8/31/1999  Phillips Creates New Technology That Significantly Lowers Sulfur in Gasoline - Phillips/Business Wire

The Phillips technology uses a regenerative sorbent that chemically attracts sulfur and removes it from gasoline blendstocks. Conventional technologies can result in a significant loss of octane and volume in the manufacturing process. The Phillips process, which would cost no more to implement, has little octane loss and very low volume loss. The sorbent material can be regenerated online, allowing for prolonged operating run times between shutdowns. As an additional advantage, the process consumes very little hydrogen, a scarce resource in many refineries.

8/30/1999  Praxair Starts Up Gulf Coast Hydrogen Plant to Supply Conoco Refinery - Praxair/Business Wire

Praxair supplies more than 50 refineries and petrochemical plants from its 280 miles of hydrogen pipeline networks in the Gulf Coast area. Throughout North America, Praxair delivers more than 400 million cubic feet of hydrogen each day to customers from its major hydrogen pipeline networks in the Gulf Coast; Ecorse, Mich.; and Edmonton, Alberta.

8/25/1999  Global Thermoelectric Receives Purchase Order for Next Segment of Delphi Automotive Systems Fuel Cell Project - Canada Newswire

Global Thermoelectric Inc. announced today that it has received a purchase order for the second segment of its solid oxide fuel cell project with Delphi Automotive Systems. The purchase order, worth more than $1.3 million (Cdn), will cover the next set of activities and deliverables that Global will undertake in providing selected components for Delphi's solid oxide fuel cell systems. ``We feel that it will be many years before we see a hydrogen infrastructure in place and therefore new alternatives are required today,'' said Global President and CEO Jim Perry. "The significant achievements that Global has previously announced in running stationary solid oxide fuel cells on hydrocarbon fuels make our fuel cell systems a front runner for transportation applications''. Mr. Perry also stated that "`Global is continuing to seek out strategic partners in other industries as part of our long term business strategy''.

8/24/1999  Stationary Fuel Cells on the Brink - Installed Base to Grow to $20 Billion by 2010, ABI Says - Allied Business Intelligence/PRNewswire

Substantial financial, marketing, and organizational resources are currently being devoted to fuel cell technology, driving the nascent market from approximately $40 million in 1999 to over $10 billion by 2010, according to ABI findings. ...The markets will expand into power supplies for vacation homes and cabins, remote villages and islands, telecommunications relay towers, industrial plants, military bases, and more.

8/24/1999  Energy Research Corporation and Bath Iron Works Form Partnership to Develop Fuel Cell Energy Plant for Defense Marine Applications - ERC/Business Wire

Energy Research Corporation and the Advanced Technology Division of Bath Iron Works, a General Dynamics Company have formed a partnership to develop an advanced carbonate-based fuel cell energy plant for defense marine applications. The partnership is an effort to dramatically improve ship electric power generation, also known as ship hotel power, with the development of the high efficiency Direct FuelCell (DFC(tm)) Ship Service Power Plant. "The establishment of this alliance marks the beginning of a process we believe will lead to the development of the first new power generation technology for surface ships since nuclear power was adopted for aircraft carriers," said Jerry Leitman, president and CEO of ERC. ERC, based in Danbury, Connecticut, is under contract with the U.S. Navy to develop a marine DFC energy plant using marine diesel fuels. ERC has recently demonstrated a laboratory-scale fuel treatment system that enables the DFC plant to use marine fuels while ensuring top plant performance and long life. DFC technology internally reforms carbon-based fuels, eliminating the need for external hydrogen generation characteristic of most fuel cell systems. The DFC energy plant is environmentally super-clean and very quiet.

8/18/1999  Energy Partners Announces New Company President and Plans for PEM Fuel Cell Commercialization Expansion Program

Dr. George Joy joins Energy Partners after a successful career with the U.S. Department of Commerce, AlliedSignal Inc., and UOP Inc. Joy was most recently the Chair for the PNGV (Partnership for a New Generation of Vehicles) Task Force at the Department of Commerce in Washington, D.C. He led the program management across seven Federal agencies' technical efforts and was the technical liaison with DaimlerChrysler, Ford, and General Motors. PNGV is recognized as a successful model for government and industry partnering in high risk technology developments of advanced automotive technologies. ...The company's new products will merge compact gas fuel processing units with fuel cell technology. The target manufacturing costs are $600 to $800 per kW.

