New Energies, new possibilities

DOE awards Cummins $7M for work on H2 fuel cell viability in transportation sector

On-site power giant Cummins received two federal awards totaling nearly $7 million for its research into the viability of hydrogen fuel-cell powertrain solutions.

The U.S. Department of Energy’s Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy tabbed Cummins to help lead projects in the DOE’s H2@Scale initiative to develop affordable hydrogen production, storage, distribution and use. The company’s work with public and private partners focused on fuel-cell powertrains for heavy-study applications including on-highway tractor-trailers and buses.

“Programs like “H2@Scale” are essential to gain the scale and investment needed that will lead to faster adoption of hydrogen fuel cell technologies,” said Amy Davis, President New Power, Cummins Inc. “The work we are doing with the DOE and our partners will help improve cost and operational performance of hydrogen fuel cell technologies to achieve greater parity with other available power solutions. We are looking forward to moving this technology forward and bringing additional hydrogen products to our customers.”

The first award for approximately $3.5 million is for the development of an integrated fuel cell electric powertrain for heavy-duty trucks and transit buses with operational performance and total cost of ownership that supports near-term, rapid, and substantial penetration of the truck and bus market. This includes development of a solution that is highly manufacturable and scalable with a proven range of 300 miles or more and improved fuel economy over current heavy-duty trucks and transit buses.

Other objectives include achieving, meeting or exceeding conventional diesel powertrain performance requirements and reducing the upfront capital costs by 35 percent to make the adoption of zero-emission fuel cell technologies viable for commercial fleets.

See more PE’s coverage on hydrogen!

The second award for $3 million is to develop and validate a high pressure, modular, 100 kW proton exchange membrane (PEM) fuel cell stack and system to power heavy-duty applications. The objective is to optimize the fuel cell stack for efficiency, power density, space and cost for operation at or above 100°C that can achieve a minimum operating time of 25,000 hours and achieve $80/kW in volume production, which is necessary to make the stacks economically viable in the U.S. The fuel cell stack components will be developed and prototyped in the U.S. to encourage continued investment in this technology and increase scalability.

Cummins’ New Power segment, which combines the company’s investments in electrified powertrains, fuel cells and hydrogen production technology, completed its first full year in 2019. Last year, Cummins acquired Canada-based Hydrogenics Corp., which provides fuel cell and hydrogen production technologies, for about $290 million.

Indiana-based Cummins is one of several traditional gas or diesel-fueled generation firms globally increasing their stake in a potential hydrogen future. The gas must be created from the electrolysis process, but hydrogen does not emit carbon dioxide when burnt, unlike coal or natural gas.

Mitsubishi Hitachi Power Systems, MAN Energy Solutions and Siemens are among those firms working on hydrogen powered solutions at both utility and distribution scale.

https://fuelcellsworks.com/news/cummins-adds-to-its-fuel-cell-leadership-receives-two-us-department-of-energy-awards-for-hydrogen-fuel-cell-powertrains/

Industry attendees at a recent Riviera webinar on hybrid and electric propulsion uptake said they expect to see widespread adoption of hybrid electric power systems in shipping within the next five years

The poll result came from the ’Business Case for Hybrid and Electric Technology in Asia’ webinar, part of Riviera Maritime Media’s Maritime Hybrid, Electric and Fuel Cells Webinar Week. The webinar series was supported by Navtek Naval Technologies, maritime technology provider ABB Marine & Ports and class society ABS.

Panellists included ABB Marine & Ports research and development manager Ricky Chan, ABS senior principal engineer Lui Chih Wei, and Navtek Naval Technologies general manager Ferhat Acuner.

ABB Marine & Ports is at the forefront of developing this technology. In a statement of intent for the sector, Mr Chan said, “At ABB, we believe the next generation of vessels will be electric, digital and connected.”

He noted that the shortsea sector was particularly suited to using electric vessels powered via batteries, fuel cells or a combination of these technologies. The digital side of the technology uses sensors and cameras to update the digitalised information flow to the captain, crew and the operator ashore.

This near-term outlook of electric vessels includes a degree of automation. The connectivity will include the human element although the decision making will be supported by powerful computers running artificial intelligence and algorithms. “Humans will remain at the centre of the operations, to oversee and give commands when needed,” said Mr Chan.

A key point in the ABB Marine & Ports view of the near future is a dramatic reduction in emissions through using electric power via batteries storing electricity generated from renewable sources. Mr Chan noted, “A pure electric vessel is simpler compared to its diesel counterpart, it is more efficient, more flexible in terms of equipment layout and arrangements. For instance, electric ships do not need the lubrication and fuel tanks in the same magnitude as a diesel powered ship. Vessel designs will be more optimised towards the purpose they are serving.”

