Tuesday, September 2, 2003
Evaluating Fuel Cell Safety
Posted by Janak Parekh in "HARDWARE" @ 09:00 PM
We've discussed fuel cells here before, and a consistent concern has been raised in the forums about how flammable fuel cells would be, and whether they could ever be adopted in environments like airplanes. Fuel cell manufacturers are actively working on these problems.
"Methanol, a type of alcohol, is flammable, but fuel cells typically use less than 24 percent methanol in water, said John Goodman, president of the fuel cell division at Entegris, which makes fuel cell components. 'The issue isn't 'Are flammable liquids safe on an aircraft?' They already are allowed with liquor and perfume,' said Goodman."
They also envision fuel cells being as small as cigarette lighters, trivially replaceable, yet lasting 10 hours. If they can guarantee the safety of these solutions, it could be the final step needed for mass adoption.
"Methanol, a type of alcohol, is flammable, but fuel cells typically use less than 24 percent methanol in water, said John Goodman, president of the fuel cell division at Entegris, which makes fuel cell components. 'The issue isn't 'Are flammable liquids safe on an aircraft?' They already are allowed with liquor and perfume,' said Goodman."
They also envision fuel cells being as small as cigarette lighters, trivially replaceable, yet lasting 10 hours. If they can guarantee the safety of these solutions, it could be the final step needed for mass adoption.
