UPS and Fuel Cells
Fuel cells from Critical Power Supplies provide a more environmentally friendly form of power than diesel generators. They are a viable alternative where a generator cannot be used due to limited installation space, organisation environmental policies requiring carbon-neutral technologies and the use of ‘clean energy’ or where planning permission cannot be granted due to noise pollution restrictions.
Fuel cells are comparatively quiet aside from the electricity they generate (and heat), their only other output is water vapour. Their relatively compact size and footprints makes them ideal alternatives to standby diesel generators for long runtime applications. Their fuel is hydrogen which will require storage onsite in the form of readily available canisters.
Critical Power Supplies aims to supply the most technologically advanced and environmentally friendly power systems. We only work with ‘best in class’ technology partners who can meet our supply chain standards for quality, health and safety, and environmental ECO management.
Chloride fuel cell UPS systems incorporate IdaTech fuel cells as an environmentally friendly alternative to batteries and diesel generators. IdaTech fuel cells use Proton Exchange Membrane (PEM) technology, see below for more information.
What is a Proton Exchange Membrane (PEM) fuel cell?
IdaTech uses PEM technology in its fuel cells because it has demonstrated the greatest potential to achieve low cost, fast response time, high reliability and long life in a compact and light-weight package. Fuel cell systems based on PEM fuel cell stacks are the most mature and most widely used and commonly deployed systems in the industry.
A PEM fuel cell is comprised of two adjacent chambers—the anode side and the cathode side—separated by a membrane. Hydrogen gas from the fuel processor enters the anode side of the fuel cell where the atoms react with a platinum catalyst on the membrane, releasing their electrons.
|PEM Fuel Cell|
The anode chamber then becomes flooded with free electrons and with hydrogen protons (hydrogen atoms stripped of their electrons). The positively charged hydrogen protons pass through the membrane into the cathode side of the fuel cell.
The electrons exit the anode side of the fuel cell and flow into an external electrical circuit. After running through the circuit, the electrons re-enter the fuel cell on the cathode side, completing the electrical path. On the cathode side of the fuel cell, the hydrogen protons that passed through the membrane combine with the free electrons and with oxygen molecules to produce pure water and heat.
For advice, a site survey or quotation, call us on 0800 978 8988, fax your specification/tender to 0845 519 3639 or email us. If you cannot find the brand, size or product you are looking for on our website, please let us know.
Price on Application
Our Power and Energy teams are available to review your requirements – call us on 0800 978 8988 seven days a week to a arrange a free of charge site audit Tenders, specifications or brochures can be sent as attachments to your email or please fax them to us on 0845 519 3639 – we will come back to you within 30minutes.