Hydrogen purification
13 Nov 2002
Shell Hydrogen has purchased an equity stake in QuestAir Technologies, a company that has developed proprietary gas purification technology. The $7 million investment will enable the Canadian company to commercialise and further develop technology that purifies hydrogen.
Purification technology is important to the development of hydrogen as an energy source because the purity of hydrogen fed into fuel cells affects their performance and useful lives, and hence their economic viability. QuestAir, based in Vancouver, aims to commercialise hydrogen purification devices for use in fuel cell applications by 2006.
The transaction provides Shell Hydrogen with non-exclusive access to QuestAir's technology for use in a number of applications, including stationary and automotive proton-exchange-membrane (PEM) fuel cell systems, stationary solid oxide fuel cell systems, vehicle hydrogen refuelling stations, and industrial processing.
Furthermore, QuestAir will work with HydrogenSource LLC to integrate its technology with HydrogenSource's 150kW fuel processing system. The product resulting from this effort will be marketed to third party developers of larger scale stationary PEM fuel cell power plants.
HydrogenSource is a joint venture between Shell Hydrogen and UTC Fuel Cells, a unit of United Technologies.
