A regenerative zinc air fuel cell for industrial and specialty vehicles

Author

Smedley, Stuart

Author_Institution

Metallic Power Inc., Carlsbad, CA, USA

fYear

2000

fDate

11-14 Jan. 2000

Firstpage

65

Lastpage

70

Abstract

Metallic Power has demonstrated a regenerative zinc/air fuel cell for applications in industrial and specialty vehicles. The fuel cell uses zinc pellets and atmospheric oxygen to generate electric current. The reaction product is zinc oxide, which is collected in a tank. In its present stage of development, the 36 V fuel cell will deliver approximately 6 kWh, with a maximum power of 4 kW. The device is refuelled at a zinc recycling/refuelling station where zinc pellets are pumped into each cell. ZnO is pumped from the tank and replaced with KOH electrolyte. The recycling/refuelling unit uses an electrolytic process to convert zinc oxide powder into zinc pellets.

Keywords

air; electric vehicles; electrochemistry; electrolytes; fuel cells; zinc; 36 V; 4 kW; 6 kWh; KOH; Zn; Zn-air regenerative fuel cell; ZnO; atmospheric oxygen; electric current generation; electric vehicle applications; electrolyte; electrolytic process; reaction product; zinc pellets; zinc recycling/refuelling station; Anodes; Battery powered vehicles; Circuit testing; Current; Fuel cell vehicles; Fuel cells; Particle separators; Powders; Recycling; Zinc oxide;

fLanguage

English

Publisher

ieee

Conference_Titel

Battery Conference on Applications and Advances, 2000. The Fifteenth Annual

Conference_Location

Long Beach, CA, USA

ISSN

1089-8182

Print_ISBN

0-7803-5924-0

Type

conf

DOI

10.1109/BCAA.2000.838377

Filename

838377