http://www.latimes.com/news/local/ontario/news/la-ivo-fuelcell25apr25, 1,185402.story
April 25, 2003 Fuel cell targets RV market University, company partner to provide alternative energy source for accessories. Matthew Chin, Inland Valley Voice LA VERNE - A University of La Verne chemistry professor says he and his colleagues have created a propane-powered fuel cell that will revolutionize the recreational vehicle industry. They unveiled the latest version of the technology on campus Thursday. The fuel cell from Clean Fuel Generation LLC, a small L.A.-based energy company working with ULV faculty, converts propane to hydrogen for use in the chemical reaction. It doesn't create enough energy to power a vehicle but it will power the accessories - the electrical, space heating and water heating systems. Company co-founder Nick Ballinger said it makes sense to tackle a niche market rather than take on the auto industry. RVs seemed a natural - his grandfather and father ran an Inglewood RV business. A fuel cell is an electrochemical device, much like a battery, that produces electricity from a chemical reaction, such as combining hydrogen and oxygen. The propane fuel cell research was led by ULV chemistry professor Iraj Parchamazad. Several other faculty members contributed to the work. Their current model fuel cell is the size of a large suitcase, but previous versions were the size of two dishwashers. The model is about 2.5 times more efficient than an internal combustion generator, Parchamazad said, and it generates little pollution. It doesn't make as much noise as other power sources, something RV owners will appreciate. Many RV campgrounds prohibit using generators because of noise concerns. Some viewers are surprised the project is based at the small university instead of a research campus or major corporation, Parchamazad said "We have the resources, we have the brains, we have the experience and we want to do it from our hearts," Parchamazad said. It will cost $5 million-$6 million to get a fuel cell ready to market. The research team is seeking funding from companies and government agencies. Ballinger said their goal is to sell a 5-kilowatt fuel cell for about $6,000. That cell would power the accessories in the average RV, he said. Don Magary, who spend 15 years as editor of the trade magazine RV News, said the industry would welcome a moderately priced, lightweight fuel cell. He also said Ballinger's family experience in the industry may lend him more credibility than if he was an outsider viewed as some sort of carpetbagger. The new fuel cell may be on the market long before hydrogen-powered fuel cells because propane is readily available said UC Riverside chemical engineering professor Yushan Yan, who studies fuel cells. "Although pure hydrogen from a renewable source such as water would be ideal" for use in fuel cells based on efficiency and minimal impact on the environment, the technology is years away. Hydrocarbons and alcohols likely will be the near-term alternatives, Yan said. Another researcher was more skeptical of the group's work. Jim Heffel, who heads the Energy Technology Training Center at the College of the Desert in Palm Desert, questioned the value of converting propane into hydrogen. "This sounded like a good system five years ago, but it complicates the system," said Heffel, who works on training programs in alternative fuels. "There's less efficiency as it doesn't run on pure hydrogen." He thought the fuel cell's estimated price was too high and the team's efficiency claims may underestimate the efficiency of newer internal combustion engines. ------------------------ Yahoo! Groups Sponsor ---------------------~--> Get A Free Psychic Reading! Your Online Answer To Life's Important Questions. http://us.click.yahoo.com/cjB9SD/od7FAA/AG3JAA/9bTolB/TM ---------------------------------------------------------------------~-> Biofuels at Journey to Forever http://journeytoforever.org/biofuel.html Biofuel at WebConX http://webconx.green-trust.org/2000/biofuel/biofuel.htm List messages are archived at the Info-Archive at NNYTech: http://archive.nnytech.net/ To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/
