Two FC (fuel cell) Topics on Nisshinbo Industries, Inc.
1) Nisshinbo, in cooperation with Tokyo Institute of Technology, has developed a new technology which enables the use of carbon for the catalyst in the fuel cell.
The carbon will supersede platinum, which is a rare metal and expensive.
It is sure that use of the carbon for the catalyst will reduce the price of the fuel cell. Particularly, the residential FC cogenerators are on the eve of mass production stage. The cost reduction is essential to the popularization of the fuel cells.
This new technology also provided an effective solution to the rare and limited resource problem.
Source: Reuters

2) New plant for manufacturing separators for fuel cells will be built in Chiba prefecture.
The production capability of the new plant is 8,000,000 separators/year.
Nisshinbo's separator is of the carbon molding type, and has been delivered mainly for residential FC cogenerators. The company has the top share in this market.
The production facilities in Miai plant, currently operating, in Mie prefecture, will be transferred to the new plant.
This Nisshinbo's action will be in preparation for the semi-mass production of the residential FC cogenerators in 2009 in Japan.
Final decision of building the new plant will be made this autumn.
See also (68) of JFC News.
Source: THE NIKKAN KOGYO SHIMBUN,LTD.

Fuel Cell Commercialization Conference of Japan determined to assign "ENE FARM" commonly to all types of the residential fuel cell cogeneration systems, which are manufactured by different manufacturers.
During Hokkaido Toyako Summit, July 7 to 9, 2008, Hokkaido, the residential fuel cell cogeneration systems, "ENE FARM" will be installed and operated as part of "Environmental Showcase", at a location adjacent to "International Media Center (IMC)".
The manufactures of those cogeneration systems are manufactured by Panasonic, ENEOS CELLTECH Co., Ltd., Ebara-Ballard, Toshiba Fuel Cell Power Systems Corporation, and TOYOTA.
New Energy Foundation (NEF) is plan to disclose the newest data representing energy saving/CO2 reduction effects.

NexTech Materials, Ltd. is pleased to announce that it has received funding for three unrelated projects based on its advanced SOFC planar stack technology. Most recently, the Department of Energy, through its SECA program, selected NexTech to develop its planar FlexCellTM SOFC technology for large scale stationary power systems. NexTech has also been selected by the U.S. Navy for two development projects. One is to design a fuel cell system for underwater vehicle applications and the other is to develop stack technology for use in a land based APU.
NexTech has been developing advanced planar SOFC stack technology based on its FlexCellTM concept under support of the Air Force, State of Ohio and private funding for the past four years. The unique electrolyte-supported design, combined with advanced anode and cathode systems, delivers high power density, unparalleled sulfur tolerance, and scalability to large areas.
"We are very pleased to have our technology selected for further development by multiple agencies. The rigorous technical evaluation that our approaches have successfully passed is a strong validation of our technology," says Bill Dawson, President and CEO.
Details on the DOE funded project
SECA (Solid State Energy Conversion Alliance)
>>More

Hitachi, Ltd, has developed a high performance hydrogen sensor, which is of the Si-MOSFET type.
A thin-film lamination structure made of platinum (Pt) and titanium (Ti) is uniquely used for the sensor part (gate) of the hydrogen sensor.
Many beneficial features:
The new sensor is capable of sensing hydrogen having a concentration of 1000 ppm or higher in about 1 second.
The sensor is highly resistive to heat and humidity.
Its lifetime is 3 year or longer, showed by the lifetime acceleration test.
The semiconductor manufacturing equipment, currently used, may be used for manufacturing the sensor. The sensors can be mass-produced.
A size of the sensor part is 2.0mm x 2.0 mm.
Threshold voltages of the sensors manufactured are little varied in value.
The sensor exactly responds the hydrogen concentration.
Temperature required for accelerating the reaction is about 100oC, lower than that of the ceramic sensor, currently and widely used.
This indicates that power consumption (1000 mW) by the sensor is low.
The explosion-proof structure for the sensor is simple, leading to size reduction.

