Fuel cells
1. What is a fuel cell?
A fuel cell is an “electrochemical device that produces electricity without combustion. The optimal energy carrier for fuel cells is hydrogen (which can be extracted from methanol, natural gas, water or petroleum products). When hydrogen is combined with oxygen (from air) it produces electrical energy. The conversion process is environmentally benign: only heat and water are emitted as by-products. Environmentally, hydrogen is the optimal energy carrier for fuel cells, because fuel cells that run on hydrogen have zero emissions.
By the nature of its electrochemical reaction, a fuel cell can be more than twice as efficient as an internal combustion engine. A conventional engine burns fuel to create heat and in turn converts heat into mechanical energy and finally electricity. A fuel cell produces electricity, water and heat directly from hydrogen and oxygen. Fuel cells are like batteries in that they are electrochemical devices, but unlike batteries do not need recharging and will continue to operate as long as they are provided with fuel (hydrogen).
2. What is a fuel cell stack?
A fuel cell stack is a number of fuel cells stacked together like a sandwich using bipolar plates (an anode and cathode combined in one). One advantage of fuel cell technology is to achieve any desired power output you need only stack fuel cells of a certain output together.
3. What is a fuel cell power system?
A fuel cell power system is the complete set of components that integrate with the fuel cell stack so that electricity is produced. The fuel cell requires other systems to make it a complete power source, including air, fuel and control systems.
4. What are PEM fuel cells?
PEM is an acronym meaning Proton Exchange Membrane. In a PEM fuel cell the electrolyte is a proton (H+) conducting solid polymer membrane. They are also known as PEFC (polymer electrolyte fuel cell) or SPFC (solid polymer fuel cell).
There are a number of different types of fuel cell, such as solid oxide or molten carbonate, but the PEM is the fuel cell closest to commercialisation across a wide range of applications.
5. What are the advantages of PEM fuel cells?
PEM fuel cells display the highest power densities of any of the fuel cell types, which makes them particularly attractive for transportation and portable applications where minimum size and weight are required. They contain no corrosive liquid electrolyte and can be robust in construction and are modular and scalable in design. They are low temperature fuel cells which usually operate below 100oC. This means that unlike high temperature fuel cells such as solid oxide, which operate at ~600oC they can be fabricated from cheaper, less exotic materials. The low temperature of PEM fuel cells can also be an advantage when low thermal signature is desired. PEM fuel cells also have the advantage of potential application across a very wide range; from portable power at a few watts to hundreds of kilowatts for vehicular and stationary power.
6. What are the emissions from a PEM fuel cell?
If hydrogen is used as the fuel the only emission from a PEM fuel cell system is pure water vapour.
7. What things can PEM fuel cells be used to power?
PEM fuel cells can be used in portable electronic and electrical devices, such as laptops or power tools, to generate heat and power for domestic and distributed generation, to provide auxiliary and back-up power in a wide range stationary and transport applications and to provide propulsion power to motorbikes, cars, buses, submarines, unmanned vehicles and light aircraft.
8. When will fuel cells be commercially available to consumers?
PEM fuel cells are ready today in to enter a wide range of markets, but their actual entry in markets will depend on the complex interplay between a number of external factors including the economics of the supply and demand of fossil fuels, state and institutional behaviours associated with energy security, the drive to combat climate change and macro-political tensions relating to the mutating global economy as a whole. As times change, of course, so does business practise, and already we are seeing the introduction of fuel cells in a commercial context – the motive sector for example. It follows that where clean energy is part of the answer to changes in the way energy is sourced and used, that fuel cells will play an integral part of such sourcing and use.
Hydrogen
1. Where does the hydrogen come from to fuel PEM fuel cells?
Hydrogen is an energy carrier not a naturally occurring fuel and must be produced from hydrogen containing feedstock. Most of the world’s hydrogen is presently produced by reformation of natural gas, but hydrogen is also commonly produced by the electrolysis of water. Electrolysis requires electricity, if that electricity is produced by renewable means; the hydrogen produced is as environmentally friendly as it is possible to be.
2. What about using hydrocarbon fuels to produce hydrogen - doesn’t this still produce greenhouse gas and other emissions? Why not just burn the natural gas?
There are much less polluting emissions formed by the reformation of natural gas than by burning it, although carbon dioxide production is about the same. The key thing is the energy conversion at the point of power production. If the hydrogen is burned in an internal combustion engine there is no real benefit, if the hydrogen is fed into a PEM fuel cell, with its much higher efficiencies, the amount of carbon dioxide produced can be much less.
3. You are working with oil and gas companies; aren’t you part of the problem?
Inteligent Energy believes that it is vital to produce technologies which allow us to use existing hydrocarbon resources in a cleaner way, and not just design products for use renewable energies. PEM fuel cells are agnostic to the origins of the hydrogen used to fuel them. The coming decades will see a transition from fossil fuel to alternative energy, and during that time distributed hydrogen generators will provide another fuel amongst the increasingly diverse selection available at the gas station forecourt (already LPG, NG and biofuels are becoming more and more commonplace).
