A Sizeable Difference

By Jeff Reinke

Wednesday, January 09, 2008

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By Jeff Reinke, Editorial Director

The demand for personal electronic products with longer run times and smaller power supplies has heightened the interest in recent micro fuel cell developments.

Medis’ 24/7 Power Pack can be used with handheld devices, such as cell phones, MP3 players and PDAs.

Some reports have micro fuel cell implementation becoming mainstream by 2010. By that time, the product category is projected to generate upwards of $100 million in sales, with strong prospects of at least doubling that amount by 2015. That’s a long way from its current status of about $12 million, but the promise of a smaller, longer-lasting power supply in a marketplace that’s driven by the next great innovation could deliver those numbers and more.

Simply stated, a fuel cell is an electrochemical energy conversion device that catalyzes reactions in fuel and oxygen to produce electricity. A fuel cell will operate continuously as long as fuel is present, which in the case of micro fuels cells, can be as much as 10 times longer than the traditional batteries currently in use.

This technology produces compact fuel cell systems with high energy densities that can be ideal for portable power applications in products like cell phones, iPods and PDAs. While the traditional fuel cell that comes to mind is much larger in accommodating various sizes of automobiles, a micro fuel cell is obviously smaller, and in most cases, produces in the neighborhood of 50 watts—not quite enough for a laptop computer.

The challenges in adapting micro fuel cells universally has a great deal to do with their size, ironically enough, and the balance of plant (BOP) infrastructure that’s needed to facilitate the necessary energy-producing reaction. This can include things like miniature pumps and fans that are needed to control fuel delivery, as well as the heat that’s generated during the reaction process.

This is key because the power density is what makes the fuel cell so attractive, i.e. a large amount of power from a component with a smaller footprint. This challenge has led micro fuel cell developers to implement some different fuel-centric approaches in their efforts to eliminate as much BOP as possible in further shrinking the footprint and increasing the power density of the micro fuel cell.

Fueling The Growth
One example of recent micro fuel cell technology development and implementation is MTI Micro’s Mobion Chip and Power Pack, which rely upon a methanol-based fuel technology. Also known as methyl alcohol or wood alcohol, this fuel source can be found naturally in the environment and is generated by biological processes occurring in vegetation, microorganisms and other living species. It is water soluble and biodegradable in either the presence or absence of air. Although it’s obviously flammable, MTI points to the fact that methanol is being used safely and effectively in products such as plastic, paint and even windshield washer fluid.

The company’s selection of methanol also relates to the substance’s high energy per unit of weight ratio, which they say is greater than any stored form of hydrogen applicable for portable power applications, and significantly safer to handle than any form of stored hydrogen. Angstrom Power, a leader in the development of hydrogen-based micro fuel cell technologies, will unveil some new developments in January 2008. Check back with PD&D to see if that claim holds true.

To help offset any potential safety issues, some direct methanol fuel cell (DMFC) systems carry water together with the fuel in the same tank. Although this does help address potential flammability concerns, it also reduces the system’s energy density and, as a result, may not compete favorably against advanced lithium ion batteries. These factors combine to support MTI’s development decisions.

MTI Micro’s Mobion Chip (above) uses a direct methanol fuel cell (DMFC) in providing more power for portable electronic devices.

One of the company’s initial developments is the 100 percent methanol-fed, passive DMFC-powered Mobion® cord-free rechargeable Power Pack, which draws from the Mobion Chip technology shown above. In August 2006, MTI demonstrated a prototype with 95 Wh of continuous run-time, exceeding the energy density of a lithium-ion battery. Not long after, the company produced another model that was 40 percent smaller than that of the original.

By the summer of 2007, a prototype was produced that was another 30 percent smaller than the second. In total, the company was able to reduce the Power Pack’s footprint to less than 200 cc. The unit can fully charge an average cell phone battery eight times with each refill. Additionally, it has demonstrated a power of more than 50 mW/cm², while producing 1.4 Wh/cc of energy from the fuel.

MTI feels that one of the factors driving their ability to decrease fuel cell size stems from a simplified design approach. In some earlier models, water would need to be externally pumped from the cathode to the anode for the chemical reaction to occur, and energy to be produced. With MTI’s process, the water required on the fuel side is transferred internally within the fuel cell from the site of water generation to the air side of the cell.

