Issue 0201    

Content:

Market news

Hydrogen Ferrari

Sven Geitmann reports

Citaro – Fuel cell buses series production

Zero Emission Technology – Fuel cell plant inauguration

Siemens-Westinghouse – Permanent operation of high temperature fuel cell succesful

Volkswagen – Sceptical but investing

New alliance – GM, Toyota and Exxon to cooperate

Liquid gas plant skyscrapers – Research facilities in Ulm

The Interview

This time with Dr. Alfons Schulte, CarboTech Anlagenbau GmbH

Event news

Research Pavilion at Hydrogen Expo

3 Focus Areas at the Seminar Forum

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Market news 

Hydrogen Ferrari

A Ferrari powered by a composition of hydrogen and carbon monoxide was introduced by US company EarthFirst Technologies to their investors at the Moroso International Track recently. The "MagneGas" fueled Ferrari 308 GTSi model was meant to demonstrate that this alternative fuel concept is market ready now. Existing vehicles on the road today are said to run on this new fuel with only minor modifications, while showing no noticeable difference in performance from the gasoline model. Exhaust emissions consist of some 70% water vapor, 10% oxygen, and 8% carbon dioxide. At the same time a Honda model was put onto the track to show the economy of their concept, which according to EarthFirst is based not on a revolutionary but an "evolutionary" approach.

DaimlerChrysler revealed plans to produce 20 to 30 fuel cell busses (Citaro) until 2002 at 2.45 millions DM each. A public transport company from Stuttgart could be one potential buyer. EvoBus GmbH, one of the Holdings’ subsidiary companies, will build the busses. The purchase price for each bus includes a two year test phase with all necessary local technical support and maintance. The fuel cell, which is produced by Xcellsis, another subsidiary company, and the gas tanks for compressed gaseous hydrogen will be mounted on the roof of the Citaro bus. Performance of the modified "Niederflurbus" (successor to the NEBUS model) is expected to be 250kW, which is said to be sufficient for a maximum speed of 80km/h and a reach of 300 km.

ZeTek Power GmbH is going to open a fuel cell plant on March 1, to become the largest site for fuel cell production in Europe over the next few years. ZeTek ("Zero Emission Technology") already began series production at the end of January with 30 to 50 employees. Total performance is going to be 10MW to start with, and is to be increased to 40MW after 18 months and to 500MW per year after a five-year-phase. This would equal an average power plant output. Within three years the London-based British-American corporation wants to create 500 jobs. At 14 Pfennigs (7 Cents) per kWh energy production at ZeTek is then to come close to production costs at large power plants. The installation of their own fuel cell site is planned to be finished by the end of this year so that production will be independent of public power supply. Fuel cell systems are currently being produced at Euros 2000 per kW, but costs are said to fall under Euros 500, says CEO Nicholas M. Abson. Potential applications are in vehicles (trucks, small ships), mobile phones, laptops, stationary block heating plans and heat generators.

The Siemens-Westinghouse high temperature fuel cell prototype in Westervoort (Netherlands) has been in permanent operation since 1997. The long-term project expired at the end of 2000, which makes the 100kW site (SOFC = Solid Oxide Fuel Cell) available to take up its duty elsewhere. Until now the system ran for more than 16000 operation hours without any significant flaws or losses in performance, with only the stacks renewed in March 1999. System efficiency recently ranged at 46%. A second project started in their technology center in Pittsburgh (USA), then went to California. Similar to the model in the Netherlands, this SOFC fuel cell was combined with a gas turbine. Here, pressure was increased to 3 bar. This modification makes it possible to utilize the 850°C exhaust temperature by using heat and pressure loss from 3 to 1 bar to again produce electricity in an additional turbine. Hereby the 220kW power plant uses almost 60% of the energy contained in gas to produce electricity. Single-sided closed cavity tubes constitute a significant difference to traditional fuel cells with even slabs (planar). The ceramic parts (tubular), which remind of broom sticks (1,5m long, 2,2cm wide) separate fuel from air and at the same time enable spatial thermal expansion. A 320kW hybrid site (SOFC plus gas turbine) is already planned for North-Rhine-Westfalian (Germany). The first plant to work in megawatts is expected to start operation mid of next year. By 2004 the system will have gone commercial.

"State-of-the-art diesel and petrol engines will be running for much longer than some people like to think." said a sceptical Dr. Martin Winterkorn (Head of Research & Development at Volkswagen) at the Detroit Motor Show in January. According to him, it "will take ten to 15 years until fuel cell powered cars go into series production". At the same time he put into perspective that "the fuel cell is the first sensible energy source for cars after the traditional combustion engine". However, VW Chairman Ferdinand Piech had earlier declared fuel cells to be a dominant issue and pushed construction of a new R&D site in Isenbuettel (Germany). There, Volkswagen is going to outsource an extensive research complex from its inhouse R&D department with more than 300 employees working with top speed on the new technology.

