The low carbon economy comes a step closer

BOC launches hydrogen cylinder to power fuel cells.

BOC has launched a new lightweight hydrogen cylinder containing the same amount of energy as 10 car batteries. It will provide the energy source for the Hymera fuel cell generator which was launched last year by BOC, a member of The Linde Group. Hymera is used in an array of low energy, high efficiency applications.

“Hydrogen has long been vaunted as the fuel source of the future. Now, with products like Hymera and the new cylinder, BOC is making the hydrogen economy a reality. Hymera is already being used in commercially viable applications for the rail, construction and security industries. The launch of the new cylinder brings widespread application a step closer,” says Stewart Dow, Packaged Energy Manager at BOC.

Hymera, the world's first commercially-available hydrogen fuel cell portable power source is already being used in a range of off-grid applications such as construction and railway maintenance – and increasingly in lighting projects.

David Isherwood, Hire & Technical Director of the White Light Ltd, one of the UK’s largest live event lighting companies, has been offering Hymera to customers over the last year.

“We have been using a number of Hymera fuel cell power generators built into a self-contained off-grid lighting system. It is easy to set up and operate and the units have performed very well. Our customer base has responded positively to the innovative technology, finding many applications for it.”

The new cylinder could keep a modern laptop powered for almost a week of continuous usage. It is available from all BOC outlets, agents and delivery channels.

Call 1890 355 255 for more information.

Product specifications:

• The integrated valve regulator means that customers do not need to handle high pressure regulators and can simply connect the Hymera (or other fuel cell application) directly to the cylinder.
• When full, the cylinder weighs just over 10kg and contains 2m3 of hydrogen which, when converted to electricity via a 50% efficient fuel cell, generates just under 3kWh of electrical energy, the equivalent of 2,000 AA batteries.
• The output pressure of the regulator is controllable from 0 to 10 bar.