New tech for clean, low-cost power

PUNE: With a dual aim of bridging the energy gap at a low cost without harming the environment, a group of three Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) labs, including the National Chemical Laboratory (NCL), Pune is developing low cost fuel cells using indigenous components, which can help generate power using hydrogen as an alternate fuel to reduce the emission levels significantly.

 

The three CSIR labs working in this project are NCL, Pune, National Physics Laboratory (Delhi) and Central Electrochemical Research Institute, Karaikudi, in Tamil Nadu. The project has been undertaken by CSIR under the R&D programme New Millennium Initiative in Technology Leadership for India.

 

“Fuel Cell (FC) is an electromechanical power source with advantage of both the combustion engine and the battery. It operates quickly and efficiently when hydrogen is used as a fuel. It generates only power and water. Thus a FC is a zero emission engine,” junior scientist NCL, K Sreekumar told Sakaal Times.

 

In the past, several FC concepts have been tested in the laboratory. Amongst them, Polymer Electrolyte Membrane Fuel Cells (PEMFCs) are considered as attractive power systems for quick startup operations and major technology advancements in this area.

 

But Nafion membranes, the commercial proton conducting membranes used in PEMFCs produced by US chemical giant Dupont, are very expensive.

 

“We have found that this problem can be solved by incorporating tiny carbon nanotubes into the Nafion membrane. It works and energy activation process i.e proton mobility of the membrane is increased by a large margin,” Project Assistant (PA)-II, NCL, Bipinlal U said.

 

Along with this, NCL has an indigenously developed proton conducting membrane, which can be operated at higher temperatures where Nafion membranes usually fail due to their direct dependency on cell humidification to facilitate proton conduction.   

 

Using the modified fuel the original energy production cost is approximately 1000/Kilowatt (Rs 45000/kw). The aim is USD 100/kw (Rs 450), Bipinlal said.

 

Since FC development is an integrated technology, the total energy cost depends on many parameters and always a high level of indigenization in terms of components and processes developments is expected to give cost effective products in the Indian energy market.

 

“Currently the aim of the project is to help generate static power. But the long term plan is to use the process for running hybrid cars. Reliance Industries Limited is one of the industrial partners for testing the technology at a larger level,” NCL director S Sivaram said.