STACK-IN-A-BOX®

 

The SERC Stack-in-a-Box® Portable Power Supply is a completely portable fuel cell generator custom-designed and manufactured by SERC. It is designed to educate people of all ages and backgrounds about renewable energy, hydrogen, and fuel cells. School-age students, as well as industry specialists, have quickly become comfortable operating the system, which has proven to be an effective educational tool. The system provides students with hands-on experience with fuel cell technology, making the learning process fun and interactive.

In the system hydrogen, stored in either a standard lecture bottle (a small pressurized gas storage cylinder) or metal hydride tank, is fed to a proton exchange membrane fuel cell to produce DC electricity. Our patented low air pressure design ensures a high fuel cell system efficiency. A small inverter converts the fuel cell's 12VDC electricity to 110VAC electricity for use with any standard appliance--a favorite for demonstrations is a small ice cream maker. One lecture bottle of hydrogen (54 standard liters/0.5 liters compressed) lasts about one hour, or long enough to make two batches of ice cream. The Stack-in-a-Box® was designed with simplicity in mind. The system is easy to use, and students of all ages have used it over and over with a perfect safety and operating record.

In our most recent innovation with the Stack-in-a-Box®, we have adapted it to operate using a metal hydride cylinder in place of a lecture bottle for on-board hydrogen storage. The metal hydride cylinder can hold approximately five times as much hydrogen as the lecture bottle in approximately the same space, while only adding slightly to the weight of the system. We have thus been able to increase the uninterrupted running time of the Stack-in-a-Box® greatly. Furthermore, the hydride unit is safer to operate, as its maximum storage pressure is much lower than the lecture bottle's. Our metal hydride unit is made by HERA Hydrogen Storage Systems.

Stack-in-a-Box® at the beach

Stack-in-a-Box® in the snow

The 16-cell PEM fuel cell power system has a peak power of 125 W, which means that it can run a variety of electrical/electronic appliances. We tested the system by using it to make smoothies in a blender, watch videos on TV, and run a computer. The system is portable and independent. You don't have to be in a lab to use it. It can provide electricity anywhere and anytime--on the beach, in the mountains, or at a picnic, day or night.

The Stack-in-a-Box® was originally designed for use by a group of students at the Merit Academy in Santa Cruz, California. These students have used this portable fuel cell power system to make ice cream and demonstrate the use of hydrogen and fuel cells to power everyday electrical loads. Since 1999, SERC has built four more Stack-in-a-Box® systems. (Click here to view more Stack-in-a-Box pictures)

	Merit Academy kids and a SERC engineer run the first Stack-in-a-Box®

SERC has a history of volunteer educational outreach within the local community. Over the past 10 years, SERC employees have attended career fairs, spoken as guest lecturers in classrooms, and guided numerous tours ofthe laboratory facilities. The Stack-in-a-Box® is the centerpiece of our educational outreach efforts. At career and renewable energy fairs, people of all ages crowd around to see the system and learn about fuel cells. The Stack-in-a-Box® can also power a laptop computer, making it an integral part of our multimedia presentations. During the summer of 2003, a SERC engineer demonstrated the Stack-in-a-Box® to hundreds of thousands of people through the Lollapalooza music tour, giving concertgoers across the country their first chance to see a hydrogen fuel cell up close.

The biggest remaining challenge is cost. Like all new technologies, the Stack-in-a-Box® is expensive. But, increased demand, better manufacturing techniques, automation, design improvements, volume component purchasing, and mass production all will work together to reduce the price of fuel cell systems.

SYSTEM SPECIFICATIONS

Case size (inside)	18"x 14.5" x 12"
Fuel Cell	16 cells, 140 cm2
Peak Power	125 watts
Continuous Power	75 watts
Hydrogen Lecture Bottle
Gas Purity	99.95%
Volume	54 standard liters
Connection Fitting	CGA 170
Maximum Pressure	1800 psig @ 70°F
Metal Hydride Cylinder
Gas Purity	UHP
Volume	250 standard liters
Connection Fitting	1/4" swagelok
Maximum Pressure	250 psig
Weight	2.2 kg
Inverter
Continuous Power	200 watts
Peak Power Output	300 watts
Surge Capacity	400 watts
Output Voltage	120 volts AC, 60 Hertz
Input Voltage	10-15 volts DC
Input Current	20 amperes (maximum)
Gas Pressure Regulator	Dual Stage
Delivery Pressure Range	0-30 psig
Blower	Single-stage brushless DC blower
Input Voltage	12 ± 0.5 volts DC
Pressure Relief Device	8 psig cracking pressure