Ceramic Fuel Cells Regulatory News (CFU)

21 Sep 2006 08:00

Ceramic Fuel Cells Limited21 September 2006 21 SEPTEMBER 2006 Ceramic Fuel Cells develops more powerful fuel cells A more powerful fuel cell and a lower cost 1 kW fuel cell electricity generator,suitable for large scale manufacturing to meet commercial targets for cost andperformance. CFCL, a world leading manufacturer of solid oxide fuel cells and provider ofenabling technology for micro-combined heat and power (m-CHP) units, announces afurther major step towards commercialisation with the development of its nextgeneration of fuel cells. These cells have demonstrated significant performanceimprovements, particularly in power density, and will be incorporated into m-CHPunits to provide clean power for homes. This development builds on CFCL's extensive fuel cell experience, and has beenassisted by the company's in-depth field trials and its work with power companycustomers. The new fuel cell and re-designed system components are designed tooptimize the efficiency of the fuel cell stack and reduce the system cost inpreparation for volume manufacture. The new stack is also more easily integratedinto distributed generation appliances. These new cells are more than twice as powerful as CFCL's current cells, andmatch or exceed other solid oxide fuel cell figures in terms of power density,which is measured by how many milli-watts of electricity are generated by eachsquare centimetre of fuel cell. Early versions of CFCL's new cells achieved apower density of more than 200 mW/cm(2). Current versions of the new cells havedoubled that again, bringing the power density to more than 400 mW/cm(2), andfurther improvements are expected. Higher power density means that CFCL can produce the same amount of electricityfrom a much smaller fuel cell stack. A smaller stack is cheaper and much easierto integrate into commercial appliances like m-CHP units. The new cell technology is designed to be highly efficient, with electricefficiency of 50% and significantly better fuel utilisation of up to 85%. Thetotal efficiency of the integrated m-CHP unit will be higher still, as 'waste'heat is captured and re-used. The new fuel cell stacks are designed to produce 1kW of electricity andsignificantly less than 1kW of heat. Reducing the amount of heat produced by thefuel cell stack means the m-CHP unit can generate efficient baseload electricityall year round. Other types of m-CHP units that produce more heat may have to beleft idle - or else waste the heat - for several months each year. The new technology comprises square ceramic fuel cells, arranged in awindow-frame display, supported by ceramic anodes and separated by metalinterconnect plates. The cells use 'thin film' technology, comprising extremelythin electrolytes, which are better at conducting oxygen ions. This increasesthe amount of electricity that each cell can generate. The new metal-ceramicfuel cell stack combines important technical features and intellectual propertydrawn from CFCL's achievements in developing both all-ceramic and metal-ceramicstacks since 1992. CFCL has also significantly improved several key components that integrate thefuel cell stack into a m-CHP unit. Significant breakthroughs include a 50%smaller steam generator, a 40% smaller heat exchanger, and a 75% reduction inthe airflow through the system. These achievements will make the m-CHP unitsimpler, smaller and more efficient. Brendan Dow, Chief Executive of Ceramic Fuel Cells, commented: "This is another major step towards the commercialisation of our solid oxidefuel cell for power companies seeking distributed generation solutions. Thedevelopments will deliver significantly higher power density and systemefficiency, both of which are key factors in enabling us to meet commercialtargets for performance and cost. Our broad experience of developing differenttypes of fuel cell stacks, and our work with customers, have been essential inthe evolution of this technology. "We look forward to the next stage of integrating our new fuel cell stacks intomicro-CHP units, working closely with our power company customers and appliancemanufacturers. We are also ramping up production of these new cells, initiallyin our Melbourne pilot plant and then in our planned large scale manufacturingplant in Europe." ENDS For further information please contact: Andrew Neilson +61 419 950 771Brendan Bilton +44 (0) 7798 554 191Ceramic Fuel Cells investor@cfcl.com.au Nick Denton / Vanessa Orr / Sara Gelfand +44 (0) 20 7357 9477Hogarth Partnership Aamir Quraishi / Charles Goodfellow +44 (0) 20 7569 9650Libertas Capital NOTES TO EDITORS Glossary: 'balance of plant' - the support system to the fuel cell stack which manages thesupply of fuel and air, controls the total fuel cell system and provides aninterface with electrical loads. CHP - combined heat and power. Domestic CHP systems produce electricity and heatfor the home, and will be the first application powered by CFCL's fuel cells. Distributed Generation - a form of power generation that produces electricity ator close to the point of consumption, in contrast to large centralised powerstations. Electrolyte - a substance that carries electrical current by the migration ofions. Together with the external connections of a fuel cell, this allows thecreation of an electrical circuit. Stack - multiple fuel cells combined one on top of the other to form a fuel cellstack which provides higher voltage and higher power than a single cell. About Ceramic Fuel Cells Limited Ceramic Fuel Cells Limited (CFCL, www.cfcl.com.au) is a world leader indeveloping solid oxide fuel cell (SOFC) technology which can provide reliable,energy efficient, high-quality, and low-emission electricity from widelyavailable natural gas and renewable fuels. CFCL is developing SOFC products forsmall-scale on-site micro combined heat and power (m-CHP) and distributedgeneration units that co-generate electricity and heat for domestic use. CFCL was formed in 1992 and is publicly listed on both the London Stock ExchangeAIM market and the Australian Stock Exchange (code CFU). This information is provided by RNS The company news service from the London Stock Exchange