Appliance Design - March 2008 - (Page 18)

POWER SOFC technology for the European market, and in January 2008, signed an agreement with British Gas, in which the utility agreed to fund testing and engineering work by Ceres, placed a forward order for 37,500 CHP products on an escalating basis over a four-year period, and invested £20 million for an equity stake in Ceres of just under 10 percent. The company recently finished work on an integrated wall-mountable CHP unit. The CHP unit uses the same natural gas, water and electricity connections as a boiler, is designed to be easy to install, and can be used for both boiler replacement and for new construction. During the initial phase of the agreement, which is expected to be completed in 2011, Ceres will complete the value engineering of the CHP product and, together with British Gas, conduct commercial in-field trials with residential customers and begin to market the products. And, it is a big market. Approximately 1.5 million boilers are installed each year in the UK and forecasts say that CHP can command nearly a third of that market by 2015. Recently, the British government published the “Microgeneration Study and Analysis” which highlighted the potential for microgeneration to provide up to 30 to 40 percent of that country’s total electricity needs. While other SOFC technologies are under development for a range of applications, Ceres Power fuel cell converts fuel directly into electricity and heat. Ceres’ represents a new generation of SOFC technology. Its product operates in the temperature range of 500 DegC to 600 DegC. This is substantially lower than the temperatures at which conventional SOFC materials operate, typically 750 DegC to 1,000 DegC. The lower temperatures are possible through the use of CGO (Cerium Gadolinium Oxide) as the electrolyte material as compared to the traditional use of YSZ (Yttria Stabilized Zirconia). Its low temperature of operation enables the use of commercially available materials. The cell and stack designs are manufactured from commercially available grades of stainless steel, which helps reduce costs. Typical high-temperature SOFC units require grades of ceramic and metal that can withstand high heat levels, which are costlier and more difficult to engineer. The Ceres technology allows excellent sealing integrity, mechanical robustness and thermal shock resistance, Flint says. The CHP unit works on natural gas and LPG and is designed to provide up to 1kW of heat and 1kW of electricity in parallel. The Ceres Power CHP unit includes a compact fuel processor that takes the source hydrocarbon fuel (for example, natural gas or LPG) and processes it with steam to obtain the hydrogen for the fuel cell. This, together with the efficient electrochemistry of the fuel cell stack, results in a highly efficient conversion of fuel into useful energy i.e. electricity and heat, says Flint. Fuel and air management are combined into the highly integrated fuel cell The freewatt CHP system from Climate Energy uses a Honda natural gas internal combustion engine. It installs much like a typical furnace. 18 applianceDESIGN March 2008 The freewatt CHP open. Visible components include the engine, generator, catalytic converter and air filter. www.applianceDESIGN.com http://www.appliancedesign.com

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of Appliance Design - March 2008

Appliance Design - March 2008 Contents Editorial Shipments/Forecasts News Watch A New Appliance is Set to Break into Homes Soon - the Micro CHP Unit, which Generate both Heat and Power. Thermally Enhanced Varistors Help Protect Low-Power Systems Against Damage Caused by Over-Current, Over-Temperature and Over-Voltage Faults. Hybrid Controller Reduces Standby Power Consumption and Improves Active-Mode Efficiency. Battery-Management ICs Solve Design Challenges for Cordless Appliances Using High-Voltage, Lithium-Ion Battery Technology. A Semiconductor Solution Protects the Relay in a Temperature Controller for a Cooking Appliance. New Polyurethane Foam Insulation System Optimizes both Insulation Performance and Productivity. Innovations in Decorative, Pre-Finished Metals Expand Range of Design Options for Appliance Designers. Design Marts Association Report: AHAM Advertiser's Index

Appliance Design - March 2008

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