1. Dr Alex Bevan 1, Dr David Book 1, Professor Andreas Z ü ttel 2 and Professor Rex Harris 1 1 University of Birmingham UK. 2 EMPA Z ü rich, Switzerland Performance Key Objectives Energy performance of the boat was monitored, with speed data being provided through GPS measurements. The motor power requirements vs. speed (fig 9) shows an exponential relationship (fitted line). The theoretical range of the boat (fig 10) has been calculated based on the energy/ speed requirement. Utilizing a fully charged battery stack with 47kWhrs of energy and 2.5kg of hydrogen. The metal hydride/ fuel cell combination increases the boat range by 66%  Provide vital practical data on the on-board use of hydrogen as an energy store.  Develop the necessary local scale hydrogen infrastructure which could provide a model and a catalyst for a much larger scale operation throughout the entire inland waterway network, with Birmingham as the hub.  Develop technical innovations which will lead to wider exploitation of the energy storage and propulsion systems.  Demonstrate an early, practical and economic alternative to diesel canal boats. Figure 9 Power requirement vs. Speed Figure 10 Theoretical boat range vs. Speed Key features Hydride store has a significantly faster charging rate than the batteries The craft will have a longer range of operation in the hybrid form before needing access to electric charging facilities Batteries can be “trickle-charged” using solar panels, wind and water generators. PM electric motor can also serve as a generator Fuel cell would prefer to operate at a constant load and any variability can be taken up by the battery stack Hot water (80°C) supplied by fuel cell can be used to heat store and living space Unlike batteries, hydride stores will not discharge on standing idle, even for prolonged periods Other advantages (and disadvantages) will be revealed by operational experience Potential Advantages of a Hybrid System  Solid state metal hydride store  1kW ReliOn PEM fuel cell (fig 2)  Computer monitoring and control (fig 3)  10kW NdFeB-based drive motor (Fig 4)  47kWhr lead acid battery stack  Display area with LCD screen Project contact: Prof Rex Harris (e-mail: i.r.harris@bham.ac.uk Tel: +44-(0)121-4145165 web: www.hydrogen.bham.ac.uk) Hydrogen also plays a crucial role in the manufacture of the NdFeB sintered magnets employed in the electric motor. The Hydrogen Store Based on 26kg of Laves-phase composition Ti 0.93 Zr 0.05 (Mn 0.73 V 0.22 Fe 0.04 ) 2 powder. Each of the 5 storage modules (fig 5) contains 7 connected stainless steel tubes which are each surrounded by a water cooling jacket. This provides 28m 3 of pure hydrogen at STP (fig 6). Based on the hydrogen consumption of the ReliOn fuel cell, this is equivalent to 31kWhrs of stored energy. Thermal management of the storage units is accomplished by heat exchanging with canal water (fig 7), and the charging characteristics of one hydride module are shown in figure 8. Hydride module Fuel cell Gas distribution Motor Heat exchanger Canal water in Water pump (1) Filter Water pump (2) Expansion tank Canal water out Hydride modules Antifreeze Hydrogen charging vs. time Figure 5 Stainless steel storage modules Figure 6 PCT diagram Figure 7 Thermal management Figure 8 Charging characteristics of one hydride module, showing (a) accumulated flow of hydrogen with and without controlling the (b) water jacket temperature (a) (b) Boat Conversion 5 cylinders, each containing 26 kg of metal hydride power. Gives about 2.5 kg of hydrogen. Operating pressure is < 10 bar PEM Fuel Cell Batteries & Motor Start Finish Figure 2 PEM Fuel cell PEM 1kW FUEL CELL Figure 1 Energy flow diagram Figure 3 Computer monitoring systems Drive belt Motor Propeller shaft Figure 4 NdFeB Motor HYDROGEN SOLID STATE STORE 2.5kg H2 Throughout the world there is a huge effort to develop an effective, solid state, reversible, lightweight hydrogen store for road transport applications. There are, however, much less demanding transport applications which can employ established intermetallic metal hydrides as hydrogen stores. Development of these systems would allow solid state storage technologies to gain a “toe-hold” and hence accumulate invaluable operating experience. At Birmingham (and in collaboration with EMPA Switzerland) we have been developing a hybrid electric canal boat using a combination of a NdFeB-type permanent magnet electric motor, a lead acid battery stack and a PEM fuel cell supplied by a (TiV)(FeMn) 2 - metal hydride store (fig 1) The boat weighs 12 tonnes and the volume and weight (350 kg; metal frame, tank and metal hydrides) of the hydrogen storage system can readily be accommodated on the vessel, replacing the existing ballast.