EBZ Process Technology

Energy efficiency is an important task not only for commercial products but also along the whole development chain of SOFC technology.

To reduce the electrical input-power during stack testing (especially interesting for long-term tests) we offer our test rigs with catalytic after burner to regain the heat for the reforming process. This feature reduces the electrical power consumption significantly. Our highly developed test rig software ProControl allows to meet all set points precisely by combination of thermal and electrical energy flows.

This month our costumer SOFC Power puts two of our energy efficient test rigs into operation.

 

 

EBZ together with its sister company A.S.T. Leistungselektronik (www.astle.de), specialist of customer-specific solutions in power electronics, show its business activities at the Group Exhibition Hydrogen + Fuel Cells (www.h2fc-fair.com). Visitors are welcomed at booth E63 in hall 27 to discuss solutions in stack testing and SOFC system development.

 

EBZ is presenting a model of its 1.5 kW SOFC model that is developed in the framework of the European project FC-DISTRICT (www.fc-district.eu).

 

EBZ’s Division Manager Dr. Oliver Posdziech will discuss EBZ status and developments at the public forum on Thursday 7^th April, 03:40 p.m. (www.fair-pr.com). On the April 5, 10:00 a.m., EBZ's Product Manager for SOFC test stands Falk Schröter will present an overview about newest test stand solutions.

 

Please feel free to contact us by email to info@ebz-dresden.de to arrange a meeting at HANNOVER MESSE 2011.

The Integrated Reforming Module (IRM) can be used to operate Staxera’s Integrated Stack Modules with natural gas that is converted in a hydrogen-rich reformate via a steam-reforming process. The steam reformer is heated electrically to allow the customer a complete control of the conversion rate. In order to meet the ISM requirements for the gas inlet temperature, a gas preheater is coupled to the reformer. At the air side, EBZ is delivering a electrical preheater that provides cathode air inlet temperatures up to 850 °C with heat up rates of more than 25 K/min, allowing thermal cycling experiments at full stack level. The electrical air preheater is coupled with an air/air heat exchanger to reduce the electrical consumption of the test stand.

EBZ has delivered and installed six SOFC stack testing units in the research laboratory of Topsoe Fuel Cell (www.topsoefuelcell.com), one of the world-leading SOFC stack manufacturers. The units will be operated with natural gas. With it, TOFC is increasing considerably its stack testing capabilities.

The goal of the BIOCELL project (www.life-biocell.eu) is to demonstrate the feasibility and economic viability of energy production form biogas via both PEMFC and SOFC fuel cells adapted to Waste Water Treatment Plants (WWTP).

 

The SOFC system is equipped with two parallel ISMs from Staxera. It is operated with cleaned sewage gas. The installation site is a WWTP close to Barcelona (Spain), where the unit together with the sewage gas processing and cleaning steps is installed and operated by CETaqua (www.cetaqua.com).

FC-DISTRICT (www.fc-district.eu) targets at an innovative energy production and distribution concept for sustainable and energy efficient districts, exploiting decentralized co-generation. The concept is based on dynamic heat exchange between the buildings equipped with Solid Oxide Fuel Cell based µCHP units for energy production collaborating with improved thermal storage and insulation building systems, the distribution system for electricity as well as heat and the consumer, aiming to achieve energy balance at district level.

 

The project is coordinated by Mostostal (www.mostostal.pl) and the National University of Athens (www.ntua.gr). It is co-financed by the European Commission under grant no. 260105.

 

EBZ is developing together with partners from IKERLAN, Fagor, ECN, TU Bergakademie Freiberg and IST a SOFC-based co-generation system with an electrical power of 1 to 2 kW. The system will be operated with natural gas. A catalytic partial oxidation is used for gas processing in order to reduce system complexity and costs. A first system model will be shown in Hanover 2011.

 

Download for details EBZ FC DISTRICT

EBZ exhibits at the European Fuel Cell Forum together with partners from the Fuel Cell Initiative Saxony. 400 SOFC experts from 35 countries and four continents participate in the conference.

 

EBZ & Staxera (www.staxera.de) present latest operational results of its 3 kW_el SOFC system under the title “Operational Results of a 3 kW Research & Demonstration System”. The system is equipped with two parallel Integrated Stack Modules (ISM) and is fuelled by steam-reformed natural gas. Altogether 4500 operation hours were obtained at a maximum efficiency of about 37 %.

The EU FP6 project “Flame-SOFC”, co-financed by the European Commission has finished successfully. EBZ operated successfully a TPOX (Thermal Partial Oxidation) based system that uses pipeline natural gas. The system is equipped with a 1 kW Integrated Stack Module from Staxera (www.staxera.de). EBZ was responsible for system integration and operation.

 

For more information, please visit the Flame-SOFC website www.flame-sofc.org.

 

EBZ GmbH Fuel Cells & Process Technology shows new products and latest results at the international trade fair HANNOVER MESSE from 19th to 23rd April 2010. As in the years before, EBZ exhibits together with the Fuel Cell Initiative Saxony at the group exhibition “Hydrogen + Fuel Cells”. Please visit us in hall 27 / booth J47.