8/17/1999  Northwest Power Systems Demonstrates Diesel Reformer for DOE Assistant Secretary Reicher - Northwest Power Systems/PRNewswire

"We have three years of prototype testing ahead of us," said Guggenheim. "However, this breakthrough enhances our prospects for rapid commercialization of fuel cell systems for both stationary and portable applications, worldwide. Our Year 2000 objective is to install and operate a fully-integrated PEM fuel cell system capable of generating enough grid-quality electricity for a home in rural Alaska." NPS already has developed a fuel processor that converts methanol to hydrogen. The Company also is developing kerosene, ethanol, propane and, most recently, natural gas, models that provide needed hydrogen for PEM fuel cell systems.

8/10/1999  Nissan Plans Super Ultra Low Emissions Vehicle in U.S.: Emits Fewer Emissions Than a Parked Vehicle - Nissan/PRNewswire

The SULEV version of the Sentra is expected to emit about one-fourth of the unburned hydrocarbon and one-tenth of the oxides of nitrogen (NOx) emissions of the cleanest gasoline-powered car sold now in California. Unburned hydrocarbons and NOx in combination with sunlight result in a complex set of chemical reactions which form smog. And in a major development, Nissan said the SULEV Sentra will eliminate all evaporative emissions, or the emission of raw hydrocarbon gasoline vapors given off from a vehicle's fuel system. Nissan would be the first automaker to be certified to CARB's zero evaporative emission standard. "As a point of comparison, a person will be able to drive this new 2000 model Sentra with the 1.8-liter engine 10 miles to work, return home and have the vehicle emit less than a typical new car parked in a driveway all day with its engine shut off," said Robert S. Strassburger, NNA director for government and technical affairs.

8/10/1999  Manhattan Scientifics Acquires German Fuel Cell Technology - MS/PRNewswire

The company will fund a research and development contract for NovArs, scheduled to begin September 5, 1999 by agreement with its principal owner, physicist Dr. Arthur Koschany. ...The NovArs technology and prototype was demonstrated at the Small Fuel Cell Conference held in Lucerne, Switzerland in June 1999. The NovArs technology is focused on producing a lighter weight, small stack fuel cell compared to conventional stack fuel cells. It is powered by hydrogen that operates under ambient conditions and produces power output ranging from 3 to 3,000 watts (3 KW). ..."Our NovArs team is pleased to join the Manhattan Scientifics family of scientists, engineers and business people," stated Dr. Koschany. "We recognized a great many opportunities to apply innovative fuel cell technology to the portable energy business, and we look forward to combining our skills with Manhattan Scientifics to achieve our mutual goal." NovArs has filed four patents to protect its mid-power-range fuel cell inventions.

8/10/1999  GenCorp Aerojet to Continue Developing New Propulsion System - Gencorp Aerojet/PRNewswire

The Strutjet RBCC is an advanced, hydrogen-fueled engine that combines the best elements of air-breathing and rocket propulsion. It operates initially as an air-augmented rocket as it accelerates to low supersonic speeds, transitions to ramjet operation by turning off the rockets, then converts to a scramjet as flight speed increases. The rockets are turned back on as atmospheric oxygen diminishes, then the engine transitions to a high-expansion rocket for final ascent.

8/10/1999  Energy Research Corporation Achieves Significant Life and Scale Up Milestones With Direct Fuel Cell Power Plants - ERC/Business Wire

