U.S. scientists develop new clean energy technology

 U.S. scientists have developed a new clean energy known as Direct Methanol Fuel Cell for future Pentagon and commercial applications, it was announced on Thursday.

This novel fuel cell technology uses liquid methanol as a fuel to produce electrical energy, and does not require any fuel processing, according to NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL), which partnered with the University of Southern California (USC) in developing the technology.

Pure water and carbon dioxide are the only byproducts of the fuel cell, and no pollutants are emitted, said JPL in Pasadena, Los Angeles.

Direct Methanol Fuel Cells offer several advantages over other current fuel cell systems, especially with regard to simplicity of design and higher energy density, JPL said.

Current systems rely on hydrogen gas, a substance that is more difficult to transport and store.

"JPL invented the Direct Methanol Fuel Cell concept and also made significant contributions to all the facets of the technology. These contributions include: development of advanced catalyst materials, high-performance fuel cell membrane electrode assemblies, compact fuel cell stacks, and system designs," said JPL Power Technology Program Manager Rao Surampudi.

He said USC worked with JPL in the development and advancement of this technology for defense and commercial applications.

Over the years, those applications have expanded from the original defense applications to include such uses as battery chargers for consumer electronics, electric vehicles, stand-alone power systems, and uninterrupted/emergency power supplies.

"We are looking forward to working closely with the fuel cell industry to further develop this technology to meet future market needs," said Erik Brandon, current Electrochemical Technologies group supervisor at JPL.

From 1989 to 1998, the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) funded JPL and USC to develop direct methanol fuel cells for future defense applications.

"This fuel cell may well become the power source of choice for energy-efficient, non-polluting military and consumer applications," said Gerald Halpert, former Electrochemical Technologies group supervisor at JPL.

Recently, USC and the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena, which manages JPL for NASA, awarded a license to SFC Energy, Inc., the U.S. affiliate of SFC Energy AG, according to JPL.

The non-exclusive license for the technology will facilitate the expansion of the company's methanol fuel cell products into the U.S. market, JPL said.

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