Fill 'er up
Green cars and fume-free fueling stations
Penn State is ready for the future. Teamed with the energy experts at Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. (APCI), Penn State has installed one of the first hydrogen fueling stations on the east coast.
Designed to be a demonstration project, this futuristic pit stop uses natural gas as a feed stock for a hydrogen reformer to fuel a fleet of vehicles—including up to eight utility vans, three Centre Area Transportation Authority (CATA) buses, and a fuel cell car. Helping make this vision a reality, the U.S. Department of Energy, the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection, and the Department of Community and Economic Development have all contributed funding to the Penn State project.
Penn State's hydrogen fueling station is located at the Office of Physical Plant across the street from Beaver Stadium.Photo courtesy of Joel Anstrom
Joel Anstrom is thinking ahead. In his view, the long term goal of the project is to reduce reliance on petroleum by introducing a hydrogen infrastructure at gas-competitive prices. Anstrom, director of Penn State's Hybrid and Hydrogen Vehicle Research Center (HHVRC) at the Pennsylvania Transportation Institute (PTI), heads the vehicle fleet and assists Bohdan Kulakowski, professor of mechanical engineering, with the fueling station. He is optimistic that Penn State's hydrogen fueling station is an interim step towards future savings and independence for American drivers. Says Anstrom, "We want to demonstrate a safe, reliable, and affordable hydrogen transportation infrastructure that can be placed at filling stations across the country."
The HHVRC team, with technical support from Collier Technologies, Inc. is converting the Penn State vans and CATA buses to run on a blend of hydrogen and compressed natural gas (HCNG). Collier has patented technology which allows engines to run on up to 40 percent hydrogen blended with natural gas while producing very low emissions. Last October, the Collier staff converted Penn State's first van to the HCNG blend, supplying the training and conversion kits that Penn State mechanics will use to modify the remaining vehicles.
Meet HyLion
Interior of HyLion.Photo by Emily Rowlands
The single car in the fleet has different requirements. "The fuel cell car is an electric vehicle with a hydrogen fuel cell added to extend its range," explains Anstrom. "We call it HyLion." The chassis was donated to Penn State by General Motors with its original electric batteries and some controllers removed. HHVRC compiled a new battery pack and is working to develop the new controllers needed to communicate with the fueling station.
Anstrom says the new controller of HyLion will boost the 24 volt output of the fuel cell up to the 350 volt level. "The 350 volts of the battery pack are manipulated into an alternating current, much like a house current," describes Anstrom. "It propels the drive motor on the front wheels and also allows battery charging and exporting power from the car to the utilty grid."
What did the pump say to the tank?
So how will the Penn State fleet feed its need for fuel? Imagine a conversation between the fuel tank and the filling pump. Unlike a gasoline station, the hydrogen dispensor actually communicates with the vehicles and fueling occurs in a completely sealed system.
The dispenser nozzle is designed to flow fuel only if properly connected and sealed to the car nozzle. It is impossible to release hydrogen from the dispenser nozzle itself, Anstrom says. An electric connector, much like a computer cable, transmits measurements of tank pressure, temperature, and capacity from the car to the station. Control signals allow the station and vehicle to "hand shake" to confirm the start and end of fueling operations. If the proper signals are received, the station will fill the car's tank with hydrogen. Minor faults will cause filling at a slower rate, and major errors will prevent filling altogether.
Sound complicated? Anstrom says it's as easy as gasoline fueling. The driver simply attaches the station's electrical connector to the car to establish initial communication. Next, the hose nozzle is placed over the vehicle receptacle. (A rotating handle on the nozzle turns 180 degrees to create a seal between the station and the car.) Once the driver enters a secure PIN number, the station finishes the fill under computer control. After filling, the nozzle and electrical connector are removed and stored. Eventually, hydrogen dispensers will use wireless communication with the car to eliminate the cable.
Fool-proof fueling
"Although the station is automated to control the process and detect problems, the development team has taken some extra safety precautions," says Anstrom. For instance, the filling hose is designed to detach and seal in the event that the driver speeds away while still attached to the station. ("We have to anticipate human error before it occurs," notes Anstrom.) Extra electrical grounding will prevent static discharges, and the on-campus vehicle storage buildings have hydrogen leak detectors and are designed with an automatic venting system.
Joel Anstrom inspects part of Penn State's vehicle fleet.Photo courtesy of Joel Anstrom
The vehicle demonstration is intended to place substantial demand on the new fueling station, Anstrom says. Daily fueling at the site must consume over 40 percent of the hydrogen to prevent frequent shutdown and startup cycles of the hydrogen reformer. According to Anstrom, PTI's ultimate plan is to fuel the HyLion twice daily, along with the three buses and one or two of the vans. PTI will operate the HyLion on campus; CATA will run the buses on its University Park Loop route; and OPP will operate the vans on campus to perform building maintenance.
Coast-to-coast hydrogen
Anstrom says Penn State's local demonstration is part of a larger scale long-term plan to link to other local hydrogen fueling stations in Washington, D.C., Pennsylvania, Ohio, and Michigan. Stations in these locations currently run vehicles within limited ranges, but the dream is to create a highway from Detroit to D.C., much like the California Hydrogen Highway.
Joel Anstrom, Ph.D., is director of Penn State's Hybrid and Hydrogen Vehicle Research Center at the Pennsylvania Transportation Institute. He can be reached at jra2@psu.edu.
