F r a u n h o f e r I n s t i t u t e f o r S o l a r E n e r g y S y s t e m s I SE

Hydrogen and Fuel Cell Technology

comitted to hydrogen

Hydrogen technology and fuel

cells are key players in a sustainable, solar energy economy.

Dr. Christopher Hebling, Department Head Energy Technology

For over 20 years, Fraunhofer Institute for Solar Energy Systems

ISE has been carrying out applied research in the business area
of hydrogen and fuel cell technology. We offer you our services

Our offer for you customized

to meet your needs:

to assist you in developing your visions into market-ready products. Our large degree of commitment, the expertise of highly

We provide you with a large service spectrum in the areas

qualified researchers and our creativity all contribute to the

of research, development and consulting:

shared success of our projects. Specifically we offer our clients

research and development services in the following areas:

scientific studies
stacks and systems for PEM electrolysis ranging from a

reforming of liquid and gaseous fuels

few Wel up to 5 Wel

membrane electrolysis

hydrogen generation using chemical hydrides

membrane fuel cells

automated reformer systems in the 1 Wel to 20 kWel

range with product gas purification for (bio-)ethanol,

Together with you, we develop and certify marketable compo-

(bio-)diesel, gasoline, kerosene, LPG (camping gas) and

nents and complete systems. In addition we analyse your tech-

natural gas

nological questions and recommend further courses of action.

catalyst development and characterization for reformer

systems and gas purification

We perform scientifically based research with a focus on your

industrial application. We work:

components and automated LT and HT fuel cell systems

ranging from 1 Wel up to a few kWel
component and system development for redox flow

as technological experts
with purpose
on schedule

batteries
characterization and modelling of components and
systems

customer-friendly

climate chamber tests and lifetime investigations

market-oriented

control and safety technology

monitoring of systems in field tests

Contact us! We look forward to your request.

More information can be found at:
www.h2-ise.de

accredited tests for components and systems as well as

VDE certification

Gas burner running on fuel oil, a novel idea which allows operation
over a wide load range

Air-cooled 300 Wel low-temperature PEM fuel cell stack

Reference Project: Off-grid Power Supply Based on

The Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft:
innovative and dynamic

Available Fuels
The Idea: A portable fuel cell system for medical equipment
using ethanol as a fuel.

For more than 60 years now, the Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft

The Result: A fully automated prototype that consists of a

has been performing research in hundreds of technological

reformer system, a 250 Watt fuel cell and the system controls.

fields. Our research and its results are available to the in-

The system is modularly designed. Denatured alcohol, which

dustry as patents, licenses, and, above all, through contract

is inexpensive, non-hazardous and commercially available

research. In short: we perform R&D for immediate industrial

world-wide, is used as the fuel. The electrical power of the

application.

system is immediately available upon start of the system. The

The Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft offers its research services in all

system can be operated at temperatures between -10 and

fields of science and engineering. It is the largest organiza-

+40 degrees Celcius. With little additional expenditure, the

tion for applied research in Europe. Today the Fraunhofer-

prototype can be put into series production.

Gesellschaft has a total staff of more than 15 000 and an

The Procedure: The system development was to be carried

annual budget of over 1.4 billion euro.

out within a publicly funded project. At the start, the partners

We make it possible to operate

your fuel cell system using a fuel
of your choice.

Dr. Thomas Aicher, Group Leader Hydrogen Production

jointly agreed upon the system specifications. The consortium

tion in cooperation with our excellent partners has led to the

also foresaw the high potential of this system in applications

successful completion of this project within three years only.

other than medical technology, such as those where an offgrid power supply is required for long periods of time.
We took responsibility for the majority of the tasks during the

Reference Project: Mobile Pressurized PEM Electrolyzer

preparation phase and the application procedure. During the

for Hydrogen Production

entire project, we acted as the project coordinator and were

responsible for schedules and budgets.

The Idea: A portable charging station for metal hydride con-

Our longstanding scientific and technical experience in ques-

tainers, providing need-based and safe hydrogen production

tions about reformers, fuel cells, controls and system integra-

on site.

Investigating a reversible fuel cell, a leading edge energy storage technology

OUR RESULTS ARE BASED ON INTERNATIONAL STANDARDS AND OUR IP

FACILITATEs YOUR MARKET ENTRY.

