With each passing year, each new round of emissions regulations and each new spike of global petroleum prices, the reality of alternative power sources moves one step closer. While most remain economically and technically impractical at this time, the continuation of current trends may move the glacier along a little faster until the day when technologies such as fuel cells, alternative fuels and alternative engine designs actually enter the competitive hunt with diesel, gasoline and spark-ignited systems.
With that in mind, we present this adjunct to our annual Engine Yearbook. While nowhere near comprehensive--indeed, the reticence of some of the companies we contacted to talk about their activities was both surprising and somewhat illuminating--it does provide a quick glance at some of the companies active and the state of their various technology alternatives.
Fuel Cell Technologies Ltd.
10 Bunnington Court
Kingston, Ontario,
Canada K7M
Phone: (613) 544-8222
Fax: (613) 544-2649
Website: www.fct.ca
Contacts:
Sales: Gary Allen
Engineering: Gordon McAlary
Power Range: 5 kW
Fuel Cell Type:
Solid Oxide Fuel Cell System
Product Line:
Combined heat and power Solid Oxide Fuel Cell system for stationary applications.
For more information
SEE DIRECTLINK @ DIESELPROGRESS.COM
Hydrogen Engine
Cemer Inc.
602 E. Fair Street
Algona, IA 50511
Phone: (515) 295-3178
Fax: (515) 295-2453
Website:
www.hydrogenenginecenter.com
Contacts:
Sales: Joe Lewis III,
vice president, Engine Sales
Power Range:
15 kW to over 1 MW
Product Line:
Hydrogen Engine Center (HEC) designs, manufactures and distributes flex-fuel internal combustion engines for the industrial and power generation markets. The engines are designed to run efficiently, with minor adjustments, on hydrogen, gasoline, propane, natural gas--or ethanol interchangeably--or with the addition of a fuel reformer, on biodiesel (flex-fuels). The engines can run on regular-grade hydrogen, or on mixed gases such as natural gas and hydrogen. When using hydrogen fuel, emissions are near-zero, said HEC.
New Engines
The company has recently unveiled the new 2.4 L three-cylinder Mini Oxx hydrogen engine which is designed as a compact version of its 4.9 L six-cylinder Oxx Power engine. The new 65 hp Mini Oxx engine is one of five engine models in HEC's engine lineup that it said has application in luggage tractors, power generation, irrigation pumps, farm tractors, wood chippers and numerous other industrial uses. The engine also shares interchangeable parts with its six-cylinder counterpart, covering 72 of the 81 parts used, according to HEC.
Production Facility Expansions
HEC has also recently moved production to a new 28,000 sq.ft, faciity that it said will meet the needs of its increased production rates and is just the first phase of its plans to build more than 100,000 sq.ft, of production space at its Algona, Iowa, site.
For more information
SEE DIRECTLINK @ DIESELPROGRESS.COM
MTI MicroFuel Cells Inc.
431 New Karner Road
Albany, NY 12205
Phone: (518) 533-2222
Fax: (518) 533-2223
Website: www.mtimicrofuelcells.com
Contacts:
Marketing: Angela Rossi
Power Range:
1W/5 W peak 30 W/140 W peak
Fuel Cell Type:
Direct Methanol Fuel Cells
Product Line:
MTI Micro's Mobion cord-free power packs are being developed to replace current lithium ion and similar rechargeable battery systems in many hand-held electronic devices in the military and consumer markets.
