New venture funding for Lilliputian Systems

• Publisher: Elsevier Science
• Year: 2006
• Tongue: English
• Weight: 76 KB
• Volume: 2006
• Category: Article
• ISSN: 1464-2859
• DOI: 10.1016/s1464-2859(06)70893-8

✦ Synopsis

Prototech supplies BOP unit to Ceres

N orwegian-based Prototech recently completed final testing of a breadboard balance-of-plant (BOP) unit designed and built for Ceres Power in the UK, for installation at the latter's test and development facility. The unit will be used as a platform for lab testing and development, which is reflected in the modular system design being very different from the expected system layout of a commercial unit.

The BOP unit includes all components necessary for processing the inlet fuel and air streams, as well as the exhaust from the fuel cell. The unit comprises a steamer, heat-exchangers, a catalytic reformer and catalytic burners, in addition to instrumentation for monitoring and control.

The project has been a collaborative effort between the two companies built on the individual expertise of both. The system layout is based on Ceres's specific requirements, while Prototech undertook the individual design of each BOP component. The unit, excluding the stack, was successfully tested at Prototech prior to shipment.

Ceres has agreements with British Gas [FCB, October] and BOC [FCB, November] to commercialize its innovative intermediate-temperature SOFC technology, which uses low-cost materials and existing mass production techniques.

Prototech is collaborating with the University of Bergen in the three-year MSOFC project to develop and test materials, components and processes for SOFCs [FCB, December 2003].