Air Products to Lead DLA Hydrogen Powered Forklift Demonstration Program By Maura Garvey, Director of Market Research 2007.10 Air Products has signed an agreement with the Defense Logistics Agency's (DLA) Research and Development Program. As lead contractor for a two-year demonstration program, Air Products and its partners will develop the technology infrastructure for an indoor hydrogen fueling station, which will support 20 hydrogen fuel-cellpowered forklifts for daily warehouse operations at the Defense Distribution Depot Susquehanna Pennsylvania (DDSP).
Air Products will collaborate with General Hydrogen, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Plug Power Inc. of Latham, NY, to retrofit 20 lead-acid battery-powered Class 1 forklifts with fuel cell power packs. Air Products will provide the hydrogen fueling station technology infrastructure for the pilot program.
General Hydrogen, which was founded in 1999, was acquired by Plug Power Inc. in the spring of 2007. Plug Power is an established leader in the development and deployment of clean, reliable on-site energy products that integrate fuel cell technology into backup and primary power products. Plug Power also acquired Cellex Power Products, Inc. Both General Hydrogen and Cellex Power were leading developers of hydrogen fuel cell solutions for the material handling industry but focused on different classes within the lift truck market. The acquisitions capitalize on the well established commercial relationships forged by both companies with some of the world's largest material handling operations. With the integration of Cellex and General Hydrogen complete, Plug Power offers an entire product line of motive power solutions for lift truck fleets - under the brand name GenDrive - used in high-throughput warehousing, distribu-tion and manufacturing operations.
DDSP personnel will operate the fuel cell-powered forklifts alongside lead-acid battery forklifts in daily operations. Data to compare costs and operational characteristics will be collected and analyzed to support the development and commercialization of hydrogen fuel cell technologies for Department of Defense (DoD) operations.
"The DLA is to be commended for commencing this demonstration program. Hydrogen-powered forklifts provide an excellent opportunity to continue to grow the potential applications for the use of hydrogen as an energy carrier," said Tom Joseph, Business Development Manager for Hydrogen Energy Systems at Air Products. "We believe the program will demonstrate that hydrogen-powered forklifts will show productivity improvements during active warehouse operations, and also show economic and environmental benefits at the same time."
The refueling of hydrogen fuel cell power packs typically requires less than five minutes, only once or twice daily, depending on use. In contrast, traditional lead-acid battery-powered forklifts must be placed temporarily out of operation for battery replacement every four to six hours. In high throughput operations, it is necessary to house three batteries per truck-one in operation, one charging, and one cooling. This requires valuable floor space dedicated to a battery room, whereas refueling stations for hydrogen fuel cells take up very little floor space. Hydrogen fuel-cell-powered forklifts provide consistent power during use. The power output of batteries declines (battery droop) as the required changeout and recharge time nears, causing a decline in performance as well as added wear on the lift truck motor. Further, hydrogen-powered fuel cell forklifts are more environmentally friendly, without the storage and disposal issues of the toxins associated with lead-acid batteries.
This demonstration program is a continuation of Air Products, work in the hydrogen-powered forklift market. Air Products has been participating in similar work at a manufacturing and assembly plant in Tennessee since January 2006 and a grocery chain warehouse in Texas since March 2007. The projects include providing indoor hydrogen fueling station infrastructure for fueling hydrogen-powered forklifts and automated guided vehicles powered by hydrogen.
Air Products has more than 50 years of hydrogen experience and is on the forefront of hydrogen energy technology development. As the world's largest supplier of merchant hydrogen, Air Products is a leader in the development of the hydrogen infrastructure necessary to fuel hydrogen fuel cell and hydrogen internal combustion engine automobiles, HCNG (hydrogen/compressed natural gas) vehicles, and indoor dispensing stations for forklift applications in manufacturing facilities and warehouses.