General Motors Corporation (GM) and Toyota Motor Corporation (TMC) announced an alliance with Exxon Mobile Corporation to establish hydrogen as the alternative fuel and fuel cells as the energy converters. While until now GM and TMC have pursued their fuel cell technology research separately, they now plan an agreement to exchange test results in order to capitalize on their strengths. GM and TMC concurrently believe that hydrogen is the only fuel with the potential to power cars with more efficiency and less emissions. With Exxon Mobil's support the two corporations want to emphasize the possible co-existence of traditional and new energy concepts. On a short term basis "clean carbon hydrogen" will be used, to be substituted by hydrogen fuel in the long run. Through their alliance the three companies aim to create a new global technology standard.

Ulm (Germany) has successfully established itself as a leading fuel cell research location. At the end of last year the decision was made to intensify the ZSW (Solar Energy and Hydrogen Research Center) activities in the research and development of PAFC, MCFC, SOFC, and PEM fuel cells. The Ulm institute was founded as a non-profit organization by the Baden-Wuerttemberg government, the Universities of Ulm and Freiburg, the DLR (German Aerospace Research Institute), the Electrical Power Suppliers Association of Baden-Wuerttemberg and several smaller companies. Supported by the local and the German Ministry of Economics and Technology, the ZSW will start testing different fuel cell types with different fuels. In order to accomplish this, three tanks which are several meters high (oxygen 15 meters, nitrogen 10m, carbon dioxide 9m) were erected at the end of January. Already in December a 21 meter high hydrogen tank was put up. Dr. Beatrix Wandelt-Roth from the institute proudly reports that this is another unique liquid gas site. Head of Institute Prof. Juergen Garche stated that in conjunction with in-depth research much emphasis will be put on education and training for the energy scientists of the future.

The Interview

With Dr. Alfons Schulte, CarboTech Anlagenbau GmbH

Question: Who is CarboTech?

Dr. Schulte: CarboTech Anlagenbau GmbH belongs to the Ruhrkohle AG group of companies. We develop and produce plants for gas treatment, gas purification and gas production.

Question: Where is hydrogen produced by CarboTech used?

Dr. Schulte: Our hydrogen is used in steel production, steel processing, thermal treatment of steel products, in metallurgy and chemistry. There is principally no field where hydrogen cannot be used.

Question: Do you also produce hydrogen to power vehicles?

Dr. Schulte: Hydrogen powered vehicles based on hydrogen fuel cells are still somewhat exotic. You are talking about fuel cells, which are propagated as the technology of the future. Fuel cells need hydrogen to produce power, however, there is currently no infrastructure to provide hydrogen on a large scale. At the exhibition we will show units which enable hydrogen production from feed gas locally, that is in any number of places. Feed gas usually means natural gas or biogas, or generally speaking any gas containing methane.

Question: What exactly will CarboTech showcase at Hydrogen Expo?

Dr. Schulte: We will present a small hydrogen production unit, which is currently used for thermal treatment of steel products for example. Hydrogen production in our plants is not based on water separation, as in electrolysis. We rely on natural gas and other methane gases, which are converted almost completely into hydrogen. Plants to treat gas from fermentation of organic material (biomass) are also part of our program. The result is a gas similar to natural gas, which is fed into a hydrogen converter to produce H2. Bone meal is also an organic material which can through fermentation be processed to methane gas, which again is converted to hydrogen from which power is generated. The fermentation residue, however, causes a significant problem. It has to be dried and because of the mad cow disease issue has to be destroyed in special refuse incineration plants.

Question: In your opinion, what will the future of the hydrogen economy be like?

Dr. Schulte: It will definitely be very interesting. We put our bet on decentralized hydrogen production for electricity and heat generation in small power plants, to supply private households and the local industry. In combination with biogas we see this as the technology of the future, in particular with regards to ecological aspects. Energy generation from biogas is CO2 neutral. Biogas plants are already existing in a decentralized network, this is where electricity and heat supply via fuel cells can start.

Event News:

Research Pavillon at Hydrogen Expo

Under the tagline "The Future is Now" the Research Pavilion at Hydrogen Expo invites visitors to cast an eye on the visions and projects already realized by leading scientific institutions. At the seminar forum roundtables, hydrogen experts will discuss the foundations and practicial results of new energy concepts. Research institutes and other Know How providers still have the chance to book their presence the pavilion at tel. +49-211-687858-11 or info@hydrogen-expo.com. Visitors can register for free admission at www.hydrogen-expo.com.

3 Focus Areas at the Seminar Forum

The Hydrogen Expo Seminar Forum on October 11 to 13 provides information about the following focus areas:

• Hydrogen technologies: from production to infrastructure
• New energy concepts: synergies between chemistry and energy for decentralized power and heat supply
• Hydrogen and fuel cell applications: from cars to mobile phones

All visitors have free access to the seminar forum. Exhibitors who want to present their developments at the forum can still book a speaking opportunity at tel. +49-211-687858-10.