Reduction of costs in fuel cell systems

Three companies (FuMA-Tech GmbH, SGL Technologies, CEAG AG) and two research institutes (Forschungszentrum Julich and ZSW) have been working in close collaboration since June 2003 for the development of low cost fuel cell systems. At the end of the 3 years of the project supported by the Federal Ministry of Economy and Labor (BMWA), they should be able to put competitive energy production units on the market.

In the first half of the project, new materials have already been successfully developed and processes for manufacturing membranes and bipolar plates for fuel cells have been tried out. The second half of the project will focus on reducing production costs, in particular through savings in materials and simplification of systems.
New graphitic materials developed by SGL Technologies GmbH have been tested in close cooperation. These have been manufactured to meet the standards of the fuel cell stack manufacturers and successfully integrated.
Special thin-film membranes to increase the efficiency of polymeric membrane fuel cells (PEMFCs) have also been manufactured by the company FuMA-Tech. These membranes have been cut so that they can be used for Direct Methanol Fuel Cells (DMFCs), thereby reducing material costs while maintaining
improving battery performance.
On the basis of these new materials, new optimized units have been manufactured and new “stack” structures have been developed and tested in research centers.

Read also:  HCCI: Berlin TU researchers develop clean and efficient engine

contacts:
- Dr. Bernd Bauer - FuMA Tech GmbH - tel: +49 6894 9265 0 -
http://www.fumatech.de
- Dr. Norbert Berg - SGL Technologies - tel: +49 8271 83 2458 -
http://www.sglcarbon.com
- Dr. Alexander Dyck - CEAG AG - tel: +49 2532 87 501 -
http://www.ceag-ag.com
- Dr. Ludwig Jorissen - ZSW - tel: +49 731 9530 609 -
http://www.fuellcelles.de
- Dr. Hendrik Dohle - Forschungszentrum Julich FZJ - tel: +49 2461 61 6884
-
http://www.zsw-bw.de
Sources: Depeche IDW, Press release of the research center
Julich, 13 / 12 / 2004
Editor: Nicolas Condette,
nicolas.condette@diplomatie.gouv.fr

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