4. How safe is hydrogen?
Hydrogen is no more or less dangerous than other flammable fuels, including petrol products and natural gas. In fact, some of hydrogen’s properties actually provide safety benefits compared to petrol or other fuels. However, all flammable fuels must be handled responsibly. Like petrol and natural gas, hydrogen is flammable and can behave dangerously under specific conditions. Hydrogen can be handled safely when guidelines are observed and the user has an understanding of its behaviour.
Over 50 million tons of hydrogen are produced every year and hydrogen’s safety record is excellent.
5. What happens if there is a hydrogen leak?
Hydrogen is lighter than air and diffuses rapidly, it dilutes quickly into a non-flammable concentration. Hydrogen rises two times faster than helium and six times faster than natural gas at a speed of almost 45 mph (20m/s). Therefore, unless a roof, a poorly ventilated room or some other structure contains the rising gas, hydrogen will not linger near a leak.
6. Isn’t hydrogen very explosive?
An explosion cannot occur in a tank or any contained location that contains only hydrogen. An oxidizer, such as oxygen must be present in a concentration of at least 10% pure oxygen or 41% air. Hydrogen can be explosive at concentrations of 18.3–59% and although the range is wide, it is important to remember that petrol can present a more dangerous potential than hydrogen since the potential for explosion occurs with petrol at much lower concentrations, 1.1–3.3%. Furthermore, there is very little likelihood that hydrogen will explode in open air, due to its tendency to rise quickly. This is the opposite of what we find for heavier gases such as propane or petrol fumes, which hover near the ground, creating a greater danger for explosion.
7. What about the Hindenburg?
The fire that destroyed the Hindenburg in 1937 gave hydrogen a misleading reputation. Hydrogen was used to keep the airship buoyant and was initially blamed for the disaster. An investigation by Addison Bain in the 1990s provided evidence that the airship’s fabric envelope was coated with reactive chemicals, similar to solid rocket fuel, and was easily ignitable by an electrical discharge. The Zeppelin Company, builder of the Hindenburg, has since confirmed that the flammable, doped outer cover is to be blamed for the fire.
Intelligent Energy
1. Who are Intelligent Energy?
Intelligent Energy is a fuel cell power systems company. We have a range of proprietary fuel cell, hydrogen generation and fuel desulphurisation technologies.
2. What does Intelligent Energy do?
IE works with leading companies and produces a range of proprietary fuel cell, hydrogen generation and fuel desulphurisation technologies.
3. What is Intelligent Energy’s strategic model?
Due to our modular platforms the business model is efficient and flexible, allowing for partnering by joint venture, licensing and developmental activities.
Our technologies focus on four key market segments; aerospace and defence; motive; distributed generation and portable power; oil and gas. These technologies are targeted both at leading companies in the fuel supply industries, as well as the power demand sectors.
Not only do we help to de-risk their clean fuel and power products and services by forming such commercial relationships, we also accelerate their paths to market.
4. Where are the company’s operations?
Intelligent Energy has its headquarters, principal research and development facility and production facility in Loughborough in the UK. It also has facilities in California which are focused on the development of hydrogen generation and fuel cell systems for backup and portable power applications. Additionally, Intelligent Energy has offices in London and representation in Japan.
5. What is the company’s background?
Intelligent Energy began operations in 2001 but has a history of fuel cell research and development stretching back almost 20 years. The company was established to commercialise the work of Advanced Power Sources Ltd (APS), a spin-out of Loughborough University. APS was formed in 1995, by four members of the University’s fuel cell group.
In 2003 and 2004, Intelligent Energy acquired two hydrogen generation and fuel processing businesses in the US: Element One Energy of Long Beach, California and Mesofuel Inc. of Albuquerque, New Mexico. All of Intelligent Energy's US operations are now located in Long Beach. The company presently employs 100 people.
6. Who are Intelligent Energy’s customers?
Many of Intelligent Energy’s business relationships are subject to confidentiality agreements, but our customers and partners include, Boeing, for whom we have developed a fuel cell system for what is intended to be the world’s first fuel cell powered flight, PSA Peugeot Citroen, for whom we have developed automotive fuel cells systems and the Suzuki Motor Corporation, to whom we have supplied fuel cell systems for two-wheeled motive power. We are also working with Bosch, Prodrive, Samsung and a number of US and UK government agencies.
7. What are Intelligent Energy’s products?
Intelligent Energy offers a unique range of products from fuel-in to power-out, from a few watts to a 100kW, from systems that are appropriate for powering electronics to systems capable of powering large vehicles.
Our supply side fuel processing technologies include distributed fuel desulphurisation and distributed fuel flexible hydrogen generators. On the demand side our PEM fuel cell power systems are suitable for multiple applications including motive power, aerospace and defence, distributed generation and portable power.
