Product category:
Flowmeters and Flow Sensors
News Release from: Bronkhorst | Subject: El-Flow and IQ+Flow
Edited by the Engineeringtalk Editorial
Team on 18 August 2005
Flow sensors get the measure of fuel
cell research
Bronkhorst thermal mass flow controllers are taking an essential role in the many current fuel cell research projects.
Bronkhorst thermal mass flow controllers are taking an essential role in the many current fuel cell research projects These power sources typically use hydrogen gas as the fuel and produce an electrical power output
This article was originally published on Engineeringtalk on 17 Sep 2002 at 8.00am (UK)
Related stories
Mass flow data transfer
Digital interfaces are now available for the EL-Flow range of thermal mass flow controllers from Bronkhorst.
Recalibration and repair for flow controllers
Bronkhorst's recalibration and repair service provides traceable calibration for all its equipment including mass flow controllers manufactured by Porter Instrument USA or Oval Techno Corp of Japan.
Bronkhorst El-Flow and IQ+Flow systems are ideally suited to accurate measurement of the low gas flows needed, and with the integral valve can accurately control the flow of gas at the required rate - as defined by an analogue or digital signal from the fuel cell control system.
Recently displayed at the I Chem E (Institute of Chemical Engineers) Congress in Glasgow, the BOC Ech2o hydrogen fuel cell powered vehicle has been designed to demonstrate fuel efficiency.
Ech2o is a joint development project to make an attempt to break the world fuel efficiency record, currently held by a Swiss vehicle at the equivalent of over 5385km/litre.
Further reading
Pump controller operates at low flow rates
Bronkhorst has solved the problem of simple, controlled liquid dosing at very low flow rates, with the new Liqui-Flow pump controller.
Flowmeter and valve provide critical flow control
A Coriolis flowmeter and control valve have been used to provide the critical flow control elements on the VCM hazardous ingredient delivery line to a PVC production research reactor.
Several UK organisations are involved: BOC designed the hydrogen storage system; OSCar Automotive designed the body and running gear; and the electric power train has been developed by Oxford University.
The Bronkhorst involvement in this project has been to provide the lightweight, battery powered hydrogen mass flow meter with digital totaliser.
This system will be used by the trials assessors to determine the actual hydrogen consumption as the totaliser can easily be reset to zero by the adjudicator before the start of each phase of the test.
Hydrogen gas flow can be determined accurately over a wide flow range and, being a mass flow measurement, it is an absolute consumption measurement, unaffected by gas density changes resulting from pressure or temperature variations.
Bronkhorst have designed the widest range of mass flow instruments available in the market today and use bypass, direct measurement and chip sensor techniques as well as the Coriolis principle.
Their strengths have been proven in over 300,000 field installations whereby flows are controlled from as low as 0.02ml/min up to 11,000m3/h, air equivalent.
Bronkhorst has a full database and downloadable software program that can provide accurate meter calibrations on other gases and gas mixtures.
The sensors, with no moving parts, are inherently safe and reliable in operation, typically supplied as intrinsically safe units for use on hazardous or potentially explosive gases.
Engineered solutions ensure that pressure drop across the instrument can be significantly less than 1mbar.
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