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FuelCellWorks News Highlights

Source:Jay Wrolstad, Wireless.NewsFactor.com 

In its current configuration, the direct methanol fuel cell (DMFC) delivers from 12 to 20 watts of power and provides up to five hours of notebook PC operation with a single cartridge of fuel. Commercial availability is slated for next year.

Engineering Challenges Met

Energy cells using liquid fuels, such as methanol, hydrogen or ethanol, are recognized as cleaner and stronger alternatives to lithium-ion batteries in laptops, phones and PDAs. The challenges for engineers have been to make them smaller and to enable more efficient fuel delivery.

To address such concerns, Toshiba has developed a system that uses the water produced as a by-product of the power-generation process to dilute the methanol to the concentration required for the chemical reaction that generates energy.

Thus, the methanol is stored at a much higher concentration and requires a fuel tank one-tenth the size of those containing already-diluted fuel. This, in turn, makes the fuel cells -- which are attached to the laptop or other device -- much more practical. In addition, Toshiba said it has miniaturized other fuel cell components, such as the interface, electric circuits and sensors.

The fuel cell is compatible with lithium-ion batteries and can connect to portable devices in the same way they do, but it is still larger than integrated batteries.

Applications for Handhelds

Advanced capabilities of notebook PCs, cell phones, PDAs and other portable devices require faster procesors, higher-resolution displays and wireless connectivity -- all of which increase the demands on power supplies and underscore the limitations of current lithium-ion batteries.

The Toshiba methanol fuel cell could have applications for handheld mobile devices. "It is still too large for cell phones and PDAs," said Sara Bradford, an analyst with Frost & Sullivan, "but research in recent years by Toshiba and others has created fuel cells that are getting smaller and smaller," she told NewsFactor.

Among the major players in the micro fuel cell market are Energy Related Devices, a subsidiary of Manhattan Scientific, MicroFuel Cells and Mechanical Technologies. These companies are ahead of major electronics manufacturers -- such as Motorola (NYSE: MOT) , Samsung, Toshiba, Casio and Sony (NYSE: SNE)  -- that also are researching fuel cells for phones, PDAs, laptop PCs and other mobile devices.

From Small to Micro

By 2008, Frost & Sullivan predicts, some 3 percent of mobile telecommunications devices, or 2 million units, will be powered by fuel cells. Mobile phones will be targeted as consumers seek more battery life to handle such power-draining 3G  applications as color screens, imaging, games and Web downloads.

The battery-life issue has to be addressed to meet the power-consumption needs of advanced mobile chips. Users eventually will demand more power on the processor side to support more comprehensive applications accessed on mobile devices, according to Gartner vice president Ken Dulaney.

For the foreseeable future, he told NewsFactor, the quest for power is likely to proceed about as fast as Moore's Law, which postulates that the data density of integrated computer circuits is likely to double every 18 months.

"Users can expect new features at the pace of Moore's Law, with about two days of battery life -- like on cell phones -- for the next five years," Dulaney predicted. 
 

TOKYO--(BUSINESS WIRE)--March 4, 2003--Toshiba Corporation today announced the world's first prototype
of a small form factor direct methanol fuel cell (DMFC) for portable PCs, a clean energy breakthrough with the
potential to end reliance on rechargeable batteries. The new fuel cell currently realizes average output of 12W
and maximum output of 20W, and can achieve approximately five hours of operation with a single cartridge of
fuel. It provides instant power supply, and achieves significant advances in operating times with replaceable
methanol cartridges.
    
Toshiba will present the DMFC at CeBIT in Hannover, Germany from March 12 to 19.
    
The hardware capabilities of notebook PCs, cellular phones, PDAs and other portable devices continue to make
rapid progress, However, faster CPUs, higher resolution displays, wireless connectivity and other advances all
increase the demands on power supply and underline the limitations of current lithium-ion batteries.
    
Fuel cells are widely seen as a replacement for lithium-ion batteries, but companies working on their
development have to overcome the problems of miniaturization and fuel delivery. Toshiba has achieved this with
its DMFC.
    
Methanol in a fuel cell delivers power most efficiently when it is mixed with water in a 3 to 6% methanol
concentration--a concentration requiring a fuel tank that is much too large for use with portable equipment.
Toshiba overcame this by developing a system that allows a higher concentration of methanol to be diluted by
the water produced as a by-product of the power generation process. This technology allows methanol to be
stored at a much higher concentration, and achieves a fuel tank less than 1/10 the size of that required for
storing the same volume of methanol in a 3 to 6% concentration. The current prototype can operate for
approximately five hours on 50cc of high concentration methanol.
    
Alongside this, Toshiba realized essential technologies for miniaturization of a high performance fuel cell.
These include interface and electric circuits to assure efficient control of power supply; sensors to monitor
methanol concentration and liquid level; and a remaining quantity sensor to tell users when they need to change
the methanol fuel cartridge. All these components, and low power liquid and air transmission pumps, are
controlled by a super small DC-DC converter.
    
For the cell itself, Toshiba developed a new material that allows smaller cells, allowing for miniaturization of
the cell stacks.
    
One of Toshiba's main concerns in developing the DFMC was optimized operating efficiency, to assure that the
fuel cell generates power at the required level, with minimal waste of energy. Towards this, the company
investigated such factors as fuel density and circulation, and air supply levels, all in order to map the best
operating conditions for a miniaturized fuel cell. In addition, the PC sends information on its operating status to
the fuel cell in order to balance power demand and supply. Any unused energy is stored in the DMFC and can be
drawn on when the PC requires extra power.
    
Toshiba has given the DMFC the same electrodes as found in lithium-ion batteries, allowing it to connect
directly to a PC or other portable device in the same way as an lithium-ion battery. It can also be used as an
alternative to lithium-ion batteries. The DMFC removes the need for proximity to a mains power supply to assure
long operating times.
    
Toshiba will continue development of DFMC technology, with the aim of product commercialization within
2004. The current DMFC will be on display at Toshiba's booth at CeBIT, in Hall 1 6h2.
 
 

Main Specifications

Product:            Methanol fuel cell directly connected to the PC
Output:             Average 12W
                    Maximum 20W
Voltage:            11V
Size:               275 x 75 x 40mm (825cc)
Weight:             900g
Operating hours:    Approximately five hours with 50cc, and 10 hours
                     with 100cc, of high concentration methanol fuel
Cartridge weight:   120g (100cc), 72g (50cc) (Approximate)
Cartridge size:     100cc: 50 x 65 x 35mm   50cc: 33x 65 x35mm
Fuel:               Methanol