Diesel Progress / Diesel Progress July 2006 / Fuel Cell APU Announced

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Fuel Cell APU Announced

Modine Manufacturing Co. has unveiled a new fuel cell product designed to reduce emissions and cut costs in over the road truck applications. The new advanced idle reduction system (idle-off) incorporates high efficiency, zero emissions fuel cells and utilizes carbon dioxide (CO2) as a refrigerant. The new idle-off system can be used for both cooling and heating the sleeper cabin in a heavy-duty truck, creating multiple benefits for truck drivers and fleets, the company said.

The new CO2 air-conditioning and heating system was designed internally by Modine at its research and development facility in Racine, Wis. Using a CO2 heat pump to heat the cabin in cold weather conditions is more energy efficient than using other conventional heating products, Modine said. A General Hydrogen Corp. fuel cell power pack uses hydrogen gas as the fuel with the only byproduct being water. It was specifically designed for a truck auxiliary power unit application to produce electrical energy continuously for more than 10 hours. The thermal management system was designed and built by Modine’s fuel cell products group.

“Our engineers are working on cutting-edge technologies in various areas, including fuel cells, CO2, and HVAC,” said Dr. Jonathan Wattelet, Modine Director of Research and Development. “This product gives us an opportunity to combine these technologies in one package.”