ITM Power plc technical update – March 2008

During January 2008, the Company announced that it had operated an electrolyser stack at low pressure using inputs in excess of 25kW, and another smaller unit at a pressure of 50 bar. At that time it had not been possible to operate an electrolyser at 75 bar as required so that the Home Refuelling Unit (HRU) could give the ITM bi-fuel hydrogen-petrol car a range of 25 miles when operating on hydrogen.

The Company has now announced that it has constructed an electrolyser stack and operated it at 75 bar using the ITM designed balance of plant, thus demonstrating all the components of the HRU at full specification pressure for the first time.

During these tests, an electrolyser stack was pressure tested to 110 bar, and then operated under the control of the refueller unit to self pressurise up to the maximum design operating pressure of 75 bar after which it repeatedly filled an external portable pressure cylinder to the same pressure.

In summary, the present trials demonstrate the capability of the ITM electrolyser system to operate at the design pressure to charge external pressure vessels to the operating pressure required to give the ITM car its full design range of 25 miles.

Jim Heathcote, CEO ITM Power, commented: “This is a major step in the demonstration of ITM's electrolyser technology and equally importantly the associated balance of plant. The 75 bar pressure objective is important because it ensures that the ITM hydrogen car can achieve the 25 mile range; but once achieved, it also means that the Company can be confident that it can meet and service many other commercial opportunities for which the pressure requirements are less than 75 bar; for example, low carbon homes and standby power systems.”

Source: Fuel Cell Today