Overview of Fuel Cells

Session One: Suitability of Fuel Cell Technology for Electricity Utility Standby Power Applications
Session One:
Suitability of Fuel Cell Technology for Electricity Utility
Standby Power Applications
By Thomas Jacobs
IARC, Distribution Technology, Eskom
Abstract
This paper provides an overview of fuel cell technology in terms of its history, operation,
applications and the benefits of the proton exchange membrane fuel cell versus vented
lead acid batteries. Life cycle costing comparisons between vented lead acid batteries and
proton exchange membrane fuel cells indicates definite benefits and shows that lower
power PEM fuel cells can compete as an alternative energy storage device in Distribution
and Transmission substations. Preliminary test results of a proton exchange membrane
fuel cell installation, under trial at a telecommunication repeater site, have been
encouraging and are also discussed.
Introduction
Standby power systems are used in substations and telecommunication repeater sites for
the provision of DC power to load equipment during primary power supply failure
conditions. The standby power system is critical due to the fact that without it the
protection, telecontrol and telecommunication equipment cannot perform their functions
to protect and control plant; and to alarm personnel. The traditional standby power
system consists of power electronic conversion equipment (battery charger / rectifier) and
a chemical energy storage device. The energy storage devices that are employed in
Eskom are Nickel Cadmium and Lead Acid batteries. These batteries have proved to be
very reliable, but also have its physical limitations.
Over the past decade, the energy storage technology field has advanced at a phenomenal
pace to meet the demand of the 21st century power hungry equipment, especially in the
telecommunications industry. A general trend in energy storage device technologies is
that these devices have become smarter in the sense that they control their own
wellbeing. Examples are the lithium-ion batteries, lithium-polymer batteries, vanadium
redox battery and fuel cells that have embedded management systems that ensure that the
devices are optimally operated.
Nowadays companies evaluate new technologies from technical, economical and
environmental impact viewpoints, before they become a part of the basket of accepted
technologies. Eskom is actively researching new technologies that can support the
company in improving its performance in achieving set targets without jeopardizing
reliability and quality of supply to the customer. The many benefits offered by fuel cell
technology over other contemporary energy storage technologies prompted Eskom to
investigate the feasibility of this technology in the electricity utility environment.
Emergency Power Supplies Conference 2005 IDC Technologies
The first fuel cell was developed by Sir William Grove in England in 1839. His
experiments during this time on electrolysis the use of electricity to split water into
hydrogen and oxygen led to the first mention of a device that would later be termed
the fuel cell. The first practical fuel cell was built in 1889 by Ludwig Mond and Charles
Langer. The internal combustion engine boom in the 1900s diverted research away from
fuel cell technologies. During the 1960s alkaline fuel cell systems were used by NASA
for their space programs and later (1970s) fuel cell systems were developed for earth
systems. 1980 saw great interest by utilities and automobile manufacturers to test fuel
cells and Ballard produced the first marketable fuel cell-powered vehicle in 1993
[1][3][12].
Over the last decade various companies have entered the fuel cell market and a lot of
research and development has been conducted to make the technology better, affordable
and safe for use by various industry sectors.
A fuel cell is an electrochemical energy conversion device that converts the chemicals
hydrogen and oxygen (usually directly from the air) into water, and in the process it
produces electricity and heat. Both batteries and fuel cells are electrochemical devices.
As such, both have a positively charged anode, a negatively charged cathode and an ionconducting material called an electrolyte. The fuel cell construction consists of a fuel
electrode (anode) and an oxidant electrode (cathode) separated by an ion-conducting
membrane (the electrolyte). As shown in
Figure 1, when hydrogen gas is introduced into the system, the catalyst surface (usually
platinum) of the proton exchange membrane splits hydrogen gas molecules into protons
and electrons. The protons pass through the membrane and the electrons through the
electrical circuit creating the source of DC electricity. The electrons and protons react
with oxygen in the air on the cathode side of the fuel cell and forms water. The charge
carrier is the ion that passes through the electrolyte, and for several types of fuel cells, the
charge carrier is a hydrogen ion, H+, which is simply a single proton. The charge carrier
differs between different types of fuel cells [1].
The individual fuel cells can then be combined into a fuel cell stack. The number of fuel
cells in the stack determines the total voltage, and the surface area of each cell determines
the total current. Multiplying the voltage by the current yields the total electrical power
generated.
Figure 1: A diagram showing the operation of a fuel cell [1]
The chemical reactions at the anode and cathode in a proton exchange membrane (PEM)
fuel cell are shown in
Table 1.
Electrode
Anode
Cathode
Overall net
reaction
Reactions
2H2
O2 + 4H+ +
4e2H2 + O2
4H+ + 4e2H2O + heat

