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Fuel-Cell Power With Methanol

Posted by timothy on from the what-about-moonshine-power dept.

foaty writes: "It has been reported that Japanese electronics companies have developed prototypes for fuel-cell batteries that can power the smallest of electronic devices for long periods of time, and they only need refueling, not recharging! See the article at FutureEnergies.com." That article links to this piece at ZDNet; what's interesting is that instead of hydrogen, this article talks instead mostly about methanol-based fuel cells.

5 of 221 comments (clear)

  1. Safety? by north.coaster · · Score: 2, Interesting
    The big question is whether a device such as this is safe. In particular, is there any risk of an explosion? Would the world aviation regulatory agencies such as the FAA approve these for use on commercial airplanes?

    With all of the current concern about bombs and the like, this seems like it might be a big hurdle.

    /Don

  2. Re:Methanol? How many will the Japanese blind? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Interesting

    Cadmiun safe? Cadmiun is Extremly Toxic.
    Ni-Cad bateries are banned in most of Europe. Eruope is big on rechargable batteries. Most governments there require battery companies to advertise rechargables. It takes a very good reason to get a type of rechargable battery banned in Europe.
    http://pearl1.lanl.gov/periodic/elements/48.html
    ...

  3. Re:Nanotechnology? [NMOs] by caesar-auf-nihil · · Score: 3, Interesting

    The nanotechnology they are referring to is commericial technology that isn't really nanotechnology, unless you count the structure of the solid phase metal oxide catalyst nanotechnology. I'm guessing they're referring to the size of the metal oxide which does all the chemical work of converting the methanol to hydrogen and CO2. If so, then they're using NMOs (Nanoscale Metal Oxides) as catalysts, and this technology has been around for quite awhile and is in use today. Technically, NMOs are "nanotechnology" in that the active structure is nanoscale sized. But its not the type of nanotechnology most people think of.

    The fuel cells mentioned are probably based on technology that came out of Los Alamos about 4-5 years ago. It used a ceramic support for the NMOs (cerium oxide I think) to convert the methanol into hydrogen and CO2. The hydrogen then gets "burned" to generate energy and water. Again, this isn't blue sky stuff, it exists now.

    Interestingly, water-based fuel cells can work as well. Some prototypes exist, but they're solar powered and the catalysts which breaks the water down into hydrogen and oxygen don't have a lot of catalytic cycles before they die. Also, they're VERY expensive, which is the big reason why they're not being used, even if they have great potential use.

    --
    -When going for broke, go for Ithaca!
  4. "gas stations" for batteries? by Quixote · · Score: 4, Interesting


    How long before we'll have vending machines dishing out fully-charged batteries (and accepting your discharged ones in return, only to charge them and put them back in circulation) ? Just an idea...

  5. Industrial use of Fuel Cells... by Zenjive · · Score: 3, Interesting

    Does anyone know if it would be possible to use fuel cells in place of large diesel enigines?

    For example: Locomotive engines use a giant diesel engine to power a generator, the generator in turn powers electric motors that turn the wheels. If you replaced the diesel engine with a shit-load of fuel cells, you lose the weight of the engine and generator and have no emissions, but would there be sufficient torque to pull several thousand tons of rail cars?

    Another use would be for industrial UPS's or maybe even larger fuel cell plants to supply residential electricity.

    Would any of this be practical?

    --


    A vacuum is a hell of a lot better than some of the stuff that nature replaces it with. - Tennessee Williams