January 13, 2008 – BATTERIES may not have much glamour but they’re increasingly fundamental to IFE and passenger communications, powering handheld players, laptops, PDAs and other devices. The dominant technology is lithium-ion, but for various reasons – weight, bulk, short operating times, long recharge times, limited life, even a tendency occasionally to burst into flames – the search is on for a better way of providing portable power.  

Last week’s Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas brought the attention of Inflight Online to a couple of candidate solutions that seem to be gathering momentum. Both work on the fuel cell principle, one using methanol, the other, more exotically, hydrogen. 

Toshiba is among the electronics manufacturers looking at incorporating direct-methanol fuel cell (DMFC) power supplies into its products. DMFC works by oxidising methanol on a catalyst layer to form carbon dioxide. Water is consumed at the anode and is produced at the cathode. Positive ions are transported across the proton-exchange membrane to the cathode, where they react with oxygen to produce water. Electrons transported via an external circuit from anode to cathode provide power for the external device.

Essentially, DMFCs can produce a small amount of power over a long period of time, making them suitable for consumer electronics. On the downside, methanol is toxic and flammable. However, ICAO’s Dangerous Goods Panel (DGP) voted in 2005 to allow airline passengers to carry and use DMFCs to power laptops and other devices in the cabin. Last September the US Department of Transportation issued a notice of proposed rulemaking that would allow fuel-cell cartridges on aircraft. The rule is expected to take effect soon.

At CES Toshiba displayed a Windows Vista-capable ultra-mobile PC (UMPC) docked with a DMFC unit, just as it might sit in a desktop synchronisation cradle. The fuel-cell sleeve matched the width of the UMPC, adding just a few millimetres to its thickness and almost three centimetres to the height. In effect it resembled an extended battery pack of the kind currently used with laptops.

Canadian company Angstrom Power showed a hydrogen fuel cell powering a standard Motorola mobile phone, claiming twice the operating time of a standard lithium-ion battery and full recharge in just 10 minutes.

The company said it had just completed a six-month test of its “Micro Hydrogen” technology fully integrated into the Motorola phone without any change to its outside dimensions. Micro Hydrogen comprises what Angstrom describes as a novel fuel cell architecture and a revolutionary refillable hydrogen storage tank.

“As consumer demand for smartphones and multimedia devices grows, so does the need for efficient powering solutions,” said Motorola energy system specialist Jerry Hallmark last week. “We are working with Angstrom to develop fuel cell technology that will support the increasing energy demands of next-generation devices.”

As with DMFCs, the regulatory road seems to be open for hydrogen fuel cells. Two months ago ICAO unveiled proposed new regulations that would allow hydrogen power into the cabin of commercial aircraft. The regulations are due to be ratified in 12 months’ time. In the meantime, Angstrom fuel cells have flown more than 60 times on commercial aircraft under an interim clearance from Transport Canada.