The sub-scale stack contains ten full area (9ft²(a)) cells. It completed one year of continuous operation on April 22, 1999 and met ERC's power plant stability goal. High power density of 1kW per cell was also demonstrated after 1 year of operation.  ...The sub-scale stack was also operated with marine diesel fuel after sulfur removal. While most of ERC's efforts are aimed at natural gas as a fuel, the ability to produce electricity efficiently from liquid fuels could open up new markets for marine and Defense Department applications. ERC has been examining these applications under a Navy and a Coast Guard sponsored program. ERC's approach is to convert diesel to a methane-containing stream, which is then utilized in the fuel cell in a manner similar to a natural gas feed, thus taking advantage of all the inherent benefits of DFC(TM) technology. In addition to fuel economy, DFC(TM)'s provide survivability and superior environmental benefits in Marine and defense applications. ...In February 1999, the Company began operating a complete power plant system, which is connected to ERC's building and to the local grid. The heart of this power plant is a full-size stack that contains 340 fuel cells. As of August 8, 1999, the power plant has generated more than 650,000 kWh of grid-connected electricity during its 4,000 hours of operation. The power plant also reached maximum power of 263kW DC -- the highest ever produced in a single fuel cell stack.  ...The interface with 480V grid has worked flawlessly as designed. The balance-of-plant equipment availability has exceeded 99%. The stack has been subjected to planned and unplanned system upsets, confirming its ruggedness. Exhaust gases from the power plant are ultra-clean: nitrogen oxide was measured to be below 0.05 ppm, 1000 times lower than conventional combustion-based power plants. Sulfur dioxide was below detection limits. Since early July, the power plant has been operated in an unattended mode.

8/9/1999  Epyx Corporation Certifies Syntroleum Gas-to-Liquid Fuel for Use in Fuel Cell Power Systems - Epyx/PRNewswire

In a continuing effort to develop the next generation engine for automobiles, Epyx Corporation announced today that it has successfully demonstrated high efficiency and low emission operation of a fuel cell power system using Syntroleum synthetic fuel and a Plug Power fuel cell stack. Testing was performed under a program sponsored by the U.S. Department of Energy. "This is an important accomplishment for several reasons," states Steve Chalk, DOE Energy Conversion Team Leader. "Gas-to-Liquid technology is a great use of domestic natural gas, and light distillate fuels show the promise of high efficiency while preserving the ability to use the current fueling infrastructure. Further, the same fuels could be used for both fuel cell and internal combustion power systems." "Although our fuel processor can operate on conventional gasoline, the Syntroleum gas-to-liquids fuel would allow Epyx to design a much more compact fuel processor," said Jeffrey Bentley, Epyx Chief Operating Officer. "... Since synthetic fuels do not contain sulfur, we could remove the sulfur cleanup step from our process which translates to lower volume, mass, and cost," Bentley added.

8/6/1999  Ballard Pushes on with Plans Despite Losses by Simon Avery - Financial Post (Canada)

"Ballard remains in a strong financial position with more than $411-million of cash on hand," Michael Graydon, the chief financial officer, said during an analyst conference call yesterday. The Burnaby, B.C.-based company is using part of that stash to construct its first manufacturing plant, which should be completed by the fall, Ballard president Layle Smith said on the call. The 110,000 square-foot pilot facility will begin producing fuel cells for a variety of purposes, including automobiles and stationary generators, in 2000, Mr. Smith said. Ballard has been on a hiring spree lately, adding 108 new staff, or nearly 20%, to its ranks, mainly in the area of manufacturing development. "We are in a position to assume market lealeadership as soon as the markets emerge," said Ballard chairman and chief executive Firoz Rasul.

8/3/1999  Ballard Acquires Additional Direct Methanol Fuel Cell Intellectual Property Rights - Ballard/Business Wire

Ballard Power Systems announced today receipt of a worldwide, non-exclusive license to direct methanol fuel cell (DMFC) intellectual property from the California Institute of Technology (Caltech) and the University of Southern California (USC) through DTI Energy, Inc. which holds exclusive licensing rights to the intellectual property. The license is based on technology developed at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory of Caltech and the Loker Hydrocarbon Research Institute at USC. Ballard also acquired the right to sublicense the intellectual property to its alliance members under certain conditions. In a DMFC, methanol is fed directly into the proton exchange membrane (PEM) fuel cell as the fuel, rather than passing first through a fuel processor in which it is converted into a hydrogen-containing fuel stream. The resulting benefits are a less complex PEM fuel cell system and lower volume, lower weight and ultimately, lower cost.