Dipl.-Ing. Ulf Groos, Group Leader Fuel Cell Systems

The Result: Under our direction, a group of six companies

market segment, which concentrates on the manufacturing of

and one other research facility developed a portable pres-

micro fuel cells. In this context, we have embarked on various

surized PEM electrolyzer for generating pure hydrogen. The

bilateral and group projects with partners from mid-sized com-

development of a cost competitive stack and system including

panies, large industrial corporations and science. The basis of

a fully automated control and safety concept were part of this

these developments is our broad international patent portfolio.

project. The hydrogen generator operates at 10 bar and has a

As a fuel methanol was chosen due to its high energy density

production rate of 110 Nl hydrogen per hour.

and the easy logistics of inexpensive cartridges. For reasons of

The Procedure: A previous market study indicated the de-

reliability and system efficiency as well as for minimizing costs,

mand. In cooperation with a fuel cell system manufacturer, we

the cathode and the anode are passively supplied with the reac-

worked out the necessary specifications and together selected

tants by diffusion and capillary forces. We develop the cell de-

further partners. One of our main tasks in this project was

sign and the standardized system architecture. Additionally we

demonstrating the entire value-added chain.

carry out the lifetime analyses and climate chamber investigations, and assist FWB in selecting components. FWB optimizes
production and mounting technology for cells and systems.

Reference Project: Mass Production of Fuel Cells by

Injection Molding
The Idea: The mass production of fuel cells by injection
molding together with the FWB Kunststofftechnik GmbH.

Patents and Licenses:

Profit from our Ideas!

The Result: With our partners, the injection-molded micro

fuel cell is planned for market entry in 2011 in the field of

Innovation is the basis for your market success. Protecting

logistics (e.g. for GPS container tracking), in off-grid towel

this success through national and world-wide intellectual

dispensers (e.g. highway rest areas) and in the field of

property rights is an important matter for us. In close

industrial sensor technology.

cooperation with our patent experts, we protect our IP

The Procedure: With our partner FWB, we have planned a

by patent applications. You can use our IP either within

multistage process for the path to commercialization. In ad-

cooperation projects or by obtaining licenses.

dition to the automobile industry, FWB plans to enter a further

We offer our clients customized

solutions in the development of
prototypes and products.

Dr. Tom Smolinka, Group Leader, Chemical Energy Storage

Fraunhofer Institute for

Chemical Energy Storage

Solar Energy Systems ISE

Group Leader

Heidenhofstrasse 2

Dr. Tom Smolinka

79110 Freiburg

Phone: +49 (0) 7 61/45 88-52 12

Germany

Fax: +49 (0) 7 61/45 88-93 20

Phone: +49 (0) 7 61/45 88-0

E-Mail: Tom.Smolinka@ise.fraunhofer.de

Fax: +49 (0) 7 61/45 88-90 00

www.ise.fraunhofer.de

Fuel Cell Systems

www.h2-ise.de

Group Leader
Dipl.-Ing. Ulf Groos

Energy Technology

Phone: +49 (0) 7 61/45 88-52 02

Department Head

Fax: +49 (0) 7 61/45 88-92 02

Dr. Christopher Hebling

E-Mail: Ulf.Groos@ise.fraunhofer.de

Phone: +49 (0) 7 61/45 88-51 95

Fax: +49 (0) 7 61/45 88-91 95

Electrical Energy Systems

E-Mail: Christopher.Hebling@ise.fraunhofer.de

Department Head
Dr. Gnther Ebert

Hydrogen Generation

Phone: +49 (0) 7 61/45 88-52 29

Group Leader

Fax: +49 (0) 7 61/45 88-92 29

Dr. Thomas Aicher

E-Mail: Guenther.Ebert@ise.fraunhofer.de

Phone: +49 (0) 7 61/45 88-51 94

Fax: +49 (0) 7 61/45 88-91 94
E-Mail: Thomas.Aicher@ise.fraunhofer.de

Off-grid power supply system with

ethanol reformer module (center), fuel
cell module (left background), and
electronics module (right background).

Small-scale electrolyser with

a hydrogen production rate
of 5 NLH.