By Roland Piquepaille
According to this news release from University of Alaska Fairbanks (UAF), the fuel cell technology is becoming mature. A group at UAF is operating a five-kilowatt solid oxide fuel cell (SOFC) for more than eight months now. During its 5,000 hours of production, the fuel cell stack generated 20,000 kilowatt-hours of electricity, enough to power two average houses for a full year."Since the biggest questions surrounding fuel cells have been longevity and reliability, this is an exciting achievement in fuel cell technology and testing," said Dennis Witmer, director of the University of Alaska Fairbanks Arctic Energy Technology Development Laboratory which is conducting the tests.
The fuel cell was manufactured by Fuel Cell Technologies (FCT) in collaboration with Siemens Westinghouse Power Corporation (SWPC). Siemens manufactures the core fuel cell stack technology and FCT supplies the critical balance of plant subsystems required to keep the fuel cell stack operating
Here is a picture of this 5 KW Solid Oxide Fuel Cell (SOFC) (Credit: FTC).
The next step is to provide reliable, affordable energy to remote areas of Alaska.
You'll find more information on this system on the FCT SOFC Power System web page.
When a fuel cell is fed fuel such as natural gas or propane, and air in the proper conditions, an electrochemical reaction occurs in the cell. This reaction produces electricity. In a fuel cell power unit, several cells are configured together to make a 'stack'. The systems built around the fuel cell stack manage the inputs to, and the outputs from, the power unit. The various systems integrated into the power unit are complex and necessary to its operation. These enabling systems are called the 'balance of plant'. The end result is electricity that is useful in appliances and lights. The SOFC power units will vary in size according to customers' needs. They are all termed 'small scale' power units and will generate from 1 kW to 50 kW of power for use in stationary applications such as residences, small commercial operations, farms, remote locations, and off-grid sites.
SWPC provides tons of information on this fuel cells web page. Here is an illustration showing how the cylindrical-tube SOFC technology works (Credit: SWPC).
And here are some simple explanations about this technology.
A fuel cell is a device that converts chemical energy directly into electricity and heat. There are several types of fuel cells, but all share the use of hydrogen as fuel. Some, like solid oxide fuel cells, can also utilize carbon monoxide, which makes them more versatile when using fuels such as natural gas or propane.
Fuel cells can be regarded as batteries that, when provided with fuel and air, will not run down. They are electrochemical devices that convert the chemical energy of the fuel directly into electricity and heat, and do so more efficiently than combustion engines.
A final word: now that fuel cell technology has proven it is reliable, it has to show it is cost-effective.
Sources: University of Alaska Fairbanks, March 2, 2004, via EurekAlert!; and various websites
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