8/2/1999  Proton Energy Systems Announces Successful Testing of Reversible PEM Fuel Cell - Proton/Business Wire

Proton Energy Systems announced today that it has successfully tested its Proton Exchange Membrane Unitized Regenerative Fuel Cell (PEM URFC) Energy Storage System at the company's facilities in Rocky Hill, CT. The PEM URFC, developed with the support of EPRI, the collaborative science and technology development organization for the power industry, has achieved performance above expectations equaling that of separate fuel cells and electrolyzers.    

7/26/1999  BOC Gases to Construct Hydrogen Plant At BP Amoco Refinery in Australia - BOC/PRNewswire

The new facility, which will consist of an air separation plant producing 840 tons (750 tonnes) per day of oxygen, nitrogen and argon, an 87 tons (78 tonnes) per day hydrogen plant using partial oxidation technology, and utilities supply, will provide industrial gases to BP Amoco as well as BOC's growing Queensland customer base. ...According to Dick Grant, chief executive of BOC Process Systems, the Queensland project is one of several large, integrated projects that BOC is developing for its customers around the world. "...We are currently constructing two very different projects for BP Amoco -- one in Australia, the other for BP Chemical in Ohio, where we are constructing plants to deliver a 12.7 million standard cubic feet per day (mmscfd) of hydrogen and 20,000 lb/hr of high-pressure steam..." "The current upgrade underway at BP's Bulwer Island Refinery will deliver ultra low sulphur fuels to the growing Queensland market well in advance of Australian regulations," said Kevin James, General Manager of the BP Bulwer Island Refinery. "BOC's willingness to work in partnership with us to provide cost-effective hydrogen and oxygen supplies to the refinery has been critical to the economic viability of the entire Queensland Clean Fuels Project." ...A leading supplier of on-site hydrogen supply schemes, BOC Gases has been awarded a dozen hydrogen contracts around the world in recent years with a total capacity of 150 mmscfd. In addition to Queensland and Ohio, other recent BOC Gases hydrogen plants include a 50 mmscfd steam methane reformer (SMR) for PDVSA, a Venezuelan oil refiner; an 8 mmscfd SMR for Petrox, a Chilean oil refiner; as well as hydrogen plants for Weirton Steel and Nucor Steel in the U.S.

7/22/1999  Global Thermoelectric Successfully Runs Fuel Cell System Directly on Natural Gas - GLE/Canadian Newswire

Using an integral reformer, the system produced over 800 watts from a stack of twenty 10 x 10cm. cells. An integral reformer is a device incorporated directly into the hot area of the stack, where it converts natural gas into a stream of hydrogen and other gases that are fuel for the cells.

7/19/1999  Northwest Power Systems Buys DCH Technology Fuel Cell System - Northwest Power Systems/PRNewswire

The purchase is the most recent in a series made by NPS from a growing list of fuel cell manufacturers, including De Nora, S.p.A., Milan, Italy, with which NPS has a long-term fuel cell supply agreement. "This purchase from DCH Technology is strategic to the integration of our proprietary fuel processor with fuel cells from as many different manufacturers as possible," said Alan Guggenheim, president of  Northwest PowerSystems. "Our objective is to test approximately 25 small-scale, experimental prototype fuel cell systems the next 12 months, and more than 150 the next three years. We expect a dozen fuel cell manufacturers to participate in the program," he said.  ...The DCH Technology unit will operate on methanol. ...NPS's fuel cell systems, rated 2.5 kilowatts to 3.5 kilowatts, are targeted for stationary and portable applications. NPS's largest customers for experimental prototype fuel processors and fully integrated fuel cell systems include the Bonneville Power Administration, an agency of theU.S. Department of Energy (DoE), and Sandia National Laboratories, a prime contractor to DoE. BPA will field-test NPS's fuel cell systems under along-term, $3.5 million purchase order contract for delivery of 110 fuel cellunits between 1999 and 2003.

7/15/1999  Shell Hydrogen and Energy Conversion Devices Sign MoU - ECD/PRNewswire

Don Huberts, chief executive officer of Shell Hydrogen, commented: "This collaboration with ECD is a significant additional option to bringing fuel cell powered clean cars onto the road from 2004 onwards. Obviously, we are already working in projects looking at onboard gasoline fuel cells and this new project will run in parallel with these to widen the spectrum of available fuelling options." Initial commercial development will start immediately at ECD and a system prototype is targeted by 2001. Shell Hydrogen believes that hydrogen is the ideal fuel for fuel cell powered vehicles; the challenges of onboard storage and retail infrastructure will have to be met.