This internal flow of water takes place without the need for any pumps, complicated re-circulation loops or other micro-plumbing tools. So fewer parts translates to the ability to design and integrate the fuel cell into a smaller system, and at a lower cost from both production and purchasing perspectives. Consuming less space also makes it more scalable to a wider range of product options, from accessories to battery replacements in both the commercial and military markets. The Mobion is also capable of operating at ambient temperatures from 0° to 40°C and at any level of humidity.

MTI’s work seems to have been paying off. The company entered into a relationship with Samsung Electronics in May 2006 to focus on developing Mobion technology for the cellular phone and cellular phone accessories markets. In October 2007, the company announced a collaboration agreement with Samsung in an effort to move towards the consumer launch of a micro fuel cell-powered product in 2009.

Getting To Market
While MTI offers a direct methanol approach, Medis Technologies’ 24/7 Power Pack is based on passive technology, meaning it uses no pumps, valves or moving parts. Although the company doesn’t offer specific information on their fuel source, they do state that all materials used are readily available commercially and in high volume.

This allows the company to keep costs lower in developing and selling their Power Pack. They go on to describe their source as a liquid fuel that is non-flammable, chemically stable and easy to contain over the conditions needed for consumer products. They feel this eliminates any potential fuel management issues that could arise with either hydrogen or methanol. Medis also points to their fuel cells’ flexibility in handling varying temperatures.

Looking at its application potential, the Medis Power Pack is currently available in providing charging capabilities to a broad array of handheld devices, including cell phones, smart phones, MP3s, iPods, digital cameras and gaming systems. The same Power Pack will provide the power through either a one- or two-watt power management system, depending on the power requirements of the product being used.

Fueling The Future
The Mobion Power Pack technology is being developed with adaptability in mind. Ideally, it will not only offer a solution for those handheld products already mentioned, but also offer customized specifications that an OEM may need in terms of power output, size and cost.

“As far as energy density goes, micro fuel cells have barely scratched the surface of potential performance gains,” states MTI Micro CEO Peng Lim, “whereas incumbent battery technologies are fairly maxed out, and only improve slightly each year.

“The product direction we are taking with Mobion technology, which could evolve in parallel or in series, can take three form factors,” he continues. “The first of which is an external, standard multi-purpose charger intended for a portable device. The second approach is similar to an expanded battery in that it would attach to the device itself. The third approach is an embedded power pack design, which integrates directly into the device. In the embedded approach, the refuelling process would simply require a replaceable cartridge.”

Recently, the U.S. Department of Transportation issued a proposed rulemaking to allow passengers to carry and use micro fuel cells and methanol fuel cartridges on-board airplanes to power consumer electronic devices. The proposed rulemaking would allow passengers to carry micro fuel cells in the airplane cabin along with up to two spare fuel cartridges per person. This rulemaking would harmonize U.S. transportation regulations with global regulations adopted by the ICAO, which went into effect on January 1, 2007. A number of countries around the world, including Canada, China, Japan, and the United Kingdom, have already incorporated this passenger allowance into their national standards.

Medis President Robert Lifton adds, “[The Power Pack] is a platform technology, and we are already working to develop chargers for laptops and power for various other products, including military applications with our partners at General Dynamics for their UAVs [unmanned aerial vehicles].“We feel our Power Packs will be less expensive to use than traditional chargers, given the amount of power available at our cost. I can’t speak for micro fuel cell technology other than our own, but we see fuel cells providing power at ever larger power levels.”

Lifton also sees other possible applications and opportunities for these cordless power supplies, and venues that can implement micro fuel cell technology. “In the enterprise market, we see increasing use of software like Windows Mobile, Symbian and Linux to provide sophisticated capabilities in increasing productivity.

“In the retail markets, we see a pattern of increasing capabilities being added to personal electronic devices, including GPS, search, social networking, advertising and banking. Google, Microsoft and Yahoo, among others, are emphasizing their commitment to a mobile computer, and software is being opened up for even more capabilities.

“In the emerging markets of China, India and Africa, we see the large scale use of cell phones and other handheld devices that have limited places to charge their devices. Finally, there is much more awareness today of natural or man-made disasters where the need to have cell phone power availability is crucial.

“All of these instances speak to the need for a product capable of charging devices in a mobile context safely, conveniently and at a low cost, which, as a side benefit, is also green.”

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