2H2O + heat
Table 1: Reactions for the PEM fuel cell [1]
Fuel cells versus batteries

The fuel cell is an electro-chemical device and therefore behaves in principle similar to a
battery. Unlike a battery, a fuel cell does not run flat or require recharging and much like
a generator it will produce electricity and heat as long as fuel and an oxidizer are
supplied. However, unlike a diesel generator, no combustion takes place and therefore no
harmful pollutants are produced resulting in the supply of green energy.
Fuel cells are classified by their electrolyte material and several fuel cell types are being
developed for small (consumer electronics) to very large (several Megawatts) power
applications. The five major types of fuel cells include the alkaline fuel cell (AFC), PEM
fuel cell, phosphoric-acid fuel cell (PAFC), molten-carbonate fuel cell (MCFC) and the
solid-oxide fuel cell (SOFC) of which the different attributes are indicated in Table 2.
The PEM fuel cell is sometimes also referred to as the polymer-electrolyte membrane
fuel cell.
Electrolyte
(Fuel cell)
Polymerelectrolyte
membrane
(PEMFC)
Operating
temperature
[C]
Advantages
Disadvantages
60 100
Highest power density

Compact and lightweight
Reduced corrosion and
electrolyte management
problems solid
electrolyte not sensitive
to orientation
Rapid start-up time and
rapid power output change
Relatively expensive
catalysts required
(Platinum)
High sensitivity to fuel
impurities on hydrogen
feed
90 100
High power density

Cheapest to manufacture
Quick start-up time
Phosphoric
acid (PAFC)
175 200
High quality waste heat

(for co-generation
applications)
Demonstrated long life
Simple construction
Molten
carbonate
(MCFC)
600 1000

Inexpensive catalysts
Tolerant to fuel impurities
Alkaline
(AFC)
Solid Oxide
(SOFC)
600 1000

Inexpensive catalysts
Tolerant to fuel impurities
Solid electrolyte
Highest operating
efficiency
High sensitivity to fuel

