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Eaton To Supply Fuel Cell Cathode Blowers To SAIC For 2010 Shanghai World Expo
11 November 2008
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| The Eaton blower with electric drive motor and control for the SAIC fuel cell application. Click to enlarge. |
Eaton Corporation’s fuel cell cathode blowers will be used in a fuel cell vehicle demonstration program being prepared by Shanghai Automotive Industries Corporation (SAIC) for the 2010 Shanghai World Expo.
A fuel cell blower is an important balance-of-plant component in a fuel cell system. Development of efficient, cost-effective air management technologies is one of the target areas with the Department of Energy’s Research, Development and Demonstration roadmap for hydrogen technologies.
High efficiency blowers or pumps place a lower parasitic load on the system, and contribute to power and cost efficiencies. Proper matching of a motor’s speed/torque curve to its aerodynamic output is an important factor in increasing the blower’s efficiency.
The Eaton fuel cell cathode blower is an electrically driven Eaton Roots-style supercharger adapted for fuel cell applications. The small-scaled supercharger is mated to a highly efficient brushless motor and moves air through the fuel cell stack where the oxygen in the air is combined with hydrogen to generate electricity that is then used to power the vehicle.
The Eaton supercharger used for this application is a small scale (size M24), fifth-generation positive-displacement design that features twin intermeshing three-lobe rotors that are twisted 60 degrees. They spin at high speeds and pump air efficiently and with industry-leading noise and vibration characteristics.
Shanghai Automotive Industries Corporation, New Energy Vehicles Division (SAIC/NEV) plans to supply 20 hydrogen-powered automobiles to the 2010 Shanghai World Expo. The vehicles will be used to transport dignitaries at the event.
Separately, Eaton recently purchased a new Asia Pacific headquarters building in the International Business Park of Changning District, Shanghai.
Sustained growth in China is a key component of Eaton’s global business strategy.
—Alexander M. Cutler, Eaton chairman and CEO
Eaton also officially opened its newly expanded R&D center in Suzhou earlier this month. The nearly $10 million facility is expected to support the growth of Eaton’s R&D workforce at the site by 40% over the next two years.
Eaton began operations in China in 1993 and, since that time, has grown its business to include 27 manufacturing sites and more than 11,000 employees. Having set a goal to reach $1 billion in revenues in China by 2010, the company also announced that it is on track to achieve its objective well ahead of schedule.
Resources
DOE Multi-year Hydrogen Research Development and Demonstration Plan (2005-2015)
November 11, 2008 in Fuel Cells | Permalink | Comments (1) | TrackBack (0)
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Posted by: Henry Gibson | November 11, 2008 at 04:22 PM
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Mohawk....(MITI) has made air lubricated blowers for such a purpose that are probably more reliable and longer lived and also have an energy recovery turbine on the same shaft if desired.
In any case, fuel cells are presently and likely to continue to be too expensive for non subsidized uses.
Diesel engines exceed or approach the thermal efficiency of existing fuel cells. A rankine boiler turbine added to a diesel will add even more to the efficiency and can also use the extra heat generated to clean catalysts, NOX reducers and particle filters. Such a unit could also supply electric loads during stops. ..HG..