This was a point reflected in Mr Lui’s presentation. He illustrated the solutions available with two case studies: Seacor Maya and Harvey Energy. The retrofit installation of lithium batteries to the OSV Seacor Maya relied on ABS’ involvement. The conversion of Seacor Maya secured a nomination in the 2019 Hybrid Power & Propulsion Award. Dual-fuel engines and modular batteries are key features of Harvey Energy.

Mr Lui noted, “Using all-electric vessels for the shortsea sector is the ‘low-hanging fruit’. Firstly, it is technically feasible, secondly, being close to shore is close to its support network,” he said. The advantage of the switch to an all-electric vessel is immediately visible in a port in Asia from reduced pollution and better air quality.

Navtek Naval Technologies has developed a range of zero-emissions electric tugs, the Zeetug series. Mr Acuner said, “As far as I am aware, this is the most powerful all-electric tug boat with approximately 2,000 Kw of electric power with two electric motors on board.”

As a totally electric vessel, the Zeetug is estimated to save 210 tonnes of CO2 and 9 tonnes of NOx per year compared to the equivalent traditional tug boat, according to Navtek. The all-electric tug draws all its power from two 1,450-kW lithium-ion battery packs supplied by Corvus Energy. For safety, the tug has two redundant battery rooms, one fore and one aft, maintained at a constant temperature by a cooling system.

Navtek’s experience with all-electric tugs highlights one of the aspects touched on by Mr Chan: the all-electric vessel should be custom designed to optimise the operational benefit. “For this particular project, we (Navtek) studied five tugboats and their operations from five years of data to create an operational profile,” said Mr Acuner. The four key operational aspects were: How often does the tug operate? How long is each operational period? What is the typical distance sailed? What are the power requirements for each operational period?

Polls

Polls taken during the webinar clearly showed the high degree of interest among delegates in adopting hybrid or electric power. Some 65% of respondents said they agreed with the statement “the industry will see wide-spread adoption of hybrid electric power systems in the medium term (5 years from now).

But cost is the main issue. The main factor stopping embarking on hybrid-electric power systems was capital expenditure costs (75%) and doubts on the efficacy of the technology (18%) although crew training and safety concerns were also an issue.

The drivers behind a move to adopting hybrid electric systems were a reduction in emissions (32%) and operational cost savings (25%). There was also some interest (10%) in government incentives with the remaining delegate votes focused on the new technology aspect.

Key takeaways

Mr Chan: “One of my key takeaway points from the presentation is that to realise this vision of zero-emissions shipping is that we need to work together. We need to look at the ecosystem in a holistic manner. That means from a technology provider, infrastructure, regulation and class. This includes government bodies as well as people from the operational perspective.”

Mr Lui: “We know that certain operational efficiencies and technologies will get shipping past IMO 2030. To meet IMO 2050 will require alternative fuel and some kind of decarbonisation technology which does not exist yet. However, going forward hybrid and electric power will have a big part to play, regardless of the direction the industry might take.

Mr Acuner: “The near future is very strong on electric power systems. Many ships will be of a rechargeable electric nature sooner than many people expect. Vessel and port operators should give priority to considering rechargeable electric facilities, energy storage facilities and so on. Engineering companies will play a vital role in this process.”

You can view the webinar, in full, in our webinar library.

And you can sign up to attend our upcoming webinars on our events page.

https://www.rivieramm.com/news-content-hub/high-expectation-of-medium-term-adoption-of-hybrid-and-electric-propulsion-60420

Bosch's contribution to the energy transition: Decentralized and environmentally friendly power generation

• Future-oriented: electricity production at Wernau plant with three fuel cell units based on SOFC technology
• Flexible: operation with hydrogen, biogas or natural gas possible
• Tailor-made: reliable and scalable small power plants from Bosch production

Bosch is opening a new chapter in the energy transition: At the Bosch training center in Wernau, Germany, a fuel cell pilot installation based on SOFC technology, short for Solid Oxide Fuel Cell, is launched. The system consists of three fuel cell devices for stationary applications, which supplement the existing power supply of Wernau plant in a CO2-saving manner and drive the further development of these decentralized energy system

Franz Untersteller, Baden-Württemberg's State Minister for the Environment, Climate, and Energy, Andreas Schwarz, Member of the Baden-Württemberg Parliament, and Armin Elbl, mayor of Wernau, were among those who accepted Bosch Thermotechnology’s invitation to attend the official inauguration ceremony.
"As you see, Bosch has recognized the enormous economic potential associated with hydrogen and fuel cell technology, both in the mobility sector and in the field of stationary energy supply. And that's not all: With hydrogen, the economic prospects complement the ecological benefits wonderfully. This technology is a key technology for climate protection," explained Franz Untersteller during the event.

