Transcript Alkaline Fuel Cell – Applications

Alkaline Fuel Cell –
Applications
Step By Step Process Illustrated
Alkaline Fuel Cell technology Company
• http://www.astris.ca/
• Profile
Founded in 1983, “Astris Energi” has steadily
developed the alkaline fuel cell (AFC) and become
the world’s leading AFC technology company.
• Through technology breakthroughs, Astris has
developed an AFC that has lower material costs
than other low temperature fuel cells, in addition
to having higher energy efficiency and broad
operating capabilities.
Advantages of AFC by Astris
• Jiri Nor, President and CEO of Astris, helped
develop the very first working alkaline fuel cell
(AFC) in Canada in 1984. He decided early on that
AFC technology had both technical and economic
advantages over the proton exchange membrane
(PEM )technology that was being pursued by most
U.S. companies in the field. NASA and the
Russian space program had also chosen AFCs over
PEMs to provide electricity, heat and pure water
for all manned space vehicles, due to the AFCs
greater fuel efficiency
Continued
• The selection of the alkaline over the PEM and
three other types of fuel cells is proving to have
been the right choice, as the AFC appears to be
positioned to take the lead due to major technology
breakthroughs.
The AFC was relegated to secondary status in the
1970s despite important attributes because of
concerns about cost and lifespan for commercial
use. – concerns Astris has now addressed.
Continued
• The leader in AFC technology, Astris has replaced
costly platinum with inexpensive materials as the
AFC catalyst and introduced new scrubbing
technology to minimize CO2 effects and thereby
extend the alkaline fuel cell life beyond that of
other fuel cells.
Advantage Points
With these and other developments, the AFC has a number of
competitive advantages:
• Low material costs – plastics, carbon, base metals and metal
oxides; no platinum.
• Long life span – 2000-plus hours currently.
• Superior electrochemical conversion efficiency to other fuel
cells and the internal combustion engine.
• Quick start, even in sub-freezing temperatures down to
minus 40 degrees C.
• Simpler heat and water management when compared to
other fuel cell technologies.
• Like other fuel cells, it is odorless and quiet for enclosed
applications
Current Focus
 Validating the strides made in AFC technology, the US
Department of Energy recently renewed an R&D roadmap
for the AFC after a 30 year hiatus.
AFCs currently in development are most suited to smaller
scale applications in the three main energy markets and
these are the types of market Astris initially targets:
 Stationary – such as back up power for communication
towers, data centers.
 Portable – such as prime or auxiliary power for worksites,
cottages, boats.
 Transportation – such as neighborhood electric vehicles, golf
cars, fork lift vehicles
Present Applications
• Fuel Cell Taxi & Boat
http://www.infotools.hfpeurope.org/energyinfos__e/
fuelcells/main06.html
• Generator and Golf Car
http://www.astris.ca/PR/PR50.php
Energy Tutorial Link
• A Complete tutorial for energy and fuel cells.
http://www.nfcrc.uci.edu/EnergyTutorial/index.html
Glossary (Terms)
• http://www.fuelcelltoday.com/FuelCellToday/Educ
ationCentre/EducationCentreExternal/EduCentre
Display/0,1741,Glossary,00.html
• http://www.infotools.hfpeurope.org/glossary/main_
00.html
• http://www.iags.org/glossary1.htm#C
• A PDF file (Glossary.PDF) released by US Fuel
Cell Council is uploaded in the Server under the
directory “MURU” has all the terms defined.
ALKANLINE FUEL CELL – TECHNOLOGY
FOR THE 21st CENTURY
• Alkaline cells, just like alkaline based batteries,
are reliable performers that can be built
inexpensively from down-to-earth materials –
carbon, plastic, base metals; they use cheap
electrolyte, start instantly and perform even in
deep subzero temperatures. They do not depend on
expensive platinum catalyst. And one of the
alkaline cell problems often quoted by their
detractors – their limited tolerance to carbon
dioxide – has been solved by engineers many times
over.
• The complete article is in a PDF format and its
uploaded in directory “MURU” under the name
“AFC-Future.PDF”.