Worlds first marine fuel cell-

[Ram]

Hi All
check this out from Jack Rabbit

Ram

Max Power Fuel Cell

Description: The very first production fuel cell for the marine environment is now available. This lightweight unit runs on methanol, and produces up to 100Ah of power a day. Connect it in parallel to your battery bank and it will automatically turn on and produce power when your battery voltage falls.

The Max Power AHD-100 will produce as much power as a small wind generator, or four 75W solar panels, in a clean environmentally-responsible way. The only byproducts are clean water and a small amount of carbon dioxide - about as much as your dog produces when breathing!

Fuel is delivered in 5 liter containers and each refill will produce about 340Ah of power.

Applications

• As a source of power for long-distance racing, reducing the need to carry a large battery bank or run the main engine to charge
• As an emergency power supply for nav lights and safety equipment, to meet race regulations
• For clean, quiet power for cruisers as an alternative to a diesel or gasoline genset
• As a supplement to wind and solar power on calm, cloudy days

Product Features

• Package price includes 5L fuel cartridge and shipping
• Power output 100Ah per day
• Can be run continuously
• Automatic startup when battery voltage falls below 12.6V

The Max Power Fuel Cell has an expected service life of 1500 to 5000 hours. At the end of this period, it must be returned to a service center for an overhaul.

Fuel

Methanol is classified as a hazardous material for transportation purposes. Jack Rabbit can supply refills for fuel cartridges at our office in Stamford, CT. Fuel is also available nationally from specialist suppliers.


Brand: Max Power




http://www.jrenergy.com/(nz2ajz45suc...ID=2194&type=0

[delmarrey]

Pretty pricey for 50watts. $6000.
Can only be used on lead batteries.
Has to be installed on a level surface.
Can not be maintained by owner
The unit is not waterproof

It only weights 16 lb. That I like!

Doesn't sound like it is marine friendly....................._/)

[Rick]

The hype regarding the "wonderful promise" of fuel cell technology either ignores or minimises the reality of cost, complexity, longevity, and efficiency. The fuel cells which work well in aerospace applications run on pure oxygen and hydrogen which are not likely in our lifetimes to ever be safe for general use applications for you and I.

Fuel cells which you and I could safely use must have reformers which convert fossel fuels or alcohols into the requisite forms of oxygen and hydrogen. Reformers do not last as long as a good diesel generator does before requiring replacement or complete "rebuilds".

The overall burden of manufacturing a fuel cell with reformer including the burden of conversion efficiency does not compete with that of a diesel generator over its lifetime of burning diesel fuel. Keep in mind here that the energy used to manufacture requires either nuclear power, hydroelectric power or fossel fuel power (other manufacturing power sources are negligible in overall scheme of things).

Other than having elitist bragging rights an owner of a fuel cell cannot brag of being "green" due to the aforementioned burden to our sources of energy. Beware of the hype regarding the so-called promise of fuel cells.

[Alan Wheeler]

And that difference of 1500 to 5000hrs. That's too big a difference to give me any confidence it would even do 500. They surely must have better reliability to be able to get a closer ball park figure. Like 1500 to 2000hrs or 4000 to 5000Hrs.
Plus, what would a fuel cell cost.

[CaptainK]

Fuel cells doesn't sound that great to me?

[mudnut]

It's advert says It all"The AHD-100 will produce AS MUCH power as a SMALL wind generator/or FOUR 75 watt solar panels,In a clean and enviromentally-responsible way" This sticks out like dogs balls,would a large wind generator which would obviously put out more power cost 6,000 bills,and the solar panels?And what could be more enviromentally friendlier than some thing that dosent create carbon dioxide.I think they killed themselfs on the spiel.

[NoTies]

I think they play on the "reliability of supply" rather than the efficiency, mudnut. That being said, I do not see another form of burning fossil fuel as anything that will revolutionalise the market. These sort of things tend to get developed by the military industrial complex and the benefits eventually pass down to the fee market (microwave ovens etc.) and I cannot see unfunded private companies having the ability to develop this technology to the point where it will be a realistic alternative to what we already have.