impurities
Intolerant to CO2
Need both pure
hydrogen and oxygen
feeds
Relatively expensive
catalysts required
Relatively low power
density
Long start-up time
High temperature
enhances corrosion and
breakdown of all cell
components
Relatively low power
density
High temperature
enhances corrosion and
breakdown of all cell
components
Sealing of stacks
Long start-up time
Table 2: Major types of fuel cells and their key attributes [1][3]
Perry [2] states that the hydrocarbon-based membranes used during early developments
have been replaced with the more stable perfluorosulfonic-acid (PFSA) membranes such
as the Nafion membrane developed by DuPont in the early 1960s. Perry [2] further states
that research conducted by LaConti, et al. suggested that PFSA membranes have
demonstrated over 100 000 hrs of operation in water electrolysers and 60 000 hrs of life
in laboratory fuel cell stacks. Billings [5] have indicated that the PEM fuel cells are a
viable alternative for valve regulated lead acid batteries used for the provision of backup
power for digital loop carrier systems. Based on the long life expectancy, rapid start-up
and other benefits indicated in Table 2, Eskom has selected the PEM fuel cell as the fuel
cell technology of choice, to be evaluated. Another reason for the selection of the PEM
fuel cell technology is the local technical support offered by IST Telecom for the Plug
Power PEM fuel cell products.
The following are critical criteria for stationary applications at Eskom substations, power
stations and telecommunication sites:
High level of reliability this is one of the most important criteria because the
energy storage device needs to be able to deliver power when required in order for the
control plant to protect the power plant which represents a major capital investment.
High life expectancy ideally the energy storage device should last well beyond its
expected design life which reduces refurbishments costs.
Cost of ownership the cost of ownership (lifecycle costs) should be as low as
possible and compare favourably with existing employed technologies. It includes the
initial capital expenditure and operational expenditures during the lifetime of the
equipment.
Installation, commissioning and maintenance these activities should not require
the need for highly skilled individuals and the use of expensive and sophisticated
test/maintenance equipment. The installation and commissioning of the equipment
must be quick and easy with the required maintenance been few and far between.
Robust design the energy storage device should be robust from both physical and
technical (performance) points of views. In the former case it should be able to
withstand minor impacts due to handling and transportation and in the latter case it
should be resilient against environmental influences like ambient temperature, air
quality (pollution) and ripple components from rectifier equipment.
Operational performance the energy storage device should be able to delivering
long duration low level discharges with good load following capabilities. Quick short
duration discharges are normally required by the operating of high voltage equipment.
The performance should be unaffected by ambient temperature and be maintained
during the equipment life. The number of discharge cycles is not a major criterion for
substation applications due to the reliability of the power network with very little
interruptions at a substation per year. However for solar applications it is one of the
most important criteria.
Safe to operate safety relates to the wellbeing of both the personnel and the
environment during operation of the equipment.
In general new technologies are evaluated in terms of financial, technical and
environmental benefits. Each of these benefits will be further evaluated.
Financial benefits
Financial benefits relate to the cost of ownership/life cycle costs (LCC) of employing a
technology in the network/system. By performing life cycle costing the various cost items
for the equipment over its expected life time is used to get a picture of what the
equipments cost of ownership would be. This process takes the capital expenditure
(CAPEX) and operational expenditure (OPEX) into account over the equipment life
[17][18].
The assumptions for the evaluation of the two technologies are shown in Table 3.
Item
Expected life (unit) [yrs]

Expected life (part) [yrs]
1st line maintenance frequency
[times/yr]
2nd line maintenance frequency
[times/yr]
Other cycle maintenance [yrs]
Installation [hrs]
Commissioning [hrs]
1st line maintenance [hrs]
2nd line maintenance [hrs]
Other cycle maintenance [hrs]
Training [hrs]
Vented lead
acid battery
Fuel cell
12
---
12
3 2)
5 1)
32
64
1
2
12
8
3 2)
16
8
1
2
4
8
Notes:
1) Battery discharge (capacity) test
2) Internal battery, coolant, cathode air filter and converter air filter replacements
Labour rate = R250/hr, Transport costs = R5/kg, Disposal costs = R5/kg, Civil costs =
R2750/m2
48V system = 24 cells and 110V system = 52 cells
Table 3: Assumptions for the LCC calculations
Figure 2 indicates that the lifecycle costs for a vented lead acid battery installation versus
a PEM fuel cell installation breaks even at between 256384 Ah and 8581070 Ah
respectively for a 48 V installation and a 110 V installation. The main cost contributors
for vented lead acid batteries are the expensive battery room, transport costs due to
heavier lead acid battery, disposal costs and initial costs for installation and
commissioning for a vented lead acid battery which is about 3 times more than that for a
fuel cell. The vented lead acid battery capacities used in Distribution are typically 200 Ah
whereas at the telecommunications sites it is normally >1000 Ah. From (Figure 2) it is
evident that the 5 kW fuel cell system is currently too expensive to compete with the
vented lead acid batteries used in the Distribution substations however it can compete at
Telecommunication sites. The LCC comparison graph (Figure 2) also shows that there is
a definite need for smaller power (0.52 kW) PEM fuel cells to make the technology
more competitive with vented lead acid batteries for substation applications.
20 Year LCC comparison

6.0
R 700,000.00
R 600,000.00
5.0
R 500,000.00
110V system
breakeven point
Cost
R 400,000.00
3.0
R 300,000.00
Power [kW]
4.0
2.0
R 200,000.00
48V system
breakeven point
1.0
R 100,000.00
R 0.00
96
128
160
192
256
384
608
672
858
1070
1284
0.0
1391
C10 Capacity [Ah]

