Nikkei Electronics Asia -- January 2010
Analysis
Looking Inside Toshiba's Fuel Cell

Toshiba Corp. has been a constant front runner in the competition to develop fuel cells for mobile equipment. While the firm has exhibited a host of prototypes at various shows, it has never brought any to market ... until now. Construction puts safety first, making extensive use of metal parts such as stainless steel and aluminum alloy. We took one apart to see how it works, in cooperation with development engineers involved in fuel cells, mobile equipment, and other items.

¡ÈI'm impressed simply by the fact they actually went commercial,¡É says one engineer in the mobile gear field.

At the end of October 2009, Toshiba released a limited 3000 units of the ¡ÈDynario¡É fuel cell for mobile equipment. That act---releasing a fuel cell to the market in spite of the current depression---earned praise and astonishment from engineers in mobile equipment, fuel cells, and other fields.

Many of the other companies engaged in fuel cell development immediately bought sample units to verify operation. A variety of opinions have already been released, such as, ¡ÈIt's a pretty mature design, with air inlet humidity stabilized and no smell of the methanol fuel left¡É and, ¡ÈIt feels hot to the touch, although only as hot as bathwater.¡É

We picked up a sample ourselves to analyze its operating characteristics, and asked Toshiba to help us take a closer look at its components.

Actual Cost 30,000 Yen or More?

The Dynario (Fig. 1) is a direct methanol fuel cell (DMFC) with a USB connector that allows it to charge mobile equipment. The maximum output, together with the internal Li-ion rechargeable battery, is 2 W (5 V, 400 mA). It is charged with 14 mL of methanol, which, according to Toshiba, ¡Èis enough to charge a piece of mobile equipment about two times.¡É We used an LED lamp with a power consumption of 1 W to verify that it generated enough output for about 11 (11 Wh).

MOST POPULAR ARTICLES

24 Hours | 7 Days