[Alan Wheeler]

Produce more than a Windgen or 300W of solar panel??? If it is running 24hrs a day, then yes it may. So they are playing with figures there. Now here is a catch. Running at 24hrs a day, and lets say you are going to get the best run of 5000hrs out of it, then you need a compleate overhaul of the unit every 5 months. If you are the unlucky one and only get 1500hrs, then you have to have it serviced every 2months. Ouch.

[CaptainK]

Maybe in time, they'll have something more better in fuel cell technology.

Right now they are in their infancy?

I'd say maybe in 10 years I might look into it?

After they make'em better.

I agree with mudnut. They look like dog's balls!!

[Talbot]

Having just spent some time looking at this. Anyone who goes for a methanol fuel cell is nuts from a safety viewpoint.

The hydrogen fuel cell (e.g. e.g. Ballard Mk 9 SSL PEM 21kw fuel stacks) offers considerably more potential, but there are problems with it at the moment - storage of large amounts of hydrogen is also hazardous, and is very heavy. Therefore you need to carry something that you can create hydrogen. Diesel fuel has the potential for this, and considerable research is being devoted to making the reformer small enough for this application.

[Alan Wheeler]

Can someone tell me, why is Hydrogen more dangerouse than any other flamable gas. If a gas is flammable and in a confined space, it's got the same potential for ignition and destruction no matter what it is. Hydrogen is only seriuosely deadly once mixed with pure oxygen. Then it has the ability to send you into orbit. The other real major advantage of hydrogen is being lighter than air. It will float up and out of the boat, and not sink to a bilge. Stored correctly, it is just as safe as any other gas.

[Alan Wheeler]

I also should add. I don't think fuel cells that create electricity are the way of the future. They have massive advantages in places like space stations and such applications. But for raw power and qauntities of it, it just isn't efficient enough, at least yet, nor do I think it ever will be. Turning a combustion motor with hydrogen is still in my book, the best way to obtain large quantities of power/force. There is still a lot refinement that can be put into cumbustion motor design to take major advantages of hydrogen gas power. Yul Brown developed a hydrogen powered car about 25years ago in Oz. He produced the hydrogen in the car in a cell and powered the engine. The only hurdle being the huge quantity of water required. So for a car, it was not feasable. But a boat has all the water in the world available to it. I reckon somebody needs to work on a refinment of this area. Boats producig small quantities of hydrogen, (so it is safe) and producing it as they need it and in the amount needed. Injected into a standard combustion engine. Deisel LOVES running on gas (not Gasoline) by the way. If you want a lot more power from your Deisel, trickle LPG down the intake Not joking, It is a ligitimate way of us in the 4WDing world of obtaining a burst of power for a hill climb without using a turbo. Turbos are a pain for extreme 4WDing. They don't like deep water crossing and we don't like the power curves. It happens in the wrong places for us. But LPG can be controlled when you need the power. It is like the Nitro injection in a petrol engine. Infact, often the same Nitro gear is used to control it to the engine. Although I have also seen an LPG tank with a hose taped direct to the air intake. The guy just turns the valve when he wants power. Yikes.

[CaptainK]

Yeah Wheels.

Remember the Hindenburg?

She went up when her hydrogen ignited. Causing it to crash down onto the ground, in one massive fireball.

She crashed at Lakehurst, New Jersey.

The US Navy still has a station there. And I was there for some training back in 1987 to early 1988. That hanger for the airships, were extremely huge.

The school I went to there, is inside of that hanger. An aircraft carrier can fit inside of this hanger. That's how big it is!!

And you can imagine the size of the Hindenburg? And how much hydrogen was in the airship?

[Jentine]

what we need is a mini nuclear reactor. It would provide power and protection from pirates as a secondary effect. Huge sign on the side of the boat "DANGER, RADIOACTIVE".

[Alan Wheeler]

Jentine, you wouldn't need a sign. The glow would be enough to put anyone off approaching.

Hey K, yeah I know about the Hindenburg. But it was a case of a thin unprotected shell housing the stuff, and even then, it didn't go "BANG" in some mini nuclear explosion type way.
I am talking about storing hydrogen in a steel cylinder just like Butane/Propane. It's just as safe.