Polymer Electrolyte Membrane
To function, the membrane must conduct hydrogen ions (protons) but not electrons as this would in effect “short circuit” the fuel cell. The membrane must also not allow either gas to pass to the other side of the cell, a problem known as gas crossover. Finally, the membrane must be resistant to the reducing environment at the cathode as well as the harsh oxidative environment at the anode.

Horizon produces extremely compact, lightweight, PEM fuel cells at varying degrees of complexity and performance, as well as deliver hydrogen storage and on-site hydrogen generation solutions that are suitable for many specialty and mainstream applications, including consumer electronics, portable emergency power, stationary back-up power, aerospace systems, and clean transportation solutions.

H-4000 4kW PEM Fuel Cell System

Check out Horizon’s new H-4000 4kW PEM Fuel Cell System is the lightest, most compact (and most competitively priced) 4kW system in the world. Data Sheet HERE

Horizon supplies systems to engineers and researchers within large corporations, government organizations, research institutes and universities around the world. They are known to be the world’s lightest, most compact, and most affordable units worldwide. Horizon’s fuel cells are simple, air-breathing, air-cooled, self-humidified systems that limit peripherals to the bare minimum. The semi-integrated unit comes in a kit format for more integration flexibility.

Watch as Horizon Fuel Cell Technologies shows off a handful of devices at the 2008 Consumer Electronics Show that turn ordinary tap water into electricity, which can then be used to supply power to a range of devices – from notebook computers to mobile phones. TechWebTV’s David Berlind interviews the company’s co-founder Taras Wankewycz to find out how the Singapore-based startup has managed this bit of magic.

Test Equipment Connection Corp. announced today that is has entered into a Distribution Agreement to market and sell new Horizon Fuel Cell Technology H-Series Fuel Cell Systems and Greenhub Powerbox UPS solutions. Horizon Fuel Cell Technologies manufactures a wide range hydrogen fuel cell UPS stand by power systems.

“Horizon Greenhub UPS stack systems are compact, self-dehumidifying and self-regulating, ” said President and COO Mike Novello. “The GreenHub line ranges from 500W to 2kW and includes innovative remote control features via GPRS using iPhones or PDA’s. The H-Series PEM Fuel Cell Systems are also known to be the most affordable clean power solutions of its type worldwide.”

About Horizon Fuel Cell Technology Pte. Ltd.

Horizon Fuel Cell Technology Pte. Ltd. has emerged as the world’s leading producer of fuel cell products, establishing its brand as an innovator and industry leader. Horizon products in the market today are the result of technological achievements combined with a passion for product design and marketing. Many of Horizon’s zero emissions fuel cell products are already found in larger-scale complex industrial and aerospace applications. Horizon pioneered the sale of next-generation fuel cell power products in small consumer products, while developing larger-scale clean power solutions for practical applications in portable remote power, light-duty transportation and aerospace-defense. Horizon is the first company to bring advanced fuel cell technology out of the laboratories and into the mainstream market.

About Test Equipment Connection Corporation

Test Equipment Connection Corp., Test Equipment Connection Pte. Ltd., and TE Connection Asia Limited are industry-leading suppliers of new, refurbished and second-hand electronic test and measurement (“T&M”) equipment. The companies sell, buy, lease, rent, trade, repair and calibrate over 315 manufacturers including Anritsu, Rohde & Schwarz, Agilent, Tektronix, Advantest, LeCroy, Chroma and Fluke, with thousands of products available. The companies are a single source supplier with in-house calibration laboratories assuring that customers receive only the highest quality T&M equipment and support. Test Equipment Connection Corporation has over 250,000 customers, a 45,000 square foot warehouse and repair facility in the US, and 17 years of profitability and financial strength. Visit www.testequipmentconnection.com  or email sales@testequipmentconnection.com for more information.

Test Equipment Connection Corporation
30 Skyline Drive
Lake Mary, FL 32746 USA   (800) 615-8378 x 141

Test Equipment Connection Pte. Ltd.
6 Battery Road
#31-00 Standard Chartered Bank Building
Singapore 049909
Telephone: 65-6320-8596

TE Connection Asia, Ltd.
Unit 13, 16 / FL Fotan Industrial Centre
26-28 Au Pui Wan Street
Fotan Shatin N.T. Hong Kong   Telephone: 852-2690-1360

Download this Press Release in PDF format – HERE

Military vehicles provide special testing challenges because they operate at extremely high power levels under extreme environmental conditions, often requiring new and experimental technologies. Currently no such facility exists to meet these challenges; therefore, the Army determined it needed a one-of a kind, fully integrated test facility.