7/15/1999  Northwest Power Systems Develops Diesel Fuel Processor - NPS/PRNewswire

Northwest Power previously demonstrated a kerosene fuel processor for Arctic applications. Both the diesel and kerosene fuel processors will be automated and tested this fall with fuel cells that NPS purchases from independent manufacturers. "Our longer-term objective is to complete all field testing of a series of fully-integrated fuel cell systems for residential applications in rural Alaska in the year 2000," said Guggenheim. "Diesel is a bonus for us and Sandia because of the widespread distribution of this fuel in Alaska and elsewhere." The successful diesel fuel processor demonstration culminated a week-long effort in which the Company produced hydrogen from kerosene, bio-diesel, petroleum diesel and a proprietary nonflammable liquid feedstock in a single fuel processor. The fuel processor is a proprietary design that incorporates hydrogen purification as part of the fuel processor. The product hydrogen from all four of the test fuels was greater than 99.8% pure with less than one part per million (ppm) of carbon monoxide and less than one ppm of carbon dioxide. These contaminants can poison a PEM fuel cell irreversibly.

7/13/1999  ZeTek Power, Ltd. Announces Improved Fuel Cell Technology At Lower Costs - ZeTek/Business Wire

ZeTek Power, Ltd. announced today the development of a new power catalyst for fuel cells based on cobalt, which significantly improves fuel cell technology while reducing their cost. Cobalt replaces platinum as a power catalyst, freeing fuel cells from the high cost and limited availability of the precious metal. As a result, cobalt will allow unlimited production at a lower cost. The catalyst, developed by university research departments in the U.S. and France and funded jointly by ZeTek Power, Ltd. and the European Commission, is the first time a non-noble metal catalyst has been used as a principle power producer in fuel cells, which is considered an important energy source for the next century. Nicholas Abson, Chief Executive Officer of ZeTek Power, Ltd. said, "This critical breakthrough means we can deliver commercially realistic clean power to everything from vehicles to homes and businesses, from black cabs to Venice water taxis. It is a marvelous breakthrough offering real hope for a clean environment at great savings."

7/13/1999  Shell and Siemens to Develop Emission–Free Fuel–Cell Power Plant - Siemens

The power plant concept combines the high–temperature SOFC (Solid Oxide Fuel Cell) developed by Siemens Westinghouse in cooperation with the U.S. Department of Energy with the carbon dioxide sequestration (removal) technology being developed by Shell. The plant will virtually eliminate the release of greenhouse gases. The advanced SOFC units will only produce water and pure carbon dioxide (CO₂) in addition to electricity. The CO₂ will be injected into depleted oil and gas reservoirs, where it will remain permanently 'sequestered,' replacing the hydrocarbons that had previously been trapped naturally underground for millions of years.

7/8/1999  Metallic Power Partners With Textron; New Zinc/Air Fuel Cells Create Energy Solutions For Non-Road Utility Vehicles - Metallic Power/Business Wire

The Metallic Power System consists of zinc/air fuel cells and a zinc regeneration/recycling "vending" machine. The fuel cell, operating on-board the vehicle, generates electricity when zinc combines with oxygen from the air in the presence of an electrolyte to form zinc oxide, a safe white powder commonly used in skin creams and sunblock. The separate regeneration unit converts the zinc oxide back into fresh zinc, which is then recombined with the electrolyte to be reused as fresh "fuel." " It's an entirely closed-loop system -- with nothing to add, nothing to discard and nothing wasted," said [Dr. Jeff] Colborn, [chief executive officer of Metallic Power and developer of the fuel system]. "The completely safe fuel cell has three times the energy efficiency of a gasoline engine, and it reuses its zinc and electrolyte over and over." Versus lead/acid battery powered equipment, Metallic Power's zinc/air fuel cell system can reduce operations costs dramatically: Fewer batteries are needed, there's less vehicle downtime, better productivity, less maintenance. Zinc, one of the Earth's most common elements, offers four to seven times more energy per pound than traditional batteries and is recycled in the regenerator. Metallic Power's fuel cells require no cool-down time and can remain maintenance free for up to ten years even in extreme weather conditions. Overall cost of ownership can be comparable to or lower than gasoline powered equipment.

