World’s largest SOFC platform, demonstrated by NexTech Materials

NexTech Materials, Ltd. recently completed scale-up of its FlexCell™ solid oxide fuel cell (SOFC) technology to a nominal area of 1200 cm2 and power output of 400 watts per cell, believed to be the largest production planar fuel cells.
This development represents a significant accomplishment in the advancement of its planar fuel cell technology, and together with the many advanced features of the FlexCell™ technology, is enabling for large-scale power applications.
NexTech began development of it FlexCell™ platform in 2006 and has previously produced cells in the 50 to 100-watt class.
These have been deployed for production of stacks intended for military, transportation and micro-CHP applications.
The large area cells are intended for large stationary power systems, including combined heat and power systems, distributed generation, and for use in combined coal gasification and fuel cell systems.
NexTech’s FlexCell™ technology:
NexTech’s FlexCell™ technology is an innovative electrolyte-supported SOFC. It incorporates NexTech’s patent pending sulfur tolerant anode system, its durable cathode, and a thin high performance electrolyte. The name is derived from the fuel cell’s ability to operate on a variety of fuels (fuel flexible) and due to its flexible mechanical nature that is manufacturable and durable for a variety of applications.
>> To learn more

Contact:
Dr. Scott Swartz
s.swartz@nextechmaterials.com
(614) 842-6606, extension 103
NexTech Materials, Ltd.
404 Enterprise Drive
Lewis Center, OH 43035
***********************

About NexTech Materials:
NexTech’s vision is to be a global leader in the development and manufacturing of innovative products for energy and environmental markets. NexTech is a leading developer and supplier of materials, components and services for the fuel cell industry and is dedicated to reducing the manufacturing and operating costs of fuel cells and other electrochemical devices. NexTech’s customers are located in over 35 countries and include leading researchers, developers and manufacturers throughout the world. NexTech Materials, Ltd. was founded as a privately held company in 1994 and has grown into one of Ohio’s leading technology companies. NexTech recently expanded its manufacturing and R&D facilities located in Lewis Center Ohio. NexTech has many products in the pipeline including fuel cell stacks for military and residential power applications, sensors for gas detection and control systems, catalysts for energy conversion systems, and membranes for gas separation devices.

Innovative solar lens, no need of sun tracker

最小高度の光線　solar rays at the minimum altitude of the sun
最大高度の光線 solar rays at the maximum altitude of the sun
入射面 incident face
出光面 light emitting face
前斜面 front slanted face
後斜面 back slanted face

Unique solar lens. The solar lens, while in a stationary state, condenses sun rays coming from every azimuth direction and at every elevation angle and guides them onto the solar module, and substantially halves the solar module area, when the solar lens is applied to the solar panel. Use of the solar lens eliminates the need of using the driving mechanism for turning the solar panel to trace the sun for maximum sun rays gathering.
It is said that if the solar panel is turned so that it always direct its front surface toward the sun, the amount of generated power is 2 to 3 times that generated from the solar module, which is set in stationary state.
As seen from the explanatory diagram above, the solar lens condenses sun rays coming from every azimuth direction and at every elevation angle, and emits the conensed rays from the light emitting face, which is narrower than the incident face.
Thus, the solar lens is capable of condensing sun rays coming from every azimuth direction and at every elevation angle with no aid of the sun tracker.
The solar panel incorporating the solar lens is simple in construction and cost effective, and substantially maintenance free.
The solar lenses thus constructed may be laterally arrayed to form a bar-like lens. The bar-like lens may be made of a single material, such as glass or resin. In this case, molding process may be used for forming the bar-like lens in mass production.
Applications: solar panel, optical duct for natural light, size reduction and performance improvement of ever type of solar heating system, and others.
The inventor is Motoaki Masuda. The current status of invention is in patent pending. The inventor desires to actively utilize the invention in any of the following: 1) production consignment, 2) patent licensing and 3) co-development.
The invention is currently managed by “The Risona Foundation for Small and Medium Enterprise Promotion”.
>> If any question, feel free to contact us at infonenryo@gmail.com.

SDK Develops Bipolar-Type Carbon Separators for PEFCs

Showa Denko K.K. (SDK) has developed new technologies to produce low-cost carbon separators that will increase output density of polymer electrolyte fuel cells (PEFCs). Specifically, SDK has established technologies to produce carbon separators with lower cost and lighter weight by making substantial changes in the process and raw materials. At the same time, SDK has achieved an increase of around 30% in output density compared with PEFCs made earlier by SDK on a trial basis. These technical developments have been supported by the New Energy and Industrial Technology Development Organization (NEDO). ... > Source

TOKYO GAS increases sales target number of ENEFARMs

TOKYO GAS put ENEFARMs (residential fuel cell cogenerating systems) on the market on this May. The results of sales of ENEFARMs show that the ENEFARM cogenerators have been sold in an unexpected way. The number of ENEFARMs having been sold up to now to customers having already built houses has reached the target number of sales.
The fact teaches that the customers who will reform their houses show relatively high interest in ENEFARMs. On the basis of this fact, the company decided to increase the target number of sales from 1,500 units to 2,100 units.
Before putting ENEFARMs on the market, the company predicted that it would be easy to sell ENEFARMs to customers newly building houses.
In the sales plan, the target number of sales of ENEFARMs was set at about 1,500 units a year. About 1,000 units of the target number were assigned to the customers who will build new houses.
[Copyright by FuelCell japan: http://www.fcpat-japan.com/]
Prepared based on "business i".

