Financial Daily from THE HINDU group of publications
Wednesday, May 21, 2003
Financial Daily from THE HINDU group of publications Wednesday, May 21, 2003 |
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Industry & Economy
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Science & Technology IICT planning to make compact 5 KW cells Our Bureau
HYDERABAD, May 20 HAVING demonstrated the feasibility of a 5-KW fuel cell, the Hyderabad-based Indian Institute of Chemical Technology (IICT) is now planning to fabricate compact units of these fuel cells and target them for varied applications. IICT and SPIC, Chennai have set up a pilot plant for the development of fuel cells using the catalysis method. The two, along with the Advanced Research Centre for Powder Metallurgy (ARCI) and the BHEL R&D unit, Hyderabad have developed a methanol reformer for a 10 KW fuel cell. "We are now trying to bring in the corporate research and development (R&D) of BHEL, Hyderabad also into the future ventures," Dr K.V. Raghavan, Director of IICT, told Business Line. The BHEL R&D unit has developed a 50 KW fuel cell, which has been installed at Rayalseema Alkalies. A dedicated group has been working on developing fuel cells, improving efficiencies and finding more applications. IICT's research initiatives got a fillip recently with the Ministry of Non-conventional Energy Sources (MNES) sanctioning a support of Rs 1.5 crore for the development of a prototype 50 KW fuel cell, Dr Raghavan said. The laboratory's scientists use an indigenous catalyst to reform methanol to produce hydrogen for the fuel cells. The energy thus produced in the fuel cells is considered clean. Worldwide, researchers use different raw material to produce hydrogen. These include naphtha, natural gas, methanol and two hydrogen byproducts. Fuel cells are simple devices used for producing electricity through a clean process, which is the opposite of electrolysis in which water is separated into hydrogen and oxygen. Efforts are on by global R&D driven energy companies to develop 1 KW fuel cells for domestic needs. Already, fuel cells have been used to power automobiles.
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