THE INTERNATIONAL MAGAZINE FOR INDUSTRIAL VEHICLE TECHNOLOGY, DESIGN & ENGINEERING
October/November 2007
A timely
boost
The lift-truck industry’s
adoption of hydrogen fuel
cells leaves the rest
trailing in its wake
FUEL CELLS
steve medwin, The Raymond Corporation
DO WE HAVE
LIF T-off?
The lift-truck industry is leaving the automotive sector trailing
in its wake as far as the adoption of hydrogen fuel-cell
Picture courtesy of NASA
technology is concerned. But just how likely is it to take off?
iVT International October/november 2007
FUEL CELLS
F
or years, the automotive
industry has been buzzing about
hydrogen fuel-cell technology as
an alternative to gasoline, but
manufacturers have yet to make
it a reality for consumers. The
materials handling industry, on the
other hand, is leading the way to
successfully implementing this
technology in electric lift-trucks – and it
is quickly becoming a viable alternative
to lead-acid batteries.
New research is helping to evaluate
the benefits and challenges of replacing
electric batteries with hydrogen fuel-cell
technology in lift-trucks. As new research
results become available in the coming
years, the materials handling industry
will be able to refine its understanding
of this technology’s potential. In the
meantime, managers in warehouses and
distribution centres who want a
competitive edge should start learning
about fuel cells now to evaluate the
possible benefits for their operations.
Fuel cell as ‘battery emulator’
A fuel cell is an electrochemical energy
conversion device. Energy is stored as
hydrogen gas and converted into
electricity as needed. By converting the
hydrogen and oxygen into water,
hydrogen fuel cells produce electricity.
Unlike other power methods, such as
internal combustion engines, there is no
pollution as a result of the process, as
the only by-products generated are
water and heat.
A fuel cell system is really a hybrid,
because the fuel cell itself is partnered
with either super-capacitors or a small
battery. The fuel cell provides the steady
power source, and the capacitor or
battery provides supplemental power in
instances of higher demands. A built-in
computer manages this power flow.
iVT International October/november 2007
FUEL CELLS
With its chemical engine and hybrid
components, the system is designed to
emulate the performance of a lead-acid
battery – but sharing none of its other
characteristics, it can not be termed a
‘battery replacement.’
Hydrogen is a readily available
industrial gas that can be shipped from
the manufacturer to facilities via truck
in liquid or gas form, or it can be
generated on-site. Either method
requires special equipment to compress
the gas to the specific pressures needed
to fuel lift-trucks. In addition, a
hydrogen dispenser is needed to rapidly
fill the lift-truck’s fuel tank.
Defining the benefits
While the development of fuel-cell
technology in lift-trucks is still in its
infancy and may currently be costprohibitive for most facilities, it has the
long-term potential to generate notable
cost savings through higher operator
productivity, longer lift-truck run times
and the elimination of battery-charging
infrastructure – especially in high
throughput applications.
Presently, the materials handling
industry is comfortable with lead-acid
batteries, which also provide the
necessary counterweight in lift-trucks
and are readily removable when their
energy is depleted. However, they
typically only last one shift in a highuse application, and the recharge cycle
is long because batteries generally take
one shift to charge and another shift to
cool down. In a three-shift operation,
therefore, three or more batteries may
be needed, in addition to the room it
takes to store and recharge them.
Conversely, hydrogen fuel cells offer
the potential for higher productivity
Refuelling takes just a few minutes at Raymond’s indoor station
Humidifier
Humidifier
simply because they can rapidly refuel.
To restore energy, the operator drives
the truck to one of several refuelling
stations located around the facility and
fills the tank with hydrogen in minutes.
And unlike a battery-powered lift-truck,
in which the voltage drops as the
battery discharges, the voltage delivered
by a fuel cell remains constant – a fuel
cell-powered lift-truck will not
experience performance degradation
until the hydrogen completely runs out.
Another benefit of this technology is
that it is environmentally clean: the
only by-products are water and heat.
Fuel cell lift-trucks could also perform
better in cold storage, although none are
currently rated for such low temperatures.
The performance and range of trucks
with lead-acid batteries is reduced when
they are driven in freezers, but a fuel cell
lift-truck will maintain its performance
as voltage and current remain the same
at cold temperatures.
Designing lift-trucks with fuel cells in mind
A deceptively simple-looking fuel cell
from PlugPower
iVT International October/november 2007
At the current stage of hydrogen fuel
cell-powered lift-truck evolution, the
focus is strictly on battery replacement –
the lead-acid battery is removed from
the lift-truck and replaced with a fuel
cell system of the same size and energy
capacity. The truck does not recognise
that it is being powered by a hydrogen
fuel cell system instead of a battery. Fuel
cell systems that incorporate battery
replacement technology are
commercially available today.
