Fuel cell powers meteorologic research equipment

EFOY Pro 2400 fuel cells have been successful in providing continuous power to remotely located research equipment. Using the fuel cells as battery backup has ensured valuable readings are recorded in the University of Canterbury Stable Boundary Layer Experiment (STABX).

The STABX is currently being conducted by the University of Canterbury Geography Department. It aims to understand the phenomenon behind the conditions yielding to, maintaining and eventually breaking the stable layer boundary (SBL). The SBL is a natural meteorologic occurrence, and is formed over a cold surface of earth.

The Cass Basin forms part of the Mid-Waimakariri Intermontane River Basin in central South Island, New Zealand. The location provides a wide scope of atmospheric environments that reflect a range of complex topography and diverse surface types, critical to undertake research into the SBL.

The STABX field observational network comprises many intricate monitoring and measuring devices, across multiple locations. Paramount to the project is the installation of three automatic weather stations and SODAR (sound detection and ranging) and RASS (radio acoustic sounding system) equipment. The SODAR-RASS equipment uses both sound and radio waves emitted vertically to measure atmospheric turbulence.

One of the major issues with undertaking research in remote sites such as the Cass Basin is how to power vital equipment. Solar panels along with battery backup were the most obvious choice for the site; however, in times of poor weather there can be limited, or no, sunlight for weeks. Battery banks were left uncharged and, once flattened, research equipment was non-operational and not recording valuable readings. A technician would have to drive out to the site and recharge or swap out the battery bank.

The solution to this problem was the implementation of EFOY Pro fuel cell. Using direct methanol fuel conversion, the fuel cell converts methanol into 12 V or 24 VDC. This recharges the battery bank when the output from the solar panels is too low, or not working, due to poor weather. The fuel cell generators, based on direct methanol fuel cell technology, use an eco-friendly catalytic process to convert methanol into electricity without intermediate steps. This makes the technology a clean way of generating electricity.

The generators can be used to continuously and fully automatically recharge batteries. To do this, the fuel cell generator is connected directly to the battery that supplies equipment and monitors its charge level. Depending on the demand, the fuel cell generator turns on completely automatically, recharges the battery and then switches to stand-by without the need for maintenance or user intervention. The generator supplies electricity at any time of the year or day, making it independent of the weather. It supplies 3-10 times as much energy as a solar power system with the same output throughout the year.

Batteries have very limited autonomy. Whether in vehicles, on building sites or in a switching cabinet, when an application is only powered by batteries, frequent battery changes and, therefore, costs required to keep the application running are high. With an EFOY Pro fuel cell generator, downtimes and maintenance intervals are reduced, deep-discharging of batteries is avoided and the battery’s autonomy is increased many times over.

Regular generators are noisy, dirty and frequently need to be filled with fuel and have regular oil changes. EFOY Pro Fuel Cell generators are quiet, produce only small quantities of CO₂ and have long autonomy, without the need for maintenance. They can be operated without hesitation in vehicles, conservation areas and closed spaces.