Total VLA 20 year LCC - 48V (24 cells)
Total VLA 20 year LCC - 110V (52 cells)
Total FC 20 year LCC
VLA Power [kW]
Figure 2: LCC comparisons of vented lead acid battery vs 5 kW GenCore PEM fuel cell
Environmental benefits
The fuel cell contains and emits no environmentally harmful components or emissions
during operation and at disposal.
Technical benefits
The technical comparisons between PEM fuel cells and vented lead acid batteries are
listed in Table 4 [6][7][14][15].
Criteria
Energy-power
dependency
Degradation of
electrodes
Temperature
sensitivity
State-of-health
assessment
Output voltage
stability
Recharge time
Maintenance
requirements
Vented lead acid battery

Combined energy-power
sections.
Increase in standby time for
same power requirement
necessitates the connection of
a parallel battery or
replacement with a bigger
battery.
Electrodes are corroded as
soon as it comes in contact
with the electrolyte.
Electrodes are used up during
charge-discharge cycles.
Range of -10 C to 40 C.
Battery life halved for every
10 C above rated
temperature.
Specific gravity and cell
voltages.
Battery monitoring equipment
expensive.
Battery discharge / capacity
tests.
Voltage reduces and current
increases as battery discharge.
Thicker cables to
accommodate higher
discharge currents.
Recharging of batteries can
take several hours.
Diesel generators used to
provide extended runtime.
Frequent topping up of
electrolyte and battery
inspections required.
Long duration (5 hr) discharge
tests
PEM fuel cell

Energy and power sections are
independent.
Increase in standby time for same
power requirement accomplished
by adding more hydrogen
cylinders.
Electrodes do not take part in the
reactions but merely serve as
substrate for efficient reactions
and therefore the stack
performance is literally
unaffected.
Fuel cell is idle for most of the
time.
Range of -40 C to 46 C.
The operating temperature is
controlled to optimize
performance.
User friendly graphical user
interface.
Can be done remotely via
modem.
Quick and real-time assessment.
Constant output voltage.
Thinner cables can be used.
Quick replenishment of hydrogen

cylinders.
No need for diesel generators.
Yearly inspection and three
yearly replacements of internal
batteries, coolant and air filters.
Table 4: Technical comparison between vented lead acid batteries and PEM fuel cells
Disadvantages
Fuel cylinders are heavy and present a safety hazard during replacements.
Production, transportation, distribution and storage of hydrogen present many
challenges.
The reliability of the system depends on one stack and one DC-DC converter no
n+1 redundancy for the standalone fuel cell systems.
If one cell in the stack is faulty, then the whole stack must be replaced. Stack
replacement can be very costly.
Fuel cell still requires an internal battery (lead acid) to provide ride-through power
during start-up.
Contamination of the proton exchange membrane by pollutants in the air. 99.95%
pure hydrogen is required.
There are many safety concerns around the handling of hydrogen.
Expensive components in PEM fuel cells include the platinum electro-catalyst and
proton exchange membrane.
Commercially available PEM fuel cells

Fuel Cells 2000 [9] reported that there are more than 2000 fuel cell installations all over
the world. Most of the installations are test and demonstration sites. There are more than
40 fuel cell companies that compete for a share of the stationary standby power market.
Better known fuel cell companies include Plug Power [10], ReliOn [11] Ballard [12], and
Intelligent Energy [13].
The GenCore 5T fuel cell system
The GenCore 5T fuel cell system from Plug Power and locally available through IST
Telecom is been evaluated by Eskom. The GenCore 5T fuel cell system is a hydrogenfuelled back-up DC power generator with a net power output of 5 kW. The standard
product has a negative 48 V nominal output voltage and the application is for the
provision of back-up power for telecommunications equipment. The GenCore 5S fuel cell
system is available for 110 V applications.
Construction and operation
The GencoreTM 5T fuel cell system is designed for outdoor installation and consists of a
standard power generation module (PGM) and an optional hydrogen storage module
(HSM). The PGM may be operated independently using an external hydrogen supply or
can be operated using the HSM. The HSM Module is a self-contained unit that houses 6
hydrogen cylinders and provides all the required pressure regulation equipment and
valves. The fuel cell system is fully automated and requires no manual intervention for
normal operations. The controls automatically power up and enter the standby mode,
once the DC power (internal or external) is applied to the system. Figure 3 shows photos
of the power generation module (left) and the power generation module with the fuel
storage module (right). [10][14][16]
Power generation
module
Hydrogen storage
module
DC-DC Converter
Cell scanner card
PEM Stack
Sensor wiring
Fuel Connection
Figure 3: Photos of the GenCore 5T fuel cell with fuel storage module [16]
A block diagram of the operation is shown in Figure 4. Under normal conditions

