The EFOY ProCabinet Hybrid enables yearly reduction in operating expenditure (OPEX) of up to 90 % over gas generator solutions. The eco-friendly integrated solution was selected by Christiansen Engineering Group for a major midstream company in the western Canadian oil and gas sector in line with their environmental stewardship initiatives to minimize impact. Additional customer benefits are few emissions and increased site autonomy capabilities.
The 500W fuel cell EFOY Pro 12000 Duo will power remote densitometers and associated heaters along pipelines.
The EFOY ProCabinet Hybrid uses SFC Energy’s most powerful fuel cell to date, the EFOY Pro 12000 Duo, combined with solar panels and batteries for a 12/24 Volt DC power system. The system was developed for extreme temperatures from -40°C to +50°C. Remote operation capabilities enable data collection, system configuration, and monitoring. All components are housed in a weatherproof enclosure.
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Hybrid cabinet with integrated fuel cell
“The EFOY ProCabinet Hybrid Solution is the latest addition to our successful portfolio of fully integrated plug & play EFOY Energy Solutions”, says Dr. Peter Podesser, CEO of SFC Energy. “With it, operators of off-grid equipment can reduce their yearly OPEX by up to 90 % compared to gas generators due to the very high energy density and efficiency of the fuel methanol. Our hybrid fuel cell solution is eco-friendly: it produces very few emissions and no harmful emissions like CO, NOx, and CH4. These major advantages helped us win this important order.”
Pipeline application
WINTER BACK UP FOR BATTERIES AND SOLAR PANELS
During the high solar energy months of the year the solar input will maintain the battery bank to cover the load. When the solar system is unable to deliver enough power in winter and bad weather, the EFOY Pro fuel cell will automatically switch on and reliably bridge the energy gap. This prevents the battery bank from deep cycling or freezing, ensuring optimal battery health and lifespan. Hybridization also allows complex and oversized solar system designs to be streamlined, reducing solar array and battery bank sizing by up to 75 %.
The new solution features substantially longer system autonomy with less frequent re-fueling requirements, thus eliminating costly site visits in the middle of winter.
EFOY Pro 12000 Duo is the world’s first stationary direct methanol fuel cell with an output power of 500W to have received the TUEV octagon for fuel cell systems for Europe (IEC 62282-3-100:2012), the US (UL60950-1:2007/R:2014-10) and for Canada (CAN/CSA C22.2 No60950-1:2007/A2:2014-10). The certificates were issued by TUEV Sued Industrie Service GmbH. 35,000 SFC fuel cells are already providing off grid power, for security and safety, oil and gas, wind, traffic management, environmental and telecommunications applications.
EFOY PRO FEATURES TRIPLE AUTONOMY OVER DIESEL GENERATORS
SFC Energy’s popular EFOY Pro fuel cells are being used by Volkswagen for mobile event monitoring systems on board their Amarok Pickup, which is a pilot for future mobile utility vehicles.
The Amarok Pickup with its mobile monitoring system is part of Volkswagen’s security strategy. Video systems on board use their proprietary technology, developed for autonomous, mobile operation with maximum flexibility in any terrain and independent from the grid. The system features immediate readiness with minimum personnel. The integrated fuel cell is responsible for the power supply. Equipped with two 28 litre cartridges it will reliably power the on-board systems for up to six days without any user intervention.
The video system with the fuel cell is installed in the vehicle’s interior for protection. With a set-up time of merely 10 minutes, rapid response crews can react fast to incidents. The vehicle’s instruments communicate with Volkswagen headquarters via standard interface.
The Amarok uses SFC Energy’s most powerful fuel cell to date, the EFOY Pro 12000 Duo. Fuel cell operation is fully automatic and intervention-free. The fuel cell constantly monitors the system batteries’ charge state. Once a critical threshold is reached, the fuel cell automatically starts operation. In operation the fuel cell produces almost zero noise and exhaust emissions, making it the ideal power source for undercover operations.
“We selected the EFOY Pro 12000 Duo for two reasons”, says Andreas Fietze, Group Security Volkswagen. “In operation, it is silent and environmentally friendly. No noise, no emissions! The decisive advantage for us, however, is the tripled autonomy of the on-board systems thanks to the fuel cell. Up to now our teams had to maintain and refuel a generator every second day. Now, the fuel cell powers the monitoring systems on board for up to six days, without us having to do a thing. We can minimize our personnel resources and use them instead for other important tasks.”
Dr. Peter Podesser, CEO of SFC Energy said: “The German Federal Office of Goods Transport has been equipping the complete fleet of their toll inspection vehicles with EFOY Pro fuel cells for several years now. The reliability, maintenance and user free operation of our fuel cells, and the extremely long system autonomy they enable, create real added value for operating electric and electronic devices on board special vehicles.”
VW Amarok with mobile event monitoring equipment
Fuel Cell Power 