Lewis Center, OH - NexTech Materials, Ltd. and Plug Power Inc. (NASDAQ: PLUG) have concluded their two-year collaboration to develop a solid oxide fuel cell (SOFC) power system. The two companies completed a number of joint activities including market research, fuel cell stack development and testing, system design and prototype construction at both NexTech and Plug Power facilities.
According to Bill Dawson, President/CEO of NexTech, "Completion of this important project positions NexTech to move forward in both the commercial and military power markets.

Succeeded in Dynamically Observing Hydrogen Releasing Reaction
Lab teams, which are led by professor Onuki (Graduate School of Engineering Hokkaido University) and professor Kojima (Institute for Advanced Materials Research in Hiroshima University), who are working in collaboration, have achieved the world's first success in observing a hydrogen releasing reaction in which lithium hydride (LiH) or sodium hydride (NaH) reacts with ammonia gas （NH3）at room temperature to generate hydrogen gas, by using an environmental cell transmission electron microscopy (EC-TEM). The EC-TEM uses an environmental cell for use with the transmission electron microscope, developed anew, which is operable in a reaction gas environment up to two atmosphere pressures.
All the researchers in the world have had a strong desire to observe the reaction of hydride with gas in nano-levels.
It is sure that the direct observation of the hydrogen releasing reaction will make a great contribution to the improvement of fuel cell systems (researcher said).
The study results will be presented in MH2008, International Symposium on Metal-Hydrogen Systems, Reykjavic, Iceland, June 24 to 28.
This news item will be elaborated later if I have time to write.
Source: What's New in homepage of Institute for Advanced Materials Research

Genepax Co., Ltd. revealed a new technology WES which is capable of generating electric power from water.
WES stably generates electric power with no aid of any external energy and without any emission of green house gas, e.g., carbon dioxide and methane. This new technology results from 25-year study efforts.
"New Technology Introduction Meeting" will be held on June 12 in Osaka. A WES-based power generator and a WES-based electric vehicle will be actually operated for demonstration.

Genepax Co., Ltd. is not yet listed n the market (so far as we know).
English version of Genepax's website has opened, although not completed.
Please visit the new website.

The electricity generation module and the prototype generator system, which are based on the WES technology, were disclosed on June 12, 2008, in Osaka.
Many big medias in Japan have reported this new technology.     >> More

 

Contents -
Possible Applications
Background of the New Technology
Features
Study Details

Possible Applications
Airplanes, rockets, hydrogen tanks for vehicles, etc.
Background of the New Technology
Composite material (e.g., CFRP) is used in airplanes since it has excellent mechanical strength.
Attempt is made to use the composite material for the liquid hydrogen tank of the airplane.
The attempt is almost impossible since the hydrogen permeability of plastics (organic polymeric material) is high.
A measure having been taken for the high hydrogen permeability is that an aluminum gas barrier layer is stuck onto the plastic layer.
Aluminum is advantageous in that it has good gas barrier property, but is disadvantageous in that the aluminum layer possibly peels off from the composite material at the interface between those layers, and the weight of the aluminum layer is not light.
To commercialize the fuel cell vehicle, it is essential to develop the lightweight hydrogen tanks.
Minimizing of hydrogen gas leakage during the hydrogen transportation is also essential.
Remarkable cost reduction of space transportation is indispensable for space development.
It is a matter of course that the space transportation system of the reusable type is much better than that of the disposable type from a viewpoint of the cost reduction.
To realize the space transportation system of the reusable type, it goes without saying that it is necessary to further reduce the weight of the spacecraft body, particularly the liquid hydrogen tank.
To read more, visit FuelCell japan

Two residential fuel cell cogeneration systems (JOMO ECOCUBE) of JOMO (Japan Energy Corporation) succeeded in continuous running of 20,000 hours without exchanging of any major parts of the cogeneration systems.
JOMO participated in "Large-Scale Residential Fuel Cell Demonstration Test Project" in 2005 and has installed 104 FC cogeneration systems for the demonstration test.
Of those cogeneration systems, two cogeneration systems have continuously run for 20,000 hours (total generated power = 8,400 kWh), and are manufactured by Toshiba Fuel Cell Power Systems Corporation. Those FC cogenerators were installed in 2005.
"Large-Scale Residential Fuel Cell Demonstration Test Project" has been performed by NEF (New Energy Foundation), granted by NEDO (New Energy and Industrial Technology Development Organization).
To read more