 

EBZ presents the latest results of the successful cooperation with SOFC stack supplier staxera: The 3 kWel Research & Demonstration Unit has now reached more than 3000 operation hours with two parallel Integrated Stack Modules. The stacks showed no degradation within this period. The SOFC system, operated with steam reformed natural gas, has an electrical efficiency of about 37 %. We are confident, that the SOFC technology has reached a status, where lab prototypes can be transferred into real-world products.

 

Take a closer look at our software solutions: EBZ ProControl and EventMessenger are now available for general applications. The EBZ control and safety software allows the user a flexible, highly automatic and customer-friendly operation of SOFC and process component test rigs.

 

Our Project Manager Falk Schröter, responsible for our SOFC cell and stack test stands, gives a presentation in the Technical Forum on Tuesday with the topic "Automated testing of SOFC stack hotboxes" (download the presentation here). Mr Schröter explains our hard- and software solutions on the example of the integration and operation of the staxera ISM.

 

 

 

 

Im Rahmen der von der sächsischen CDU veranstalteten “Denkfabrik Sachsen” hat die A.S.T. Gruppe innovative Lösungen für die Energieversorgung von morgen vorgestellt. Die EBZ hatte dabei die Gelegenheit, ihre Entwicklungen im Bereich der Festoxidkeramischen Brennstoffzellen (SOFC) einer breiten Öffentlichkeit zu präsentieren. Zusammen mit der Angewandten System-Technik (A.S.T.) wurden zudem neue Entwicklungen auf dem Gebiet des „Energy Harvesting“ vorgestellt. Hier werden Thermoelektrische Generatoren (TEG) verwendet, um aus Abwärme Strom zu erzeugen. Damit können elektrische Geräte, die keinen Netzanschluss haben oder nur eine begrenzte Batteriekapazität aufweisen, autark betreiben werden.

 

Details zur EBZ finden Sie in nebenstehender Pressemitteilung.

 

 

 

 

 

EBZ has delivered a test rig for tubular cells to a Korean customer.

The test rig is equipped with a clamp and shell oven for tubular cells and stacks. The furnace has 3 heating zones along its length to guarantee a uniform temperature profile. Furthermore, electrical gas and air preheaters allow inlet temperatures up to 850°C. The test rig is fueled with LNG, which is pre-reformed by a steam reforming unit. Therefore the cells and stacks can be tested under system-alike conditions.

 

Due to EBZ flexible software the test rig can be run in manual or semi-automatic mode. A multi-step safety system ensures the safe operation during weekends and nighttime.

 

For the growing SOFC market in Korea EBZ works together with the local partner D2T Korea. They attend to our Korean customers from the preparation of the offer to the Final Acceptance Test and the Warranty Service.

 

 

 

 

Staxera and EBZ present joint development programme

As profound studies of the SOFC20 consortium (including Fraunhofer IKTS, Hexis, Plansee, FZ Jülich; financed by NOW, Germany) have shown, SOFC-CHP systems for large applications offer a promising market. Staxera and EBZ have decided to unite their expertise in stack design and system development to move on to larger system sizes.

 

At the SOFC XI Meeting in Vienna from the 5th to the 9th of October 2009 Staxera and EBZ will announce their 3 kW Demonstration System - a first step towards SOFC CHP systems for large applications. Conference visitors are welcome to view our booth (27 & 29) at the industry exhibition and to learn about the advantages of the new demonstration system. The exhibition is open from Monday to Wednesday.

 

Dr. Oliver Posdziech will hold a presentation describing the performance of staxera's integrated stack module (ISM) operated with steam reforming (Friday the 9th, 14:40, Hall B, Level 02 - Red).

 

 

 

Stanislaw Tillich, the Minister President of the Free State of Saxony, informed himself about the development of fuel cell systems at the EBZ GmbH Dresden.

Stanislaw Tillich visited the A.S.T Group at one of her production sites in Dresden. The CEOs Mathias Boeck and Dr. Beate Müller infomed him about the products of the three saxonian companies EBZ GmbH, A.S.T Angewandte System Technik GmbH Dresden and A.S.T Energie- & Umwelttechnik GmbH. The Minister President was impressed by the variety of innovative products that are developed and manufactured by the A.S.T Group.

 

Dr. Oliver Posdziech, Division Manager Fuel Cell Systems of the EBZ GmbH, illustrated Mr. Tillich the progress in SOFC System Development that has been made by the EBZ. The Minster president was very interested in the  expertise of the saxonian company in the field of high temperature component development and Test Rigs for SOFC. The research and development of SOFC systems and the optimization of components has been supported continously by Research Funds of the Saxonian State since the start-up of the EBZ GmbH.

EBZ ProControl successfully launched

At the international trade fair Hannover Messe from April the 20th to 24th 2009 the EBZ GmbH presented its new control Software for Test Rigs EBZ ProControl and showed is latest product developments. As our Project Manager Falk Schröter showed at the Technical Forum of the group exhibition “Hydrogen + Fuel Cells” , EBZ ProControl offers the user a graphical, easy to use tool to implement his own testing programmes. The presentation can be downloaded here: “Professional SOFC testing with EBZ Pro Control“.

 

Furthermore EBZ announced in Hannover the reorganisation of the company into two divisions: Fuel Cells and Process Technology. During the last years the number of customers, who are not based in the fuel cell sector but in different branches, is growing. To meet this new markets and to emphasise the expertise of the EBZ engineers not only in fuel cells but also in high temperature processes at small scales the division Process Technology was founded.