Future of Electric Cars? Running Fuel Cells on Biodiesel
Jack Linthicum
Tor-Geir Engebretsen, Managing Director and co-founder of Nordic Power
Systems points out that since the technology is scalable, it is well
suited for future generators in electric vehicles. But NPS is taking
the development in stages. The company's first market is power supply
for the defence industry; NPS has a technology development agreement
with the Royal Norwegian Armed Forces. In addition, NPS has a product
development agreement with Marshall Land Systems, of the UK, with the
aim of supplying silent-running generators for the British Armed
Forces.
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/10/101011090143.htm
Future of Electric Cars? Running Fuel Cells on Biodiesel
Dag Øvrebø. (Credit: NPS)
ScienceDaily (Oct. 11, 2010) — A smart diesel reformer and a tolerant
fuel cell are the core components of a new type of electric power
supply unit. Environmentally friendly and flexible, the unit could be
a serious contender in the market for generators in electric vehicles
and other applications.
The power supply unit can run on biodiesel as well as regular diesel.
This combination of two advanced technologies is now undergoing
testing, thanks to funding under the Research Council's RENERGI
programme. In trials, a 200-W solid-acid fuel cell ran on both pure
hydrogen and on hydrogen produced from diesel by the unit's reformer
-- with only an insignificant difference in performance.
Low CO2 emissions
The reformer converts hydrocarbons into hydrogen, CO2 and heat. Due to
the unit's high efficiency, CO2 emissions are substantially lower than
in conventional combustion engines, and no other demonstrable exhaust
is discharged -- meaning that diesel particulates, black carbon soot,
nitrous oxide (NOx) and carbon monoxide (CO) are elimi¬nated. An added
plus is that the reformer emits no smoke or odour.
The silent electric generator is being developed and produced by the
Norwegian company Nordic Power Systems (NPS). The California firm
SAFCell Inc. is developing and will deliver the new type of fuel cell.
Also on the team is the California Institute of Technology (Caltech).
Dag Øvrebø, Technical Director of NPS, has many years' experience with
fuel cells and has been working closely with Caltech on this new
technologyGerman conversion technology
It all began in Germany. In 2006 the NPS founders came across an
interesting conversion technology developed at RWTH Aachen University
in the late 1990s. NPS acquired the licensing rights, envisioning a
clear market potential for an electric power supply unit based on a
fuel cell that is not dependent on hydrogen filling stations, and that
can run on regular, easily available fuel without surrendering the
environmental benefits of fuel cells.
In 2009 NPS secured usage rights to the new US solid-acid technology
for use with various fuel types such as diesel and biofuels.
Tor-Geir Engebretsen, Managing Director and co-founder of NPS, is very
pleased with this summer's tests. "Now we have demonstrated that the
solid-acid technology works. The next step is to test a larger unit of
1 200 W."
Armed Forces first user
Engebretsen points out that since the technology is scalable, it is
well suited for future generators in electric vehicles. But NPS is
taking the development in stages. The company's first market is power
supply for the defence industry; NPS has a technology development
agreement with the Royal Norwegian Armed Forces. In addition, NPS has
a product development agreement with Marshall Land Systems, of the UK,
with the aim of supplying silent-running generators for the British
Armed Forces.
If all goes according to plan, the unit being developed with Marshall
will be ready for market launch by mid-2011, while the solid-acid fuel
cell will be phased in somewhat later. An assembly plant in Høyanger,
Norway, is scheduled to open in early 2012 with Industrial Development
Corporation of Norway (SIVA) as contractor.
Nordic Power Systems (NPS)
NPS currently has seven employees in Norway, and six in the USA
through a contract with SAFCell in California.
* So far NOK 50 million has been spent on development and market
preparations.
* Financing has come from a score of private investors and from: o
Research Council of Norway o Innovation Norway o Royal Norwegian Armed
Forces o Høyanger Næringsutvikling AS
The project
* Name: Development of cutting-edge fuel cell technology,
integration and testing of NPS' proprietary fuel cell generator for
industrialisation in Norway
* Project manager: Nordic Power Systems/Dag Øvrebø
* Partners: SAFCell, Caltech, Nordic Power Systems
* Overall budget: NOK 11.8 million. Funding under the RENERGI
programme: NOK 5.9 million
Andrew Swallow
{snip}
>
> Tor-Geir Engebretsen, Managing Director and co-founder of NPS, is very
> pleased with this summer's tests. "Now we have demonstrated that the
> solid-acid technology works. The next step is to test a larger unit of
> 1 200 W."
1.2 kW is a useful size. Sufficient to power a micro-wave oven, TV or
computer. A kettle will need 3 converters (or be slow).
Andrew Swallow