Innovative fuel cell system developed by Runcorn firm ACAl Energy passes testing

Jan 26 2012 by Daniel Mckenzie, Runcorn and Widnes Weekly News

A RUNCORN fuel cell firm has completed a rigorous testing programme designed to evaluate the durability of its new FlowCath technology.

ACAL Energy, based at the Heath Business and Technical Park, has revealed its platinum-free liquid cathode system eliminates many of the causes of lost performance in both continuous operation and in auto-cycling.

The ACAL system replaces an expensive precious metal catalyst in conventional fuel cells with a low-cost liquid catalyst, which reduces operating cost and improves durability and reliability.

Fuel cells are clean energy electro-chemical systems that convert chemical energy into electrical power and are capable of replacing combustion engines in a range of applications, from automotive to mobile power systems.

According to the firm, the system is capable of producing 3kW of gross electrical power and will provide power to a remote environmental monitoring system located at the facility.

ACAL says that fuel cell systems utilising FlowCath offer a clean and economic alternative to traditional fossil fuel generators in stationary and transportation applications requiring between 1-200kW of electrical power.

The announcement follows the launch of a new Government-backed initiative called UKH2Mobility that will evaluate the potential for hydrogen as a fuel for ultra low carbon vehicles in the UK, and develop an action plan for an anticipated roll-out to consumers in 2014.

Amanda Lyne, vice president of strategic business development at ACAL, said: “This is probably the most significant and valuable feature of our technology.

“Early volume sales of fuel cell vehicles will mean that great pressure will be put on OEMs to reduce manufacturing costs.

“By inherently avoiding many of the durability issues seen in conventional technology, using our FlowCath system we can improve the economic picture significantly and speed up the mass deployment of H2FC vehicles.”