Stage 1: completed (fall 2007)

Using the Horizon H300, empirical testing has provided the information needed to further develop a fuel cell drive system capable of reaching 5 to 6 knots with the 6-meter bilge keel sailboat. It has pointed to the strengths and weakness of the overall method and systems available. It has also shed light on how to do this for a very reasonable price. This small system is a good emergency motor power system and a good APU set up for the sailboat.

Stage 2: 1 KW fuel cell implementation

Using the basic set up from stage 1, and Palcan's newly developed 1 KW, air cooled fuel cell with its stand alone micro controller system we will be introducing the use of a high pressure tank arrangement. We are planning on using scuba divers gas bottles and their small pony bottle for cost and portability reasons. We are also trying out a carbon fiber hydrogen container but overall cost and safety of the system are the main concern. We will also be installing a better hydrogen leak / alarm system.

A Zahn 400 watt DC-DC converter was successfully used in stage 1 and we were extremely pleased with its performance.

A Zahn CH63250F-SS converter (pictured at right) will now be used to increase maximum output current capacity from 32 amps to 250 amps.

An adapter kit to retrofit an old 9.9 Yamaha gas outboard will be developed. The gas power head will be removed and replaced with the electrical adapter kit.

We now have proof of concept as originally conceived. Using readily available off the shelf parts, an old gas outboard was changed over to electric drive, giving us our first operational gas-to-electric conversion prototype. It took about 6 hours to disassemble, design, fabricate, re-assemble, and test the new Electric Yamaha (pictured at right). The power head is a Baldor 3450 RPM, 1/2 hp, 230 VAC, 3 phase motor. It runs smoothly and quietly, and is controlled by a KB frequency drive. Power is sourced from a 1200 watt Canadian Tire inverter, powered from a fuel cell through a Zahn DC to DC converter. It was surprising that the conversion was so easy to do.

We will continue to refine the mounting technique and upgrade to higher horsepower motors as the fuel cell and converter electronics capacities are increased. We have now field tested the prototype on the boat on April 12. The 1 kilowatt Palcan fuel cell is now operational.

Thank you to Canadian Electro Drives for supplying three phase motor speed controllers.

Stage 3: achieve 3 knots approximately 100 lbs of thrust (planned for late summer 2008)

In stage 3, we will series (or parallel) 2 of Palcan's new 1 KW fuel cells and produce 110/220 VAC to power a 2 horsepower high voltage electric outboard using standard off the shelf motors and speed controllers. I expect to get about 100 lbs of thrust with this arrangement and it will have minimal cost. We are also hoping to access an ultra capacitor to help in the reduction of overall systems weight by reducing battery ballast size. (get the lead out)

Controllers supplied by Canadian Electro Drives

Motors provided by Alliance Power

Stage 4: achieve 5 to 6 knots 200 to 250 lbs of thrust (hull speed), (planned for spring 2009)

At this stage we will use in series 2 of Palcan's new 2 KW fuel cells and produce 220 VAC 3 phase to power a 5 horsepower high voltage electric outboard using standard off the shelf motors and FET speed controllers. This requires developing another adapter kit to retrofit an old 9.9 Evinrude or Mercury gas outboard. The gas power head will be removed and replaced with the electrical adapter kit. I expect that we will get about 200 to 250 lbs of thrust with this arrangement and again it will have minimal cost. This approach will also allow for splitting the fuel cell stacks and operating on just one unit if a problem develops with them at any time (redundancy).

Stage 5: finalize the form and functional 5 hp. electric outboard & market it as a kit or complete product.

At this point the prototype 5 hp. outboard will be combined with the fuel cell, control system and power head in a form factor layout that looks and feels like today's outboard with only the removable hydrogen bottles being plugged into the motor system from the outside. At this stage the system will be handed over to some group that would like to sell the systems.

Are you interested in your own fuel cell powered boat?

For the simplest system, we recommend the the use of the Whisper XT motor with the Palcan fuel cell.

Stage 1 Complete: successfully completed a 21 nautical mile trip, started and finished with hydrogen. What a beautiful ride it was, especially the portions while under fuel cell drive. The boat slipped quietly through the water almost totally quiet except for the occasional puff of water vapor coming out of the fuel cell's exhaust.

My appreciation to iGreen Technologies for providing the Horizon H-300 fuel cell that led to the successful completion of this stage of the project.

Hydrogen
The hydrogen for this test was supplied by NRC in Vancouver. NRC uses photovoltaic panels that transform solar energy into hydrogen to power fuel cells

James R. Harrington

Jim Harrington is an electronics and mechanical product designer and is the founder and president of AGO Environmental Electronics, Ltd. His wife describes him as an inventor of practical products and he has been developing research and exploration equipment since 1970 in astrophysics, geophysics, and oceanographic applications. Throughout the 1970's, he was instrumental in the development and application of transient electromagnetic exploration equipment used in the mining industry. In 1980, he joined the National Research Council of Canada's Hertzberg Institute of Astrophysics, Space Physics Division. He assisted in the development of the high flux telescope for the Ulysses spacecraft, which has explored the sun and Jupiter. Moving west, he then took over the electronics special projects lab of Dobroky Seatech. In 1986, he started AGO Environmental Electronics Ltd, and under his direction, it has continued to expand, manufacturing specialized support equipment for the mining, oceanographic, and scientific communities around the world.

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