The anticipated next step will require
very close co-operation between lifttruck OEMs and fuel cell suppliers as
they modify the existing lift-truck
platform so that the fuel cell
components are distributed in an
optimum way around the truck. But the
ultimate evolutionary step in fuel cell
lift-trucks is a clean-sheet design with
the fuel cell completely integrated into
the truck. In this phase, lift-truck OEMs
will do most of the development while
working closely with suppliers of fuel
cell components. As this technology
continues to progress, the materials
handling industry may ultimately
achieve this evolutionary step.
Raymond researches in a ‘living lab’
The Raymond Corporation was recently
awarded a US$750,000 contract by the
New York State Energy Research and
FUEL CELLS
The fuel-cell cycle is a clean and safe way of producing and converting energy
Development Authority to research
hydrogen fuel-cell applications in
electric lift-trucks. By mid-2007, the
company’s Greene, New York,
manufacturing facility had become a
‘living lab,’ with fuel cell-powered lifttrucks being used in real applications.
The goal of the two-year research
programme is to study and evaluate the
performance of hydrogen fuel and to
demonstrate the safety of a hydrogenfueled lift-truck environment.
Raymond has, therefore, installed the
necessary infrastructure for an indoor
fast-fill hydrogen refuelling system
(refuelling systems are typically installed
outdoors for automotive use). This
indoor refuelling system meets all code
and standard requirements and
documented best practices for the
design and application of indoor
refuelling systems. It is the first indoor
refuelling system in New York state.
Research findings to date
Raymond’s tests in a real facility
environment are still in the early stages,
so a deep understanding of the
technology’s benefits and challenges is
forthcoming. But even after using the
trucks for a short time, the company is
noting some early findings:
• Performance is the same. The braking
distance and maximum travel and lift
speeds are equivalent to that of a
battery-powered model.
• Refuelling time is greatly reduced. This
takes only a couple of minutes at the
indoor hydrogen refuelling station
compared with the up to 20 minutes it
takes to remove and replace a battery
from the same truck model.
• Capabilities related to minimum
battery weight and centre of gravity
pose a challenge with current truck
designs. Because the hydrogen fuel cell
components do not weigh the same as
heavy lead-acid batteries, which act as
part of the counterweight, additional
weight must be added to the fuel cell
unit. Also, this additional weight must
be distributed within the fuel cell
system so that the centre of gravity is
the same as that of the battery it
replaces. Future lift-trucks may have the
fuel cells wholly incorporated into the
design of the trucks so these issues can
be addressed in a different manner.
Other areas that Raymond is testing,
monitoring and analysing in this ‘living
lab’ research programme include:
• Hydrogen consumption and frequency
of refuelling;
• Operation of the hydrogen
infrastructure and refuelling;
A Raymond class 2 truck with a General
Hydrogen-design fuel cell
•The reliability, maintenance and repair
ability of the fuel cell systems;
• Voltage delivered, and how it compares
with the specifications for all the electrical
components and options on a truck.
Evaluating fuel cells
Much like the manufacturing
companies, suppliers and associations
involved in developing and studying
fuel cell technology, managers in
warehouses and distribution centres also
can take the appropriate steps to
become educated in, and evaluate, the
technology. Important considerations
for facility managers to prepare for the
emerging technology are:
• Talking to lift-truck dealers or
manufacturers about fuel cells to find
out if available units will work with
specific fleets;
• Understanding the important issues
related to integration, such as electrical
and mechanical interfaces, stability and
counterweight, and emergency stop;
• Investigating the costs of hydrogen
and hydrogen infrastructure, and
evaluating whether implementing the
technology is cost-effective.
Though fuel cell technology is still
on the horizon in the automotive
industry, in the materials handling
industry, it is already here. It will not be
long before the materials handling
industry sees wide adoption of this
technology and takes advantage of the
higher productivity and cleaner running
that it can offer. iVT
. As manager of advanced research at The
A Raymond class 3 truck with a Cellex Power design
Raymond Corporation, Steve Medwin is
responsible for evaluating the application of fuel
cell technology. He is on both the Industrial
Truck Association’s Fuel Cell Working Group and
the UL 2267 Standards Technical Panel for Fuel
Cell Power Systems for Industrial Electric Trucks.
iVT International October/november 2007
FUEL CELLS
Battery vs. fuel cell voltage:
As a battery discharges, voltage drops and lift truck performance is degraded. In contrast, Raymond’s research
found that the voltage delivered by a fuel cell remains constant until the fuel is depleted.
Lift truck evolution:
Currently, either fuel cells are used as drop-in replacements for batteries or minor truck modifications are
made to accommodate the fuel cell (Figure 1). The next step in lift truck design is to modify the existing truck
platform so that new trucks can ship with a fuel cell option and the fuel cell components can be distributed
in an optimum way around an existing truck (Figure 2). Future lift trucks may have the fuel cells wholly
incorporated into the design of the truck from the original concept (Figure 3).
Contact:
The Raymond Corporation
South Canal Street
Greene, NY 13778
(800) 235-7200
www.raymondcorp.com
OF NEW JERSEY, LLC
CONTACT US TODAY