Energy Partners, L.C. Overcomes Major PEM Fuel Cell Hurdle
21 April 1999
Energy Partners, L.C. Overcomes Major PEM Fuel Cell Commercialization Hurdle with Production of $10 per Kilowatt Composite Bi-Polar Collector Plates
WEST PALM BEACH, Fla.--April 20, 1999--Energy Partners, L.C. a leader in the innovation and demonstration of PEM fuel cell technology, has successfully produced composite graphite bi-polar collector plates offering a low cost, high volume manufacturing process.Production cycle times of less than 25 seconds per piece were demonstrated with the new process. PEM fuel cells are considered a leading high performance, low emission candidate for powering cars and homes. Bi-polar collector plates are a major component in PEM fuel cell construction, standing second only to the power producing membrane electrode assembly in cost and impact on performance. In a recent article in Automotive News a major car manufacturer cited collector plates as a key cost barrier to production. Energy Partners' innovative, low cost production process removes composite bi-polar collector plates from the list of technical and economic hurdles to overcome in commercializing PEM fuel cell technology.
Prior to the introduction of Energy Partners' process, options for bi-polar collector plates included machining pure graphite blocks, compression molding graphite composites, and specially coated metal alloys. Pure graphite is too expensive and difficult to machine; compression molding requires too much time; and metal coating technologies cannot guarantee 100% perfect coverage, which leaves stacks subject to immediate failure due to metal corrosion. Energy Partners' composite plate technology responds effectively to these issues with a simple, low cost, high speed process and a stable material that is easily produced. The process, when in full production, will reduce Energy Partners' collector plate costs from approximately $100 per piece to $1.50 per piece.
The company's production runs have yielded exceptional results with cycle times consistently below 25 seconds. The collector plates use commercially available materials with demonstrated lives in PEM fuel cell type environments of more than 65,000 hours. The finished part requires no post processing to improve conductivity, reduce hydrogen permeation, or prevent water absorption. The obvious result is reduced manufacturing time and cost. Finally, the finished collector plate is made from materials that are easily recycled. Working with the U.S. Department of Energy Office of Advanced Automotive Technologies (OAAT) and the Partnership for a New Generation of Vehicles (PNGV), Energy Partners first developed the process and will implement it in its current generation of products this year.
Energy Partners was formed in 1990 to develop PEM fuel cell stack and system technology. Since that time, the company has demonstrated continual success and is considered a world leader in PEM fuel cell technology. Beginning with the delivery of a 2.5 kilowatt fuel cell stack and test system to the Royal Australian Navy's Material Research Laboratory in 1992, the company has maintained an aggressive pace in development. Energy Partners is the only U.S company that regularly and readily supplies pre-commercial PEM fuel cell products to developers around the world. In 1998, Energy Partners was the first U.S. company to demonstrate the production of residential power with a PEM fuel cell fueled with natural gas. Today, the company's business strategy focuses on the development of PEM fuel cell technology fueled by natural gas and other hydrocarbon fuels for the small stationary power market (less than 100 kilowatts) and the transportation market.