Jul 6 2006
Nuvera Fuel Cells, Uhdenora SpA, and Caffaro SrL announced the successful start up of Nuvera's Forza fuel cell power module in an installation designed by Uhdenora. The system, which is fully integrated into Caffaro's chlorate production plant located in Brescia (Italy), represents the world's first commercial, large-scale fuel cell installation in the chlorine and chlorate industry.
This industrial installation represents another successful step in the development and commercialization agreement between Nuvera and Uhdenora. This phase of the project follows the successful system validation carried out in Nuvera's industrial laboratory located inside the SIAD technical gas production facility. The system has logged over 100,000 kilowatt-hours with 95% availability as part of this testing.
The chlorate plant integration is part of an agreement between Nuvera, Uhdenora, and Caffaro, to maximize the value of excess hydrogen, produced as a by-product during chlorate manufacturing processes. The system has a net power of 120 kW and runs solely on the vented hydrogen. The direct current electricity produced by the fuel cell system is fed directly to the chlorate cells, which allows Caffaro to reduce its net electricity consumption. Thousands of kilograms of hydrogen are vented annually, and with this agreement, they will be captured and used to produce electricity, reducing operating cost while simultaneously reducing greenhouse gas emissions.
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