Nippon Oil Corp. of Japan and Tokyo-based Ebara Ballard Corp., a joint company of Ebara Corp. and Canada's Ballard Power Systems Inc., the world's largest fuel cell company, have developed a kerosene fueled one-kilowatt polymer electrolyte fuel cell (PEFC) system for residential use and started the world's first verification testing at Nippon Petroleum Refining Company's Yokohama Refinery.

The joint group believes that a kerosene-fueled PEFC will offer large cost benefits because kerosene is high in energy density and cost-effective. The group has overcome many technical hurdles by combining Nippon Oil's advanced catalyst-based oil reforming technology, Ebara Ballard's cutting-edge technology in fuel cell system and Ebara's production technology.

The newly developed test model of the one-kilowatt fuel cell unit for residential use has an electrical efficiency of 33 percent, paving the way to the target of 36 percent. The product is 1 by 0.9 by 0.3 meters in size.

Further joint development work will continue among the three companies with the focus on improving power generation and heat recovery efficiencies (total energy efficiency target is 76 percent) and compactness. The companies aim at a market launch in fiscal 2006.



Posted: 2004/07/26 12:21:27 PM
Japanese version

TAG Eco-product/Business , Energy , Manufacturing industry , Non-manufacturing industry , Technology