Fuel cell devices from Bosch with a wide range of applications

The development of these novel fuel cell systems was only made possible by close cooperation between the Bosch Corporate Research, Powertrain Solutions, and Thermotechnology divisions. Further SOFC pilot installations for testing and validation are located at the Bosch sites in Bamberg, Homburg, Renningen, and Schwieberdingen. Demonstration facilities are also planned in Stuttgart-Feuerbach and Salzgitter.

From 2020, the Bosch Group locations worldwide will no longer leave a CO2 footprint. The further development of the solid oxide fuel cell as an efficient and sustainable energy system also plays an important role in this respect, reports Uwe Glock, chairman of the board of management of Bosch Thermotechnology: "The energy transition can only succeed if we invest in sustainable, renewable energies over the long term. For Bosch, the highly efficient fuel cell is therefore an important contribution to the reliability of supply and flexibility of the energy system of the future.”

Focus on CO2 reduction: Operation with hydrogen, eco/biogas or natural gas

With the recently adopted hydrogen strategy of the Federal Government, hydrogen will become an important energy carrier of the future.

The SOFC fuel cell can be operated flexibly with hydrogen, eco/biogas, or natural gas: "The gradual switch to hydrogen as an energy carrier over the next few years makes the stationary fuel cell particularly future-proof in terms of achieving climate targets," explains Dr. Wilfried Kölscheid, head of the Solid Oxide Fuel Cell project at Bosch.

Compared to the electricity mix in Germany, a SOFC fuel cell system saves up to 40 percent in CO2 emissions, even when operated with natural gas. If the fuel cell is operated with hydrogen or ecogas, there are no direct CO2 emissions at all. A single SOFC unit with a power output of 10 kW can cover the annual electricity demand of more than 20 four-person households. At Wernau plant, this means that the energy requirements of an industrial building within the plant can be almost completely covered by the three fuel cell units.

"With the SOFC pilot installation in Wernau, Bosch is demonstrating that a reliable, environmentally friendly and flexible energy supply can be guaranteed decentrally by systems such as the fuel cell," reports Uwe Glock. "The installation underlines our efforts to drive forward the energy transition and the associated mitigation of climate change in all energy and heating solutions from Bosch," adds Wilfried Kölscheid.

SOFC devices with an overall efficiency of more than 85 percent

In a purely electrochemical process, oxygen ions pass through a thin ceramic electrolyte from an anode to the cathode in the SOFC fuel cell, where they react with hydrogen to form water. This produces electricity with an efficiency of more than 60 percent. The additional heat generated can be used to supply heating and hot water systems via a heat exchanger. With this dual use, an overall efficiency of more than 85 percent is achieved for SOFC devices.

Tags: fuel cell, climate action, Wasserstoff

More information

Technical Contact:
Dr. Markus Ohnmacht M/PJ-SOFC
Telefon: +49 711 811-30926

Journalist Contact:
Anne Kaletsch TT/COM
+49 6441 418 1797

https://www.bosch-presse.de/pressportal/de/en/bosch-eroeffnet-wasserstofffaehige-brennstoffzellen-pilotanlage-am-standort-wernau-214400.html

ブラザー工業は2020年7月6日、瑞穂工場（名古屋市）の敷地に自社開発の燃料電池「BFC4-5000-DC380V」を設置し、稼働を開始したと発表した。電気とともに発生した熱を、食堂やオフィスなどが入る第14工場に供給する。

設置した燃料電池システム（クリックで拡大） 出典：ブラザー工業

　出力4.4kWのBFC4-5000-DCは、2018年に販売を開始。水素と空気中の酸素を反応させて電気を生み出し、水だけを排出する。環境に配慮したシステムとなっており、高い安全性と安定性を備え、IoT（モノのインターネット）にも対応する。

燃料電池システムの仕組み（クリックで拡大） 出典：ブラザー工業

　現在は非常用電源として活用されているが、電気の他に熱も生み出すことから、将来的にはコージェネレーションシステムとしての利用が想定される。今回の設置はそうした用途拡大に向け、自社内で発電、発熱状況のデータを取得することを目的とする。システムの稼働により4.4kWの電気に加え、4.5kW相当の熱も発生させ、1日8時間の稼働で最大70kWhのエネルギーを供給する。

第14工場（クリックで拡大） 出典：ブラザー工業

https://monoist.atmarkit.co.jp/mn/articles/2008/04/news018.html