News on ERC,
Tuesday August 10, 7:34 am Eastern Time
Company Press Release
Energy Research Corporation Achieves
Significant Life and Scale Up Milestones
With Direct Fuel Cell Power Plants
DANBURY, Conn.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Aug. 10, 1999--Energy Research Corporation
(AMEX:ERC - news) today announced that it has achieved several important technical
milestones with its Direct Fuel Cell power plants including:
10,000 hours of operation by sub-scale, commercial design fuel cell stack
-- Operation of sub-scale fuel cell stack on marine diesel fuel -- 4,000 hours of operation and
record power output of a full-scale,
commercial design fuel cell stack
''These accomplishments further validate our technical approach and demonstrate the longevity
and operability of our Direct Fuel Cells in a grid-connected mode,'' said Jerry Leitman,
president and CEO of Energy Research Corporation. ''We look forward to applying this
knowledge and expertise to our commercial field trials, which we expect will once again
advance the boundaries of fuel cell power plant performance.''
Project details
10,000 hour sub-scale stack operation
The sub-scale stack contains ten full area (9ft2(a)) cells. It completed one year of continuous
operation on April 22, 1999 and met ERC's power plant stability goal. High power density of
1kW per cell was also demonstrated after 1 year of operation. The stack has also undergone
three shutdown-restart cycles, and will continue to operate in order to conduct stress testing at
extreme conditions. ERC intends to use this design for all field trials and market entry DFC(TM)
products. Design for these cells assumes a 5-year overhaul, typical of conventional power
generation equipment which retain a minimum of 90% of their power output after 5 years.
Operation on marine diesel fuel
The sub-scale stack was also operated with marine diesel fuel after sulfur removal. While most
of ERC's efforts are aimed at natural gas as a fuel, the ability to produce electricity efficiently
from liquid fuels could open up new markets for marine and Defense Department applications.
ERC has been examining these applications under a Navy and a Coast Guard sponsored
program. ERC's approach is to convert diesel to a methane-containing stream, which is then
utilized in the fuel cell in a manner similar to a natural gas feed, thus taking advantage of all the
inherent benefits of DFC(TM) technology. In addition to fuel economy, DFC(TM)'s provide
survivability and superior environmental benefits in Marine and defense applications.
Commercial-Design Stack Demonstration
In February 1999, the Company began operating a complete power plant system, which is
connected to ERC's building and to the local grid. The heart of this power plant is a full-size
stack that contains 340 fuel cells. As of August 8, 1999, the power plant has generated more than
650,000 kWh of grid-connected electricity during its 4,000 hours of operation. The power plant
also reached maximum power of 263kW DC -- the highest ever produced in a single fuel cell
stack.
Other technical achievements of note during this demonstration include:
-- The interface with 480V grid has worked flawlessly as designed. -- The balance-of-plant
equipment availability has exceeded 99%. -- The stack has been subjected to planned and
unplanned system
upsets, confirming its ruggedness. -- Exhaust gases from the power plant are ultra-clean: nitrogen
oxide was measured to be below 0.05 ppm, 1000 times lower than
conventional combustion-based power plants. Sulfur dioxide was
below detection limits. -- Since early July, the power plant has been operated in an
unattended mode.
Energy Research Corporation is a world recognized leader in the field of high efficiency fuel
cells for electric power generation ercc.com.
This press release contains forward looking statements, including statements regarding the
Company's plans and expectations regarding the development and commercialization of its fuel
cell technology. All forward-looking statements are subject to risks and uncertainties that could
cause actual results to differ materially from those projected. Factors that could cause such a
difference include, without limitation, the risk that the Company's Direct Fuel Cell Power Plant
will not continue to operate as efficiently as planned, the risk that the Company will not initiate
commercial sales as currently scheduled, general risks associated with product development,
manufacturing and introduction, changes in the utility regulatory environment, potential volatility
of energy prices, rapid technological change, and competition, as well as other risks set forth in
the Company's filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The forward-looking
statements contained herein speak only as of the date of this press release. The Company
expressly disclaims any obligation or undertaking to release publicly any updates or revisions to
any such statement to reflect any change in the Company's expectations or any change in events,
conditions or circumstances on which any such statement is based.
(a) Indicates 9 square feet
Contact:
Baker Communications Group
William V. Baker, 203/792-1400
wbaker@bakercg.com
OR
Energy Research Corporation
Joseph G. Mahler, 203/825-6000
jmahler@ercc.com
More Quotes and News:
Energy Research Corp (New York) (AMEX:ERC - news)
Related News Categories: computers, oil/energy, utilities
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