(standby mode), no fuel is being consumed by the fuel cell, because the power required to
keep the internal battery charged and provide power to the fuel cell control circuits are
provided by an external rectifier system which also supplies power to the load equipment.
The fuel cell control circuit monitors the DC bus voltage and the output current from the
internal batteries. The fuel cell system enters the running mode whenever the rectifiers
are not operational (AC fail condition or rectifier failure) and the DC bus voltage drops
below the set nominal voltage by more than 2 V (adjustable) or if a significant amount of
current is drawn from the internal batteries. The internal battery of the fuel cell is used to
provide ride-through power while the fuel starts up and eventually takes over the load.
Another function of the internal battery is for the provision of power for short duration
power surges. The start-up period takes about 1520 s.
External rectifier
system
Fuel Cell System

H2
Internal
DC Bus
External rectifier
system
AC
Main
DC-DC Converter
Fuel Cell System
Load
Equipment
H2
Internal
DC Bus
AC
Main
DC-DC Converter
Load
Equipment
External
DC Bus
External
DC Bus
Auxiliary
DC-DC
Converter
Auxiliary
DC-DC
Converter
Internal
Battery
Normal operation (Fuel cell in standby mode)
Internal
Battery
Fuel cell startup from internal battery
Abnormal operation (Fuel cell in running mode)
Figure 4: Gencore 5T fuel cell system block diagram
10
Battery voltage
Battery current
QPS / load current
(1)
(3)
(4)
(2)
Figure 5: GenCore 5T fuel cell startup test measurements and sequence
In Figure 5 the laboratory measurements of the startup test and the test sequence are
shown. The numbered arrows in indicate the following charge-discharge profile:
QPS charging the fuel cell system at 200 W.
QPS discharging the fuel cell system at 700 W.
QPS charging the fuel cell system at 200 W.
QPS discharging the fuel cell system at 700 W.
Note:
The QPS is a 10kW static power converter, the QPS-10-P-S [8], is used to interface the
energy storage device under test with the AC distribution grid. It has bi-directional power
conversion ability and is therefore used to both charge (rectifying AC-DC) and discharge
(inverting DC-AC) the energy storage devices. During discharge the QPS acts as a load
unit and pumps the discharged power back into the power network, thereby saving on
electricity.
During the first (1) phase the internal battery of the fuel cell system is being charged by
the QPS and auxiliary power provided to the fuel cell control system. The battery current
(Ch 2) drops close to 0A as the battery reaches a fully charged state and the QPS current
(Ch 6) follows suit and later only provides the auxiliary power current (<2 A) to the fuel
cell control system.
In the second (2) phase the fuel cell system is discharged at 700 W and the battery current
and voltage drops considerably to supply this demand. As shown in Figure 6, the battery
voltage drops by 9.58 V. The drop in voltage of more than 2 V and the current drain from
the battery triggers the fuel cell system to start up. As shown in Figure 6, the battery
current stops to drop after about 10s. It is evident that the current drawn from the battery
is larger than the required load current, because the battery supplies current to the load
and the fuel cell internal components during start up. It takes the fuel cell about 15.5 s to
take over the load fully (the battery current drops to 0A). During the third (3) phase the
11
fuel cell system is being charged again at 200 W by the QPS. While the fuel cell system
is still running, the fourth (4) phase is initiated whereby the fuel cell system is again
discharged at 700 W. From Figure 6 it is evident that there is no current drawn from the
battery as the fuel cell system takes over the load immediately.
Battery voltage
Battery current
QPS / load
current
V = 9.58V
T = 15.5s
T = 10s
48.60V
Figure 6: Enlarged version of the fuel cell startup period
During the running mode, the fuel cell system opens the hydrogen inlet solenoid valve
and the fuel cell exports power to maintain the DC bus voltage at the nominal voltage
setpoint with an offset variation. As the load current requirement changes, the fuel cell
adjusts its current output to match that. The fuel cell system goes into current limit if the
required load current exceeds the maximum fuel cell system output current and the
internal battery will source the extra load current. During this period the battery voltage
and DC bus voltage will drop as the battery discharges and the fuel cell system will
shutdown if the bus voltage drops below the DC-DC converter minimum operating
voltage of approximately 39 V. The fuel cell system will then have to be manually reset.
The fuel cell control system monitors various critical parameters and initiate alarms for
low fuel conditions and other critical system conditions. The different operating modes
are indicated with a LED at the rear of the fuel cell system with different colour and
flashing modes to indicate the applicable operating mode. [14][15][19]
The control and monitoring of the fuel cell system is done via the proprietary service
interface software which is installed on the users laptop or PC. A serial cable (straight) is
connected to the laptop or PCs RS232 port and the RS232 port of the fuel cell system
control card. The fuel cell system control card has an onboard data storage facility where
it stores the last 30 days statistical data and the last 30 system events. Whenever the
service interface software communicates with the fuel cell system, service log files are
created on the users laptop or PC. The fuel cell can also be accessed remotely via a
modem. [19]
The trial site
The GenCore 5T fuel cell system has been installed at a trial site in the Western Cape
where it will be evaluated over a period of one year. During the trial period the different
12
aspects around installation, commissioning, operational performance, safety and

