|
|
| “Open for business,”
says Minister Owen, flanked by Chris Curtis,
VP of Fuel Cells Canada, and Maja Vekovic,
NRC director general |
On November 10th, Canada’s Minister of Western
Economic Diversification Stephen Owen opened a
door to launch a facility to test vehicles and
fuel cells. It was already operating at -25ºC;
it could have been as low as -60ºC and as
high as 140ºC; it will simulate an altitude
of 3,000 meters or 10,000 feet.
The Hydrogen Technology Environmental Chamber
(HTEC) can handle vehicles up to 3,400kg (7,500lb)
with lengths up to 25ft and heights up to 10ft.
It is big enough to take some shuttle buses and
step vans, and it cost less than the price of
four of the new electric trolley buses, which
the citizens of the City of Vancouver will soon
be able to ride. Inside is a dynamometer that
allows the vehicle to run to 100kph.
I was recently in Arizona at Tusayan and thought
I would jog from the hotel to the post office.
I was puzzled why I was breathless, and then I
saw a sign over the post office door that said
the altitude was 6,540 feet. Like people, vehicles
and power generators must operate in climatic
extremes. Today fuel/air ratio controllers learn
and adjust as the oxygen partial pressure changes.
Clearly, production fuel cells will also need
similar controls and they need to be tested at
the low partial pressures of oxygen they will
meet in the field. Likewise humidity and ambient
temperature vary and impact upon fuel cell, engine
and battery operation. Environmental test chambers
are expensive items for small companies.
National Research Council of Canada
Steps In!
HTEC was planned by David Semczyszyn, Mark Rossetto,
and Giles Brules of the National Research Council
to handle hydrogen vehicles. Both fuel cell vehicles
and those with engines can be tested. Indeed,
because the engine exhaust is simply vented, they
say any fuel can be used. Stationary systems,
of course, are easier to test in the chamber.
Amazingly, big though it is, HTEC is designed
to be “portable” and can be moved to
a new site. It is an asset that can be put anywhere
in Canada.
Possibly, for a fee, the HTEC can be used to
train to jog in Arizona; however, you will be
in a line behind those who are accelerating the
commercialization of fuel cells and other efficient
clean energy conversion technologies.
To get in line call Mark Rossetto (604) 221-3000
ext.5607 mark.rossetto@nrc.gc.ca and Yoga Yogendran
(604) 221-3157 yoga.yogendran@nrc.ca.
|
