Helbio S.A. in Patras, Greece, has received an order from a major Greek telecommunications company for a 5 kWe Fuel Cell Power System operating on commercial propane. The system will be equipped with a High Temperature PEM fuel cell and will be designed for unattended and in remote locations operation, without the need for external power input.
The APU system, ordered is the sixth propane powered fuel cell of this kind sold by Helbio.
The system delivers 5 kW electrical energy, using commercial propane or LPG as the energy source. It consists of a fuel processor which converts the fuel and water into a hydrogen rich stream, suitable to be fed into a HT PEM fuel cell. Reformation of propane is carried out in the steam-reforming mode within specially designed reactor/catalyst system. Elimination of CO is achieved by a single stage water gas shift reactor. The effluent contains less than 1.5 vol. % CO. The fuel cell used in this system is manufactured by a US company. The fuel processor and the fuel cell are highly integrated and controlled via a common scheme, thus operating in a very efficient manner.