maintenance of the fuel cell system will be evaluated.
The site (Hawekwasberg) is located on one of the Limietberg mountain range peaks
(altitude ~1350 m) and has access control (lock with limited / controlled key issues). It is
also close to Paarl which makes the replenishment of fuel (hydrogen cylinders) easy.
Another reason why the site was selected is the extreme weather conditions experienced
(snow during winter and very hot summers). Figure 7 shows a photo of the installation.
Figure 7: GenCore 5T fuel cell system at Hawekwasberg repeater site
Original site DC system

The GenCore 5T fuel cell system has been integrated with the original DC system in
order to minimise the risk of losing power to the load equipment in the unfortunate event
of the fuel cell system not starting up successfully. Figure 8 shows the original site DC
system consisting of four battery chargers (SCR type) and two vented lead acid battery
banks connected in a dual redundant configuration via diode combiner circuits to the load
equipment. This configuration ensures that at least two battery chargers and batteries are
available at any one time.
BC 1A
DC
DB A
BC 2A
LOAD A
30A
2x48V/200A
BM1
1819Ah
BC 1B
DC
DB B
BC 2B
LOAD B
25A
2x48V/200A
NOTE: The system is (+) earthed
BM2
1819Ah
Legend:
BC - Battery Charger
BM - Battery Main
DC DB - DC Distribution Board
Figure 8: Block diagram of original Hawekwasberg DC system