7/8/1999  Ocean Power and Zevco Agree To JV - Ocean Power/PRNewswire

In keeping with Ocean Power's primary focus on modular seawater desalination and power plants, this MOU provides for the formation of a Joint Venture (JV) with exclusive, worldwide rights for the application of Zevco fuel cells to Ocean Power's integrated plants. The two companies will develop definitive agreements overrate next 90 days governing issues of performance, technology transfer and royalty structure. ...Joseph P. Maceda, President of Ocean Power, said "Desalination is the ideal application for fuel cells. It has the ability to use both the waste heat and product water, but none of the size, weight, or performance constraints of the transport market. The integration of fuel cells into desalination systems holds the hope of being able to consider the ocean as a primary source of drinking water."

7/7/1999  Electricity Storage Breakthrough Gives Global Technological Leadership - National Power (UK)

National Power today announced that it has successfully developed a new electricity storage technology - Regenesys - which could change the way power systems of the future are planned and operated. Regenesys is the product of British scientific and engineering innovation. National Power has built on this research and achieved significant technical breakthroughs. The electro-chemical process, which operates like a giant rechargeable battery, has the potential to deliver commercial, operational and environmental benefits for electricity suppliers worldwide. It stores electricity when demand and costs are low and releases it when demand and prices are high, removing the need to call up more expensive power plants. The system - which can deliver power instantly - can therefore assist demand planning, improve the use of power station assets so that less capacity is needed, enhance operational control and give customers greater security of delivery. It will also offer lower lifetime costs than conventional storage. ...Following successful trials of a Regenesys pilot plant at National Power's Aberthaw power station in South Wales, the company has developed plans to build its first full scale commercial plant at Didcot in Oxfordshire. The Didcot facility would be the largest commercial electricity storage plant of its kind in the world, with a storage capacity of 120MWh - enough electricity to supply around 10,000 domestic consumers for a day.

7/6/1999  Ballard Receives Order from Yamaha for Fuel Cells - Ballard/Business Wire

Ballard Power Systems announced today that it has secured a $365,000 contract (US$250,000) from Yamaha Motor Co., Ltd. of Shizuoka, Japan, to supply Ballard(R) fuel cells, related equipment and support services. Yamaha will use the Ballard fuel cells in their research and development program for evaluation and development of fuel cell powered products.

7/2/1999  RWE Energie Builds Demonstration Plant Which is Uunique in Europe - RWE Energie AG (Essen, Germany)

An international consortium under the leadership of RWE Energie is going to build a fuel cell plant in cooperation with Siemens/Westinghouse. A corresponding decision on the awarding of the contract has now been taken. The forward-pointing demonstration project with a capacity of 300 kilowatts and a connected gas turbine for electricity generation is the first of its kind in Europe. A comparable SOFC plant (Solid Oxide Fuel Cell) is presently being built in California. A 1 megawatt project is being realised by another European consortium. The first plant with 300 kW is to be built in North Rhine Westfalia at RWE Energie in 2000; the second plant is to be completed by 2002.  The organisations involved expect such fuel cell plants to be marketable for decentralized electricity generation within the next 10 years.

7/1/1999  Rentech and Thermal Conversion Corp Receive $175,000 from the DOE For The Joint Demonstration Project - Rentech/TCC/PRNewswire

The original two phase, Joint Demonstration Project (JDP) was established in September of 1998, to evaluate the use of the TCC plasma technology which uses a proprietary high-power, induction-coupled plasma torch and high-temperature reactors to convert natural gas into a tailored synthesis gas, suitable for use by Rentech's Gas-To-Liquids (GTL) process. Synthesis gas, a mixture of carbon monoxide (CO) and hydrogen (H2) is the intermediate step for the conversion of carbon bearing materials to liquid hydrocarbon for all GTL processes.