(Hydrogen) Power to the Passenger

The U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) has issued a final ruling that will permit passengers and crew to carry methanol fuel cell cartridges and hydrogen fuel cell systems designed for portable electronic devices on board airplanes in carry-on baggage. The effective date of the ruling is October 1...

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The U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) has issued a final ruling that will permit passengers and crew to carry methanol fuel cell cartridges and hydrogen fuel cell systems designed for portable electronic devices on board airplanes in carry-on baggage.

The effective date of the ruling is October 1, 2008, although voluntary compliance with the ruling may commence as of May 30, 2008.

The final ruling prescribes regulations for transporting fuel cells containing methanol. Passengers will be permitted to carry approved fuel cells and up to two spare fuel cell cartridges in their carry-on baggage.

The ruling harmonizes U.S. transportation regulations with global regulations adopted by the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) that went into effect on January 1, 2007.

"The DOT has removed the final barrier to transporting methanol fuel cells on board airplanes," said Methanol Institute Vice President for Communications & Policy Gregory Dolan.

"Methanol and fuel cell industry leaders have been working with international transportation regulators for several years to achieve this result, and now have a clear endorsement that methanol fuel cell systems and fuel cell cartridges meet the world's most rigorous safety standards," he added.

The DOT says "fuel cell cartridges and fuel cell systems are an emerging energy technology developed to provide a more efficient, longer-lasting and renewable power source for electrically operated equipment." It said allowing them in the cabin of commercial transports will help promote the industry's growth.

The final rule prescribes regulations for transporting fuel cells containing flammable liquids, including methanol; formic acid; certain borohydride materials; or butane. The fuel cells must conform to industry technical specifications and performance criteria. Passengers and crew will be prohibited from refilling fuel cell cartridges and systems onboard aircraft.

The DOT move published in the Federal Register will encourage the development of devices that air travelers can use in flight to power mobile devices for longer trips.

The devices--battery-like fuel cells for laptops and cell phones--don't exist now, at least partly because the Federal Aviation Administration (nervous about flammable fuel) has banned them, requiring travelers to lug bulky batteries that take forever to recharge and offer limited power compared to fuel cells. But that should all change.

A hydrogen fuel cell produces electricity, water and hot air from solid, liquid or compressed hydrogen. Much work is underway on small fuel cells for portable use with hydrogen being stored in the form of metal hydrides, such as sodium borohydride or lithium aluminum hydride, in powder or pellet form. The dry hydrogen---packed in disposable plastic cartridges---reacts with stored water creating a mini-chemical engineering plant.

A fuel cell works by using a catalyst, such as platinum or ruthenium, to split hydrogen molecules, which contain two hydrogen atoms in a dumbbell shape. Breaking apart the dumbbell gives off electrons, which generate a current that can be used to run an electric motor.

Because each hydrogen atom's single electron is removed, the hydrogen atoms become positively charged. The positively charged hydrogen atoms pass through a special "proton- exchange membrane," entering another part of the fuel cell, where they are exposed to oxygen from the air. Recalling one's high school chemistry, when hydrogen, an extremely light gas, and oxygen combine, they yield water and a bit of heat, making fuel cells a pollution-free fuel producer.

Toshiba and a number of other Japanese electronics companies are readying portable computers, cell phones and hand-held audio players that run on internal hydrogen fuel cells that can be recharged with a squirt of clear, highly concentrated methanol packaged in a pocketsize plastic cartridge.

Typically made from natural gas (methane), methanol, which contains hydrogen, is readily available and used to make, for example, formaldehyde and windshield washer fluid. The firm says fuel cell-powered cell phones will let users talk for around five hours without a refill. Toshiba believes a direct methanol fuel cell (DMFC) will run a PC much longer than a standard rechargeable battery.

In writing the final rule, DOT consulted with the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) to determine if such devices posed security violations. "TSA is continuing to consider whether or not any additional security measures for fuel cells or fuel cell systems may be appropriate. And full cell cartridges are subject to TSA's current limitations on liquids, gels and aerosols that passengers may have in cabin.

DOT acceptance of methanol fuel cell cartridges and hydrogen fuel cell systems is in marked contrast to federal government concerns over lithium batteries used in laptop computers.

There has been an increasing number of accidents documented by the FAA involving overheating and fires initiated by secondary (rechargeable) lithium batteries.

From February 2001 to February 2006, rechargeable lithium batteries were involved in four aviation accidents compared to one incident involving lithium batteries in the previous five-year period. And the National Transportation Safety Board notes that nine million rechargeable lithium batteries have been recalled since February 2006.

"Because of the steadily rising popularity of personal portable electronic devices, such as laptop computers and cell phones, the number of rechargeable lithium batteries shipped individually or in electronic equipment will continue to rise, and the potential for a rechargeable lithium battery causing a fire on an aircraft will increase...Rechargeable lithium batteries may not present a potential security risk like liquid carry-on items, but they do present a potential fire risk on board passenger aircraft," the Safety Board believes.

The DOT implemented new safety rules on January 1, stating passengers will no longer be able to pack loose lithium batteries in checked luggage.

The new regulation, designed to reduce the risk of lithium battery fires, will continue to allow lithium batteries in checked baggage if they are installed in electronic devices, or in carry-on baggage if stored in plastic bags.

In early December 2007, the NTSB issued safety recommendation calling for fire-suppression systems to be installed onboard all Part 121 cargo aircraft -- saying such systems may have prevented a United Parcel Service DC-8-71F from catching fire after landing and burning on Feb. 7, 2006 at Philadelphia International Airport.

UPS Flight 1307 made an emergency landing at PHL after the flight deck crew detected smoke in the cargo hold, which intensified as the plane descended. The freighter landed safely and the crew escaped with minor injuries, but the aircraft and most of the cargo were destroyed by fire after landing. Of concern is whether lithium batteries being carried onboard the UPS all-cargo plane played a key role in the in-flight fire.

The Safety Board's final report determined that the probable cause of the non-fatal accident was an in-flight fire that initiated from an unknown source within one of the containers in the main cargo compartment. The report concluded that the threat from cargo fires could be mitigated on all-cargo aircraft by the installation of fire suppression systems, which are only mandated for cargo holds of commercial passenger transports.

"While we may not know the source of the fire which caused this accident, our investigators have done an excellent job of highlighting possible solutions that will address hazards associated with in-flight fires," said NTSB Chairman Mark V. Rosenker.

The NTSB said that given the length of time that the fire burned and the resulting destruction of potentially helpful evidence, the post-fire condition of the cargo containers and contents and the surrounding airplane structure provided no evidence that indicated what initiated the fire.

But the investigation revealed that several electronic devices containing secondary lithium batteries were onboard the airplane. Unfortunately, the lack of information about the batteries (the subject of recent safety recalls) prevented any determination of whether these batteries were the source of the on-board cargo hold fire.