FuelCellsWorks

UltraCell is seeking $1 million from the Ohio Third Frontier program to make a new fuel cell system in Dayton.

The company seeks the money to move production of its XX55 fuel cell from California to UltraCell’s plant near Dayton International Airport.

If the company wins the grant and wins fuel cell orders from the Air Force, it could mean demand for 7,00 to 1,500 fuel cells systems in the next 24 months — and 50 jobs in Dayton, said Keith Scott, chief executive for the Livermore, Calif.-based company.

The move is in response to what Scott believes is new demand from the Air Force, in two projects managed by the Air Force Research Laboratory, headquartered at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base.

“We spend a lot of time at Wright-Patterson, and it’s not hard for us to do it, because we’re right here,” he said Thursday, Nov. 5.

A base spokesman could not be immediately reached.

In May 2009, UltraCell announced a round of funding by investors toward making the company’s Dayton facility “the first and only volume-production micro fuel cell facility in North America.”

“We’re building 100 percent of the XX25 (fuel cell systems) here in Dayton,” Scott said. “We also have transferred almost the entire supply chain from California and other places to Ohio.”

The company has 12 employees in Dayton and 40 suppliers in Ohio, he said. He declined to say how many XX25s per week are built here.

Fuel cells convert hydrogen and oxygen into water, producing electricity to power laptops or communication equipment for days, well past a battery’s normal lifespan.

In the past two years, UltraCell has tested fuel cells in field trials with the military. In particular, in Afghanistan, soldiers can be isolated for as many as two to four days — time spent without a power source to recharge batteries, Scott said.

Said Scott, “A fuel cell is the perfect battery charger. It’s essentially a mini-generator.”

A fuel cell that recharges batteries can mean longer missions. Scott believes the XX55 can be used to run equipment directly and to recharge batteries.

The goal with a Third Frontier grant is to take the XX55 — today built in small volumes in California — and to shift manufacturing to Ohio, he said.

Fuel cell equipment manufacturers will be able to more efficiently test the performance of fuel cell electrodes through new technology developed by a Purdue Research Park-based company.

The Powerstat test station, launched Wednesday (Nov. 4) by NuVant Systems Inc., can evaluate key components of proton exchange fuel cell electrodes. NuVant is based in the Purdue Research Park of Northwest Indiana’s Purdue Technology Center.

The Powerstat evaluates membrane electrode assembly (MEA) components, including the polymer membrane that is located between the fuel cell positive and negative electrodes. The Powerstat increases fuel cell testing efficiency by providing current up to 18 amps along with options to control temperature and reactant flow rates.

Eugene Smotkin, founder and CEO of NuVant Systems, explained the function of the MEA in a fuel cell.

“The MEA, a polymer electrolyte sandwiched between electrocatalytic layers, is the heart of the fuel cell,” Smotkin said. “The MEA separates the hydrogen on one side from the oxygen on the other. When a hydrogen molecule is split into two protons and two electrons, the protons pass through the MEA and the electrons provide useful electricity. The protons and electrons then combine with the oxygen on the other side of the membrane to produce water. If an MEA is not functioning properly, the fuel cell voltage and current will decrease.”

Smotkin said Powerstat was created by NuVant Systems to address a performance drawback in products that evaluate MEAs. In contrast to traditional load units, the Powerstat can provide power required for testing one electrode layer separately from the other.

“Proper evaluation of a fuel cell’s MEA requires single-cell fuel cells properly paired with electronic instrumentation,” he said. “For every square centimeter of active fuel cell electrode area, the instrumentation must deliver at least one amp at voltages up to 0.8 volts. The Powerstat pairs with larger 5- to 10-square centimeter single-cell fuel cells and packs a higher maximum current of 18 amps.”

Smotkin says the Powerstat may accelerate research required for consumer acceptance of fuel cells.

“Acceptance of fuel cells can be bolstered by significant improvements in MEA performance and pricing,” he said. “Additionally, entirely new MEA structures are now in demand as developers pursue non-platinum based fuel cell catalysts.”

Powerstat and other NuVant Systems fuel cell products can be purchased on the products page of the company’s Web site at http://www.nuvant.com/

About NuVant Systems Inc.

NuVant Systems develops and integrates catalysts and electrolytes for stationary and portable fuel cell electrode assemblies. NuVant has pending patents for inorganic fuel cell electrolytes operating between 250-400 degrees Celsius. NuVant’s patented high-throughput characterization instrument, the Arraystat System, provides a competitive edge by enabling precise, accurate parallel evaluation of electrode assembly components and fabrication methods under fuel cell conditions. The Arraystat also will benefit the electrochemical energy storage, electro-synthesis and the electrochemical sensor industries through direct sales or R&D partnering.

About Purdue Research Park of Northwest Indiana

The Purdue Research Park of Northwest Indiana sits on 386 acres west of I-65 in Merrillville. This laboratory and office facility serves as the anchor for the state-certified technology park – Ameriplex at the Crossroads – under development by Purdue Research Foundation and Holladay Properties. The 48,000-square-foot Purdue Technology Center of Northwest Indiana is slated to expand to 60,000 square feet in 2010. It opened as Purdue’s first satellite technology center in January 2005 and currently serves 24 technology-based tenants. Employment within the center currently numbers approximately 100, including researchers with advanced degrees, recent college graduates and interns.