8. What are the differentiators for your fuel cell technologies?
Intelligent Energy fuel cells are of unique and proprietary designs protected by multiple families of patents. We have two basic designs of PEM fuel cell each appropriate for different arranges of applications: air-cooled PEM fuel cells that are very simple and robust and targeted at portable, remote and motive power applications in the 1W to 2kW range and evaporatively cooled PEM fuel cells designed for automotive, aerospace, auxiliary power and distributed power generation.
Our EC fuel cell technology has demonstrated class leading power densities and cold temperature operation. The EC technology differs fundamentally from conventional PEM fuel cells, in that no external radiator type cooling system is required external to the fuel cell stack or cooling plates needed within it. The water produced by the operation of the fuel cell is used to cool the stack and also to provide internal humidification. This means that Intelligent Energy has a fundamentally simpler, cheaper and more compact fuel cell technology than its competitors.
9. How long have your fuel cells been tested for?
Our fuel cell stacks have been tested for many thousands of hours in laboratory testing, while complete systems have been demonstrated in the field for almost three years.
10. What are the differentiators with respect to your hydrogen generation and fuel processing technologies?
Our hydrogen generators and fuel processing technologies are designed for distributed applications; they make hydrogen etc at the point of use or refuelling. They provide sufficient hydrogen for applications from a few watts to tens of kilowatts - enough to provide for distributed and portable applications to vehicle refuelling.
Another important attribute of these technologies is fuel flexibility. A wide range of fuel feedstocks can be converted to hydrogen with minimal impact on the system design. Fuels that we can convert into hydrogen include low sulphur diesel, natural gas, ethanol, biofuels, propane, ammonia and synthetic (Fischer Tropsch) fuels.
11. What is your desulphurisation technology?
We are developing distributed desulphurisation technologies that will reduce the amount of sulphur in a wide range of fuels, for subsequent use in either fuel cell or conventional engine technology. Sulphur is a catalyst poison (e.g. in reformers, fuel cells, catalytic converters) which cause respiratory illness and environmental damage. Its removal will allow a wider range of potential fuels (e.g. JP8) to be more easily converted into hydrogen.
12. How do you protect your intellectual property?
Intelligent Energy has filed over 30 families of patents covering key areas and attributes of its technologies.
13. What have Intelligent Energy’s fuel cells and hydrogen generation technologies have to offer the aerospace and defence industries?
Hydrogen fuel cells offer advantages to the aviation industries in a number of applications, for example, they can be used as distributed auxiliary power units they will provide much more efficient power for onboard commercial airliners as well as providing the power systems for zero emission vehicles at airports. They are already being developed to power light aircraft and are ideal for a wide range of unmanned air vehicles.
The characteristics of fuel cell systems make them particularly attractive for a number of military applications; and their low thermal, vibration, heat and emissions signature make them ideal for applications where stealth is a consideration.
Distributed hydrogen generation is important for both aerospace and defence applications as they will enable the distributed generation of hydrogen where it is required from existing logistic fuels.
14. What does Intelligent Energy have to offer the transportation market?
Intelligent Energy’s fuel cell systems are more compact than conventional PEM fuel cell technology, a feature particularly important in transport applications such as cars and motorbikes which only have very limited amounts of space.
Our automotive fuel cell systems are the most power dense available, they are less complex, with a rugged metallic construction and have been designed with mass manufacture in mind.
Our motive fuel cell systems are utilised in the world’s first purpose built fuel cell motorbike, Intelligent Energy’s ENV, a fuel cell technology demonstrator that has captured the imagination of consumers across the globe.
15. What is Intelligent Energy doing in the distributed generation and portable power fields?
Intelligent Energy has had both distributed generation and portable/remote fuel cell power systems working in the field for almost three years. From the North East of England to Kwazulu Natal, in South Africa, we have technology operating under real conditions providing useful power to our customers. Our fuel cell CHP technology has been proven in a renewable energy demonstration as part of system that combines wind turbine, electrolysis, hydrogen storage, battery storage and our fuel cell unit.
16. How will Intelligent Energy work with the oil and gas industry?
Intelligent Energy’s technologies represent a transition asset to the oil and gas companies, which will allow them to make continued use of their existing fuel production and supply infrastructures, with the addition of our distributed hydrogen generation and fuel processing only at the very end of the supply chain. We don’t have to wait for the hydrogen economy or billions of pounds worth of expenditure on new infrastructure to see the widespread supply of hydrogen to the consumer.
17. How is Intelligent Energy funded?
Intelligent Energy is funded both by revenue from its operations and private equity backing. Its major shareholders include Credit Suisse Securities (Europe) Limited, Black River Commodity Clean Energy Investment Fund LLC, Black River Global Equity Fund Limited, Meditor Capital Management Limited and Evolution Placements Corporation.