The Army contracted Southwest Research Institute (SwRI), which has operated the government-owned TARDEC Fuels and Lubricants Research Laboratory in San Antonio for more than 50 years, to provide engineering support services for GSPEL. The task included developing the demanding equipment and facility specifications needed for the state-of-the-art laboratory.

The TARDEC Ground Vehicle Power and Mobility (GVPM) Directorate operates its primary testing facility at the Detroit Arsenal in Warren, Mich., where engines and vehicles are evaluated on dynamometers and in environmental chambers under extreme environmental conditions. GSPEL, expected to be operational in two years, will be built at this facility and will work alongside these existing structures.

The facility will contain eight engineering laboratories for evaluating hybrid electric components, advanced energy storage devices, fuel cells, heat exchangers and air filtration systems. In addition to assessing entire vehicles, the laboratory will be equipped to test vehicle systems and components such as engines, transmissions, axles, electric motors, batteries, ultracapacitors, engine auxiliary systems, air filters and radiators.

To prepare this specification, SwRI assembled a team of more than 30 engineers with a broad array of engineering expertise. The project initially involved quantifying the Army’s future vehicle and component testing needs. Thereafter, the team sized and specified equipment that could properly meet these requirements based on duty cycles and, in many cases, the limits of current technology. SwRI then created floor plans and 3-D facility models, and evaluated them based on work flow patterns, lab-to-lab interrelationships and physical plant considerations. The most significant challenge was the design of a 75-foot-long wind simulator capable of flowing air across a military tank at 43 mph with simultaneous environmental temperature control from -65 to 160 degrees F and humidity from 5–95 percent RH along
with soar loading. Working in conjunction with the wind simulator will be 10 electrically regenerative dynamometers.

Another challenge was the design of a calorimeter or test facility capable of evaluating large radiators used in military vehicles. The team designed a system capable of flowing 50,000 CFM of air to enable this testing. As part of the facility considerations, the team also was involved in quantifying the overall requirements for electricity, cooling water and steam.

SwRI helped design the facility to meet an Army mandate that all new construction be certified under the “Silver” category of the U.S. Green Building Council’s Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Green Building Rating System. LEED is a third-party certification program that encourages sustainable “green” building and development practices through universally accepted tools and performance criteria.

“GSPEL’s primary mission is to reduce the development time while simultaneously improving reliability associated with advanced technologies so they can be used immediately with high confidence in demanding Army conditions. In this way GSPEL will help to expedite the integration of hybrid-electric and fuel-cell technologies into advanced military vehicles,” says Mike Kluger, a senior program manager in the SwRI Fuels and Lubricants Research Division. “In doing so, it will help reduce vehicle fuel consumption and improve overall vehicle performance.”

“The Ground Systems Power and Energy Laboratory will have the test equipment and engineering know-how to work at unprecedented levels,” says Dr. Thomas Killion, the Army’s Chief Scientist. “Upon completion, this facility will not only dramatically reduce component and vehicle testing time in demanding military conditions, but also give the Army the capability to exploit integration of new power and energy technologies for a wide variety of new military vehicles.”

Equipment features include 11 AC electrically regenerative dynamometers rated up to 26,500 foot-pounds of torque and 1,000 rpm; a full-size vehicle chamber with environmental controls for temperature, humidity and solar simulation; three power supplies of extremely high voltage; and one of the world’s largest calorimeters for testing radiators, engine coolers and transmission coolers. An extensive suite of instrumentation for measuring torques, speeds, pressures, flows and temperatures also is included. (www.swri.org)

Some of the Electronic Test Equipment in use at these facilities includes the following:

Agilent 11848A Phase Noise Interface
Agilent 3048A Phase Noise Measurement System
Agilent 8713B RF Network Analyzer
Agilent 87405C Preamplifier
Fluke 6039A Frequency Synthesizer
Chroma 61605 Programmable AC Source
North Atlantic Industries 8810 Angle Position Indicator