Coleman To Sell Portable Fuel Cell Generator

HobbySpacer writes " Popular Science reports that Coleman Powermate will soon start selling a small portable fuel cell power supply. The AirGen Fuel Cell Generator provides 1.2kW for up to 10 hours on a bottle of pure hydrogen. Interestingly, the company had to set up its own distribution system to insure it could deliver a refill anyplace in the US within 2 days. The unit, built by Ballard, goes for a pricey $8k but perhaps worth it if an indoor emergency backup is needed. Fuel cells can also be found for sale at the Fuel Cell Store and Greenvolt. Perhaps the hydrogen economy is closer than most people thought."

Comments

Picture...

[Eminence]

Picture of the device can be seen on the Popular Science's website here.

Re:hm... explosive?

[TraceProgram]

The Hindenburg blew up not because of the hydrogen, but because of the paint used. It was a mixture that very closely resembled aircraft fuel and was highly explosive. The hydrogen would not have exploded anyways. If ignite hydrogen it goes up almost like a puff and then its gone. Very limited reaction. More on this here http://www.ttcorp.com/nha/advocate/ad22zepp.htm. Yeah the site is done by the National Hydrogen Association, but this a very well excepted explination of what happened.

Here is another link from PBS
http://www.pbs.org/wnet/secrets/html/e3-menu.htm l

Expensive fuel

[cooldev]

The main problem with hydrogen is that it takes a lot more energy to produce and store than it generates. Electrolysis is especially inefficient and you end up polluting anyway (power plant) so it's not clean energy. The story also left out an important detail:

. . . the company is confident a $100 refill could be delivered anywhere in the United States within two days.

And I thought laptop batteries were expensive. At $8,000 + $100 for each 10 hours to power just a few pieces of equipment we'll all be riding Segways long before this is practical for every day use.

Re:Canister Shelf Life?

[Technician]

Actualy I can give a shot at answering this one. You are correct in assuming hydrogen is difficult to store. The lighter a gas is, the faster it can seep through a fault in a container or a gas permiable material. A container that can contain CO2 for years, may lose all it's hydrogen in a very short time. Heilum is much heavier than hydrogen and much safer (I know it's not a fuel. It's used for leak detection because it's inhert) even though heavier than Hydrogen. Heilum is used for rapid "leak detection" in high vac systems because it can quickly find it's way in the smallest and slowest of leaks. Presence of the gas is sensed at the vac pump and almost gives a leak indication in real time when some heilum is blowen onto a faulty joint or seal. Many materials pass hydrogen readly like many plastic bottles pass water and many household chemicals. You can tell these older bottles on the shelf in the store as they start to collapse due to the product passing out through the plastic container. Seals and gaskets for hydrogen use are special. This is why soda pop and bottled water is put in Poly Ethylene Terephthalate PET plastic containers instead of regular Poly Ethelene PE, High Density Poly Ethylene HDPE, or Poly Propolene PPE plastic containers. The other plastics will not hold the CO2 very long. The PET container is designed to not pass CO2 so your favorite soft drink does not go flat on the shelf. This is why your heilum balloons will go flat much sooner than the same ones filled with air or CO2. Mylar is even better.

Then generate your own or buy knock-offs

[horza]

The $100 within 2 days anywhere in US is a premium service. There is nothing to stop you buying an electrolysis kit, some solar panels, and generating your own. Or find a local supplier that will provide cheap bottles of hydrogen. After all, any local business can buy a hydrogen generator. Alternatively you can buy an all-in-one solution the regenerative fuel cell.

Interesting items from the DOE hydrogen faq:

How much energy is required to produce hydrogen via electrolysis of water?

"The energy required to produce hydrogen via electrolysis (assuming 1.23 V) is about 32.9 kW-hr/kg. [...] For commercial electrolysis systems that operate at about 1 A/cm2, a voltage of 1.75 V is required. This translates into about 46.8 kW-hr/kg, which corresponds to an energy efficiency of 70%.

"Most of the hydrogen produced today is consumed on site, such as at an oil refinery, and is not sold on the market. From large-scale production, hydrogen costs $0.32/lb if it is consumed on site. When hydrogen is sold on the market, the cost of liquefying the hydrogen and transporting it to the user must be added to the production cost. This can increase the selling price to $1.00-1.40/lb for delivered liquid hydrogen. Some users who require relatively small amounts of very pure hydrogen (such as the electronics industry) may use electrolyzers to produce high-purity hydrogen at their facilities. The cost of this hydrogen, which depends on the cost of the electricity used to split the water, is typically $1.00-$2.00/lb."

My fuel cell Segway will leave your old battery model at the lights.

Phillip.
http://www.FutureEnergies.com/