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Uploaded byMatthew Klippenstein
Ballard intro
Matthew Klippenstein is a chemical engineer who has worked at Ballard Power Systems, a fuel cell company based in Burnaby, BC, for 12 years. He provides an overview of fuel cells, describing them as "a battery with an external fuel pack" and an electrochemical analogue to combustion engines. Ballard focuses on proton-exchange membrane fuel cells which operate at milder temperatures than other fuel cell types. Ballard originally worked on fuel cells for automotive applications but now focuses on other markets. Klippenstein encourages engineering students to consider joining the fuel cell industry, as the technology is at an inflection point where production is ramping up after extensive development, providing an opportunity to make an impact in an important
Ballard intro
- 1. Matthew Klippenstein 2012 Feb26 (for EWB-SFU)
- 2. 1. about me 2.about fuel cells 3. about Ballard 4. engineering @ Ballard 5. why I’m here
- 3. P A GE 3 about me UBC chemical engineer (1992 to, uh, 1999) 12 years at Ballard occasional playwright avid dogsledder
- 4. P A GE 4 about fuel cells “a battery with an external fuel pack” “an electrochemical analogue to the combustion engine” chemical, not electrochemical
- 5. P A GE 5 about fuel cells Ballard does proton-exchange membrane fuel cells + milder conditions (most materials cheaper) – lower electrical efficiency; needs platinum 1kW 100kW 1MW 10MW10kW Temperature 60°C600°C PEMFC SOFC MCFC (Fuel Cell Energy) PAFC (United Technologies) Applications 200°C1200°C
- 6. P A GE 6 about Ballard Burnaby-based fuel cell maker we used to do cars • late 90’s – Daimler and Ford bought stakes • late 00’s – automotive half spun out now: everything except cars
- 7. P A GE 7 about Ballard …a stack for every size and setting… System Integrators / OEMs Downstream Customers Backup Power Supplemental Power Material Handling Bus Distributed Generation 1–10 kW 5–25 kW 100 kW MWOutput:
- 8. P A GE 8 about Ballard yes, Ballard was once a tech bubble darling (more on that in a few slides) “I’m the king of the world!!”
- 9. P A GE 9 engineering @ Ballard Amy: coating Mani: GDL’s Ayesha: ink mixing Matthew: overhead / goes to meetings Matthew: overhead / goes to meetings Sonia: documentation Sonia: documentation Yeng: QCR help Yeng: QCR help Joanna: failure analysis Joanna: failure analysis Ron: manufacturing It takes a village (of skill sets): mech, materials, chem, electrical, software, chemistry, physics, rheology, and more… (yellow indicates engineering fields)
- 10. P A GE 10 why I’m here shameless plug: and you should be, too! New mining companies usually go through: - a speculative phase (stock peaks) - a development phase (stock sags) - a production phase (stock recovers)
- 11. P A GE 11 why I’m here shameless plug: and you should be, too! The same applies for tech companies. New mining companies usually go through: - a speculative phase (stock peaks) - a development phase (stock sags) - a production phase (stock recovers)
- 12. P A GE 12 why I’m here shameless plug: and you should be, too! Ballard had its speculative phase. We’re finishing our development phase. (It took a long time) Production is gradually ramping up. (At last!)
- 13. P A GE 13 why I’m here not many people get to work at a leading company, in an industry, at this inflection point the fuel cell sector is big enough that it won’t disappear – and small enough that you can still make your mark admittedly, I’m biased – I’ve been working on this for 12 years shameless plug: and you should be, too!