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T he University of Birmingham in the UK has unveiled a hydrogen fueling station. The Air Products Series 100 station is located in the Department of Chemical Engineering, where research projects are under way to ascertain the viability of hydrogen in transport applications as part of Birmingham's Science City hydrogen energy project.
The engineers will compare five hydrogen vehicles with the university's own fleet of gasoline, diesel and pure electric vehicles, to learn more about efficiency and performance. The team, led by Professor Kevin Kendall, will determine how these vehicles need to be adapted to make hydrogen an attractive and cost-effective option as a future fuel.
Air Products designed the Series 100 station to meet the fueling needs of the first hydrogen vehicles to appear on the roads. The integrated compression, hydrogen storage and dispensing system is optimized to fuel up to six vehicles per day. Minimal onsite utilities are required for the fueler, which can be easily moved from site to site, making it ideal for startup hydrogen stations.
'It is essential, now, that we begin to develop a supply chain of businesses which can generate jobs and growth in these new technologies,' says Dr Bruno Pollet, of the university's fuel cells group. 'Hydrogen-powered vehicles will help to create new working partnerships and to bring about a sense of cohesion among those already working in the industry.'
The university has purchased five hydrogen vehicles from Microcab Industries. The Microcab weighs 500 kg and has a maximum speed of 40 mph (64 km/h), with a maximum range of approximately 160 km (100 miles).
The research is part of the university's hydrogen energy project, with funding from the Advantage West Midlands regional development agency to develop hydrogen energy in collaboration with the University of Warwick. The 'green' hydrogen for the trial -produced using renewable energy -comes from Green Gases Ltd.
Last fall the university's engineers unveiled a zero-emission hydrogen hybrid canal boat. The boat is fully operational, and demonstrates how a combination of magnet and fuel cell technologies could be used to power inland waterways craft.
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