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> Complaints-To:
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lkgeo1

2006-10-16, 1:25 pm

careful who you are threatening scumbag, you dont know me yet
Eeyore wrote:
> lkgeo1 wrote:
>
>
> Take your stupid posts out of here or prepare to have to find a new ISP.
>
> Graham

Eeyore

2006-10-16, 5:25 pm

lkgeo1 wrote:

> fuck off scumbag , or you'll be sorry

That's looks to me like there'll be a report going in to AOL shortly.

You're now in violation of federal law too !

Nice move chump.

Graham

Eeyore

2006-10-16, 5:25 pm

lkgeo1 wrote:

> careful who you are threatening scumbag, you dont know me yet

The above is a federal offence for which you can get 2 years jail time now.

Graham

Trygve Lillefosse

2006-10-16, 5:25 pm

On Mon, 16 Oct 2006 18:41:18 +0100, Eeyore
<rabbitsfriendsandrelations@hotmail.com> wrote:
>lkgeo1 wrote:
>Headers for SPAM reporting

Please. Just send it to abuse@aol.com , no need to post it here.

Also, use your killfile if you detest his post that mutch.

Anyway, I am scrambling for my popcorn.

--
SEE YA !!!
Trygve Lillefosse
AKA - Malawi, The Fisher King

Eeyore

2006-10-16, 5:25 pm

Trygve Lillefosse wrote:

> On Mon, 16 Oct 2006 18:41:18 +0100, Eeyore
> <rabbitsfriendsandrelations@hotmail.com> wrote:
>
> Please. Just send it to abuse@aol.com , no need to post it here.

That was just for the benefit of anyone not familiar with the process.

Graham

Vaughn Simon

2006-10-16, 5:25 pm

I invite you to return the favor by joining the discussion in lkgeo1's formerly
private Google group at http://finance.google.com/group/google.finance.663785
In accordance with Google's guidelines, please confine your posts to topics that
have to do with the fuel cell manufacturer Plug Power. (Of course, this could
mean anything that has to do with the hydrogen economy.)

Admission to the group involves a 30-second registration process. See you
there!

Vaughn

"Tony Wesley" <tonywesley@gmail.com> wrote in message
news:1160960885.557750.171790@f16g2000cwb.googlegroups.com...
>
> lkgeo1 wrote:
>
> You realize that this group is alt.energy.homepower.
>
> The description of this group is "Home Power/Home-Made Power for
> Off-Grid Living."
>
> Your posting are not just spam, but off-topic spam,
>

Vaughn Simon

2006-10-16, 5:25 pm

LinkBot