• BASF to focus competencies at BASF Fuel Cell Inc. in Somerset, New Jersey, USA
• BASF Fuel Cell GmbH site in Frankfurt, Germany to be closed
• 43 positions in Frankfurt to be eliminated

Ludwigshafen , Germany – November 5, 2009 – BASF is realigning its business for the fuel cell market. In the future, competencies for the production of high-temperature membrane electrode assemblies (MEAs) will be concentrated in Somerset, New Jersey. Operational activities at the BASF Fuel Cell GmbH site in Frankfurt, Germany, will be discontinued effective December 31, 2009. BASF plans to close the Frankfurt site in the course of 2010.

At the Somerset site, BASF Fuel Cell produces both high-temperature MEAs and important pre-products such as electrodes. Thus, Somerset is the only site that covers the entire production process for MEAs.

“In addition to integrated production, the Somerset site offers us the advantage of being closer to our customers and to key future markets, such as fuel cells for residential combined heat and power systems”, said Stefano Pigozzi, head of BASF’s Inorganics division to which BASF Fuel Cell belongs. “We are strengthening our overall competitiveness by concentrating the competencies of the two sites.”

The restructuring will result in the loss of 43 positions in Frankfurt. “We will work closely with the employee representatives to find socially responsible solutions for the employees,” said Dr. Horst-Tore Land, CEO of BASF Fuel Cell GmbH in Frankfurt.

In addition to the activities in Frankfurt and Somerset, BASF has operated a laboratory in Yokkaichi, Japan, since May 2008. This laboratory is responsible for the application-specific support of local customers.

BASF is one of the leading suppliers for conventional fuel cell components. In an MEA – the heart of the fuel cell – hydrogen and air react to form water, simultaneously generating electrical power and heat. BASF markets MEAs under the brand name Celtec^® and enables the fuel cell industry to meet the current and growing challenges of future energy supply.

ERRILLVILLE, Ind. – Fuel cell equipment manufacturers will be able to more efficiently test the performance of fuel cell electrodes through new technology developed by a Purdue Research Park-based company.

The Powerstat test station, launched Wednesday (Nov. 4) by NuVant Systems Inc., can evaluate key components of proton exchange fuel cell electrodes. NuVant is based in the Purdue Research Park of Northwest Indiana’s Purdue Technology Center.
The Powerstat evaluates membrane electrode assembly (MEA) components, including the polymer membrane that is located between the fuel cell positive and negative electrodes. The Powerstat increases fuel cell testing efficiency by providing current up to 18 amps along with options to control temperature and reactant flow rates.

Eugene Smotkin, founder and CEO of NuVant Systems, explained the function of the MEA in a fuel cell.

“The MEA, a polymer electrolyte sandwiched between electrocatalytic layers, is the heart of the fuel cell,” Smotkin said. “The MEA separates the hydrogen on one side from the oxygen on the other. When a hydrogen molecule is split into two protons and two electrons, the protons pass through the MEA and the electrons provide useful electricity. The protons and electrons then combine with the oxygen on the other side of the membrane to produce water. If an MEA is not functioning properly, the fuel cell voltage and current will decrease.”

Smotkin said Powerstat was created by NuVant Systems to address a performance drawback in products that evaluate MEAs. In contrast to traditional load units, the Powerstat can provide power required for testing one electrode layer separately from the other.

“Proper evaluation of a fuel cell’s MEA requires single-cell fuel cells properly paired with electronic instrumentation,” he said. “For every square centimeter of active fuel cell electrode area, the instrumentation must deliver at least one amp at voltages up to 0.8 volts. The Powerstat pairs with larger 5- to 10-square centimeter single-cell fuel cells and packs a higher maximum current of 18 amps.”

Smotkin says the Powerstat may accelerate research required for consumer acceptance of fuel cells.

“Acceptance of fuel cells can be bolstered by significant improvements in MEA performance and pricing,” he said. “Additionally, entirely new MEA structures are now in demand as developers pursue non-platinum based fuel cell catalysts.”

About NuVant Systems Inc.

NuVant Systems develops and integrates catalysts and electrolytes for stationary and portable fuel cell electrode assemblies. NuVant has pending patents for inorganic fuel cell electrolytes operating between 250-400 degrees Celsius. NuVant’s patented high-throughput characterization instrument, the Arraystat System, provides a competitive edge by enabling precise, accurate parallel evaluation of electrode assembly components and fabrication methods under fuel cell conditions. The Arraystat also will benefit the electrochemical energy storage, electro-synthesis and the electrochemical sensor industries through direct sales or R&D partnering.

About Purdue Research Park of Northwest Indiana

The Purdue Research Park of Northwest Indiana sits on 386 acres west of I-65 in Merrillville. This laboratory and office facility serves as the anchor for the state-certified technology park – Ameriplex at the Crossroads – under development by Purdue Research Foundation and Holladay Properties. The 48,000-square-foot Purdue Technology Center of Northwest Indiana is slated to expand to 60,000 square feet in 2010. It opened as Purdue’s first satellite technology center in January 2005 and currently serves 24 technology-based tenants. Employment within the center currently numbers approximately 100, including researchers with advanced degrees, recent college graduates and interns.