Vol. 51 No. 1 (2014)   New Products & Technologies
Technical Papers

Development of Compact & High Efficiency Polymer Electrolyte Fuel Cell System for Enclosed Spaces

TOSHIHIRO TANI
MITSUYOSHI IWATA
TAKUYA MORIGA
HIDEKI ITO
KEIICHI NAKAGAWA
KOKI SUGIHARA

In recent years, the need for undersea equipment for the utilization of ocean resources has been increasing. Responding to the advancement of devices and the lengthening of exploration periods, fuel cells are attracting attention as a power source capable of supplying electric power over an extended period of time, in contrast to conventional storage batteries, which don't have high power capacity. For use in undersea equipment, Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, Ltd. (MHI) has developed a new compact high-efficiency fuel cell system that employs a new structure in its gas circulation system and new fuel cells. This paper provides an overview of the new fuel cell system and presents MHI's development efforts.