Penn State's Hydrogen Energy Center hosts Research Day

Penn State's Hydrogen Energy Center hosts Research Day

University Park, Pa. --- Penn State's Hydrogen Energy Center will present its second "Hydrogen Day at Penn State" Monday, Oct. 25, at the University Park campus.

The event will feature poster presentations on Penn State research including hydrogen production storage and utilization in fuel cells as well as two panel sessions -- one with industry leaders and another with academic researchers. In addition, participants will be able to tour the Penn State/Air Products hydrogen refueling station that is currently under development on campus.

Kathleen McGinty, secretary of the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection, will be the luncheon keynote speaker. Esin Gulari, director of the National Science Foundation's Division of Chemical and Transport Systems, will follow her presentation with an update from a recent workshop on future directions in hydrogen energy research and education.

Dr. Bruce Logan, director of the Hydrogen Energy Center and Kappe professor of environmental engineering, says, "Hydrogen Day will bring together industry, government and academic leaders in the field at an exciting time. As our national energy policy continues to evolve, this gathering can help to clarify our country's needs as well as to explore technical solutions to development of a hydrogen economy."

Registered participants will be able to hear a presentation on the Penn State/Air Products hydrogen fueling station and talk with personnel guiding its development including Dr. Joel Anstrom, director of the Hybrid and Hydrogen Research Center at Penn State's Pennsylvania Transportation Institute. Anstrom says that, although the demonstration fleet of a hydrogen fuel cell car and hydrogen natural gas blend vans and transit buses has just begun development, he expects to have the first two vehicles available for demonstrations by Hydrogen Day.

"On Oct. 25, we will demonstrate the Penn State/Air Products hydrogen station by fueling both our experimental fuel cell vehicle on pure hydrogen and a Penn State utility van on a hydrogen blend using separate dispensers," Anstrom says. "One of three Centre Area Transportation Authority (CATA) natural gas buses, which are slated for conversion to hydrogen blend, will be used as a shuttle to the hydrogen station demonstration."

He adds, "The Penn State/Air Products hydrogen station and the Penn State/CATA fleet will serve to demonstrate a safe, reliable and affordable hydrogen transportation infrastructure based on natural gas reformers placed at local filling stations around the country. This will support early deployment of hydrogen-fueled vehicles in the interim until a renewable hydrogen infrastructure is realized in several decades. The station and vehicles are expected to generate many research opportunities for hydrogen storage and conversion along with public outreach and future demonstrations of production hydrogen vehicles at Penn State."

See directions for registering and a preliminary agenda, at www.engr.psu.edu/h2e/H2Day.htm The registration fee is $75. For more information, contact the Industrial Research office at 814-865-9519 or iro@psu.edu.