The EMILY 2200 fuel cell by SFC – The technology behind it

The EMILY incorporates commercial EFOY fuel-cell technology for vehicle-based defense purposes. Like all SFC fuel cells, the EMILY 2200 is a direct-methanol unit which uses liquid methanol to produce electricity in a single efficient step.

The EMILY 2200 fuel cell in operation

To supply power in a vehicle – The EMILY connects to the vehicle’s battery which actually delivers electricity to the different devices. Its built-in regulators allow the EMILY to monitor battery voltage continually. Should it dip below a preset threshold, the EMILY will cut in automatically to recharge the battery. Once the battery is charged, the EMILY reverts to standby mode – again, fully automatically. The process occurs silently and without any harmful emissions. The process of power generation is imperceptible, a decisive strategic advantage in situations in which the vehicle should not be detected.

Approved for use in the German Armed Forces

  

EMILY 2200 has been successfully qualified for military use by the Bundeswehr technical center 41. Therefore, EMILY 2200 is officially approved for use in the German Armed Forces

Certficate of approval (German)

How the EMILY 2200 fuel cell works

 

At the core of the fuel cell is the stack. Every single cell in the stack consists of an anode, a cathode, and a membrane that separates the two. The membrane does allow positively-charged electrical particles – protons – to pass. Methanol and water are introduced on the anode side while oxygen from the ambient air is admitted to the cathode side. The water and the methanol react on the anode side to give rise to positively-charged H+ as well as carbon dioxide (CO²) as a byproduct. While the protons are able to permeate the membrane, the electrons flow through a circuit to the cathode side. The result is electrical current. The H+ ions on the cathode side react with the oxygen to form water vapor. The amounts of water vapor and carbon dioxide released are comparable to a child’s breath.

SFC fuel cells - Ultra-efficient sources of power

  

Common sources such as motors or generators require two intermediate steps (heat and motion) to convert the chemical energy bound up in a fuel into electrical current. Efficiency losses are a matter of course. A fuel cell transforms chemical energy into electrical energy directly, without any intermediate steps or moving parts.