13
The load equipment consists of UHF radio, VHF radio, microwave equipment and
bandwith management equipment.
Fuel cell system integration
The following conditions had to be met for the duration of the evaluation:
The main objective is to test the fuel cell system as a unit (power generation module
with internal batteries and hydrogen storage module) in order to evaluate its reliability
and performance in comparison to the existing lead acid batteries. This meant that the
original site DC system had to be isolated from the load equipment.
The vented lead acid batteries must be kept in a fully charged state.
The original site DC system must be switched in if the fuel cell system fail to start up
succesfully.
A block diagram of the fuel cell integration is shown in Figure 9. An external battery
charger (Cordex rectifier) is connected to the fuel cell system to keep the internal fuel cell
battery fully charged and also supply power to the load equipment. The original site DC
system is isolated from the load equipment by the normally closed contactor, C1, which
is controlled by the controller of the rectifier system.
AC supply failure conditions are simulated by putting the Cordex rectifier in the Battery
Test mode whereby the rectifier output voltage is reduced to a support level, meaning
that the rectifier voltage is low enough for the fuel cell battery (IB) to take over the load.
The fuel cell system senses a drop in DC bus voltage and that current is drawn from the
internal battery (IB) which triggers the fuel cell system to start-up. When the fuel cell
system has successfully started up, the output contact of the fuel cell closes and the fuel
starts to pick up load A and also recharge the internal battery (IB). The start-up cycle of
the fuel cell system takes ~ 1520s. The Cordex controller monitors the DC bus voltage
and if this voltage falls below a preset threshold voltage it will close contact C1 to
connect the original site DC system. This fail safe operation will ensure that load A is not
dropped when the fuel cell system does not start-up successfully. A fuel cell system fail
alarm is activated during this situation.
14
Cordex Rectifier System
CXRM
AC
CXRC
H2
H2
cylinders
S1
S2
IB
GenCore 5T Fuel Cell System
AC
F1
BC 1A
DC DB A
BI 1
LOAD A
BM1
C1
AC
F2
DC Distribution Board
BC 2A
BI 2
BM2
NOTE: The system is (+) earthed
Figure 9: Fuel cell and rectifier system integration
The fuel cell system and battery charger components are shown in Table 5.
Equipment
Components
Rating
Type
Make
Battery
charger
1 CXCR system controller

3 x 48V / 21A, CXRC switched
mode rectifiers
50V/42A
Cordex
Argus
Technologie
s
Power
generation
module
1 fuel cell stack with auxiliary

equipment
Power conditioning equipment
Internal battery pack
50V/109
A
50V/120
A
33Ah
GenCore
5T
Plug Power
Hydrogen
storage
module
2 hydrogen cylinder banks

(consisting of 3 cylinders each)
50l
N/A
Afrox
Table 5: Fuel cell and rectifier system equipment
15
Standby time
Load A has a drain of 30A which equates to a power output of ~1.6kW @ 53V. This
drain corresponds with a standby time of 8 h per cylinder at 1.6kW. This means that 3
hydrogen cylinders (1 cylinder bank) will provide a standby time of 24 hr, before the
change-over valve switches over to the other cylinder bank to provide another 24 hr
standby.
Fuel cell performance at site
Actual installation and commissioning of the fuel cell and rectifier system took 3 days.
The fuel cell and rectfier system was commissioned on the 26 August 2005 and has since
that date experienced two prolonged primary supply failure events which lasted on
average about 8 hr. The fuel cell system has started up a number of 1183 times with a
cumulative running time of 78.87 hr. During this period not one fuel cell fail failure
alarm has been activated, which means that all the start up events were reliable and
succesfull.
Conclusion
The results achieved thus far indicates that fuel cell technology can definitely add value
in terms of lifecycle costs without jeopardising the technical performance and negatively
impact on the environment. Eskom realises that fuel cells may not be a viable solution in
all cases, but perform the research to build capacity around the technology for possible
future adoption in the basket of available energy storage technologies.
The author is of the opinion that fuel technology is still in its infancy stage and a lot of
improvements can be expected over the next few years in terms of unit cost reduction and
relibility improvements of the technology. These efforts as well as the global pressure to
reduce CO2 emmissions will make fuel cell technology a strong competitor in the energy
storage arena.
16
REFERENCES
[1]
[2]
[3]
[4]
[5]
[6]
[7]
[8]
[9]
[10]
[11]
[12]
[13]
[14]
[15]
[16]
[17]
[18]
[19]
Fuel Cell Test and Evaluation Center (FCTec) website: http://www.fctec.com/

