| lkgeo1 2006-11-24, 5:25 pm |
| Thirty Watts of Power from a Portable Fuel Cell
Key developments take fuel cells closer to production
Design News Staff -- Design News, November 20, 2006
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A fuel cell with 30W average power and up to 600 W-hr of run-time per
cartridge could drastically change the design of portable systems for
the Air Force and other applications. Recently, MTI MicroFuel Cells
Inc. (MTI Micro), a subsidiary of Mechanical Technology Incorporated,
demonstrated such a system to The Air Force Research Laboratory -
Information Directorate (AFRL).
Today, the most commonly used military battery is the BA 5590. Rated at
7.2 Ah at 70F and 5.6 Ah at -20F, the BA 5590 battery uses lithium
technology and weighs 2.25 lb (1 kg). Based on direct methanol fuel
cell (DMFC) technology, MTI Micro's Mobion fuel cell design can outlast
the highly successful BA 5590. A unique aspect of the fuel cell is its
management of water flow in the chemical process without requiring
complex micro-plumbing.
As part of ongoing development for the AFRL, the Mobion-30M prototype
fuel cell demonstrated the ability to support up to 30W of average
power and over 100W of peak power. For a 72-hour mission, one fuel cell
and two additional 100-percent methanol fuel cartridges would replace
nine BA 5590 batteries. The prototype system is designed to produce
potentially up to 600 W-hr of run-time per cartridge. A system
producing 600 W-hr would power an average laptop more than seven times
longer than the current Lithium-ion battery. Initially, AFRL intends to
use Mobion-30M prototypes in a program for the development of satellite
communication terminals (SATCOM), the portable high data rate
transmission systems used for communications by special operations
forces.
The technology has more than just military applications. Recently, MTI
Micro exceeded the energy density of a Li-Ion battery with a consumer
prototype fuel cell that produced over 95 W-hr of continuous run-time.
With the capability to be refueled instantly, the unit can charge a
number of portable electronic products including GPS systems, gaming
devices, MP3 players and digital cameras.
CONTACT: George Relan, MTI MicroFuel Cells Inc.
Tel: 518-533-2220; e-mail: grelan@mechtech.com
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