MAZDA approaches TOYOTA for HV key components

Yomiuri-Shimbun reported the following:
MAZDA seems to sound out TOYOTA about supply of key components of the hybrid vehicle (HV) to MAZDA.
For the HV key components, the current status of TOYOTA is that the company’s production capacity insufficiently meets the demand by TOYOTA per se.
TOYOTA launched a new model Prius (hybrid vehicle) on this May.
The number of new Prius HVs having been ordered but not yet delivered to customers is about 200,000. Further, TOYOTA has a plan to increase the number of HVs produced a year to about 1,000,000 in early 2010. TOYOTA is increasing the production capacity of manufacturing the HV’s key components of the HVs in connection with plan.
It is noteworthy how TOYOTA makes a final decision on the approach from MAZDA.
>> To learn more, contact Yomiuri-Shimbun or fcj-1XYXfuelcelljpn.com [XYX >> ＠].

SDK Develops Platinum-Substitute PEFC Catalysts with High Efficiency

Showa Denko K.K. (SDK) has developed new platinum-substitute catalysts for polymer electrolyte fuel cells (PEFCs) under the New Energy and Industrial Technology Development Organization’s (NEDO) project led by Professor Kenichiro Ota of Yokohama National University.
These new catalysts comprise a niobium-oxide-based catalyst and a titanium-oxide-based catalyst, each containing carbon and nitrogen atoms. They exhibit the world’s highest levels of efficiency in terms of open circuit voltage and durability among platinum-substitute catalysts so far announced in the world, as follows: ..... >> Source

World’s first tomographing of interior of lithium battery

A lab team, led by Professor Kawamura, in Institute of Multidisciplinary Research for Advanced Materials Tohoku University, succeeded in tomographing the interior of the lithium battery by using the MRI technique, which is widely used in medical fields. This is first in the world.

The success in tomographing the interior of the lithium ion battery enables one to detect the interior destruction and the deterioration of the lithium ion battery. This will contribute to improvement of the safeness of the lithium battery and development of the battery anti-deterioration technology.

While the medical MRI is capable of detecting hydrogen atomic nuclei (protons), it has been difficult for the MRI to detect lithium ions. The lab team succeeded in measuring MRI images of the hydrogen protons. Thus, the lab team clearly showed that the MRI technique could be used for diagnosing deterioration of the lithium battery.

NEDO is carrying out the project of developing the most-advanced electric power storage technology in use for automobiles toward commercialization of next-generation clean energy automobiles, such as plug-in hybrid vehicles, electric vehicles, and fuel cell vehicles. The project is called “Li-EAD project”.
The study by Professor Kawamura, et al has been made as part of the Li-EAD project.

>> To learn more, contact source or fcj-1XYXfuelcelljpn.com [XYX >> ＠]

ENEOS CELLTECH’s ENEFARMs, First Shipped

ENEOS made the first shipment of ENEFARMs on July 2, 2009.
A ceremony was held to celebrate the first shipment of ENEFARMs.
The representatives from ANRE and Osaka Gas were among the participants at the ceremony.

ENEOS = Nippon Oil Corporation
ENEFARM = common name representative of residential fuel cell cogenerating systems manufactured in Japan
ANRE = Agency for Natural Resources and Energy

ENEOS participated in the “Large-Scale Demonstration Test Project of Residential Fuel Cells”, which was conducted during the period from 2005 to 2008 by NEF (New Energy Foundation). A total of 1,328 ENEOS’s ENEFARMs were tested in the project.
The company begun to book the sales of ENEOS’s ENEFARMs on this May. Prospective customers having already signed agreements for purchase, including customers who are proceeding with purchase procedure, have reached about 500.
[Copyright by FuelCell japan: http://www.fcpat-japan.com/]
Preapred based on the ENEOS's news release.
Above photo　is courtesy of ENEOS
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Tokyo Gas, develop system for optimizing co-operation of ENEFARM & PV

The system to be developed controls the voltage of the solar power or PV generator without decreasing the amount of power generated by the generator in a situation where excessive power from the PV generators unexpectedly increases.

In Japan, the sales of ENEFARMs started on this May, and general homes which buy and install PV generators are soaring in number.
In this situation, those homes, which want to buy both the ENEFARM and the PV generator are not small in number.

As known, when a large amount of electric power flows into the power system (power grid system), problems will occur for sure in the power system. For example, the power system voltage rapidly increases, and the power system frequency shifts from the original one.
The PV generator has a function to automatically control the amount of generated power and to suppress the amount of electricity flowing into the power system.

Where the function operates on the excessive power generated, as the number of the PV generators increases, the amount of power generated by each PV generator is more suppressed. As a result, the amount of excessive electric power to be bought by the electric power company also decreases. Decrease of the electricity to be bought will discourage the adoption of the renewable energy generators.

To cope with the problem, Tokyo Gas proposes a new control system, which makes better use of the inverter contained in the ENEFARM for voltage control purpose.

>> More

ENEFARM = common name of every type of residential fuel cell
co-generating system manufactured in Japan.