Perry, M.L., et al., A back-up power solution with no batteries, IEEE (2004), pp. 210 217.
Cook, B., Introduction to fuel cells and hydrogen technology, Engineering Science and
Education Journal, Dec. 2002, pp. 205 216.
How stuff works website: http://science.howstuffworks.com/fuel-cell.htm
Billings, R., Fuel cells as backup power for digital loop carrier systems, IEEE (2004), pp.
88 91.
Linden, D., Handbook of batteries, 2nd Edition, ISBN 0-07-037921-1.
Berndt, D., Maintenance-free batteries: A handbook of battery technology, 2nd Edition,
ISBN 0 86380 198 6
Swiegers, W., Du Toit, J.A., Eskom TSI QPS-10-P-S Ver 01 with Vanadium-Redox Energy
Storage System Operating Manual.
More information available at: http://www.fuelcells.org
More information available at: http://www.plugpower.com
More information available at: http://www.relion-inc.com
More information available at: http://www.ballard.com
More information available at: www.intelligent-energy.com
Plug Power Inc., Plug Power Fuel Cell Systems: GencoreTM Pre-training material, 2004.
Plug Power Inc., Plug Power Fuel Cell Systems: GencoreTM User training material, FCEL000000-73, Rev. 1.0.
IST GenCoreTM product launch presentation, 2004.
Brenier, A., et al., Financial strategies for backup power in telecom networks, IEEE, 2000,
pp. 135 143.
Gitman, L. J., Principles of managerial finance, 9th Edition, Addison Wesley Publishing
Company.
Plug Power Inc., Plug Power Fuel Cell Systems: GencoreTM Installation manual, 10/22/04,
Rev. A.
17

Overview of Fuel Cells

Uploaded by

Document Information

Copyright

Available Formats

Share this document

Share or Embed Document

Sharing Options

Did you find this document useful?

Is this content inappropriate?

Copyright:

Available Formats

Overview of Fuel Cells

Uploaded by

Copyright:

Available Formats

Session One: Suitability of Fuel Cell Technology for Electricity Utility Standby Power Applications

Emergency Power Supplies Conference 2005 IDC Technologies

Figure 1: A diagram showing the operation of a fuel cell [1]

4H+ + 4e2H2O + heat

Table 1: Reactions for the PEM fuel cell [1]

Fuel cells versus batteries

Emergency Power Supplies Conference 2005 IDC Technologies

Highest power density

High power density

High quality waste heat

High quality waste heat

High quality waste heat

High sensitivity to fuel

Emergency Power Supplies Conference 2005 IDC Technologies

Expected life (unit) [yrs]

Emergency Power Supplies Conference 2005 IDC Technologies

20 Year LCC comparison

C10 Capacity [Ah]

Total VLA 20 year LCC - 110V (52 cells)

Total FC 20 year LCC

VLA Power [kW]

Emergency Power Supplies Conference 2005 IDC Technologies

Vented lead acid battery

PEM fuel cell

Quick replenishment of hydrogen

Emergency Power Supplies Conference 2005 IDC Technologies

Commercially available PEM fuel cells

Emergency Power Supplies Conference 2005 IDC Technologies

A block diagram of the operation is shown in Figure 4. Under normal conditions

Fuel Cell System

Fuel Cell System

Figure 4: Gencore 5T fuel cell system block diagram

Emergency Power Supplies Conference 2005 IDC Technologies

QPS / load current

Figure 5: GenCore 5T fuel cell startup test measurements and sequence

Figure 6: Enlarged version of the fuel cell startup period

aspects around installation, commissioning, operational performance, safety and

Figure 7: GenCore 5T fuel cell system at Hawekwasberg repeater site

Original site DC system

Figure 8: Block diagram of original Hawekwasberg DC system

Emergency Power Supplies Conference 2005 IDC Technologies

Cordex Rectifier System

Figure 9: Fuel cell and rectifier system integration

1 CXCR system controller

1 fuel cell stack with auxiliary

2 hydrogen cylinder banks

Table 5: Fuel cell and rectifier system equipment

Emergency Power Supplies Conference 2005 IDC Technologies

Emergency Power Supplies Conference 2005 IDC Technologies

Fuel Cell Test and Evaluation Center (FCTec) website: http://www.fctec.com/

Emergency Power Supplies Conference 2005 IDC Technologies

You might also like