Posted on 9/10/2007 7:42:15 AM

The latest version of Ford Motor Co.'s "fumes-to-fuel" process to convert volatile organic compounds from production paint lines into electricity will be teamed with a 300kW molten carbonate fuel cell at the company's Oakville, Ont., assembly plant, AutoTech Daily reported Monday.

Danbury, Conn.-based FuelCell Energy Inc. will supply its DFC300MA stationary fuel cell pack for the program.

The traditional way to combat paint emissions is to concentrate them via rotary carbonwheels. The resulting concentrate is thermally oxidized at 1400 degrees Fahreneheit, which requires copious amounts of electricity and natural gas. With the fuel-to-fumes method co-developed by Detroit Edison, carbon beads are used to separate VOCs from the paint emissions. Ford says the fluidized bed used in the process improves concentration levels by 250 percent.

Ford began testing the technology, which it says is cheaper to install and maintain than standard VOC-reduction methods, with a 5kW fuel cell at its Dearborn truck plant. In 2005, Ford combined the system with a 50kW Stirling engine at its Michigan Truck Plant.

The Oakville project will start with a 120kW internal combustion auxiliary generator later this year. In the second phase, due to begin early next year, Ford will add the 300kW fuel cell that can be used on its own -- using hydrogen-rich gas derived from the compounds -- or in conjunction with the generator. Hailing it as the "greenest" technology available,

Ford says the fuel cell will consume about 200 pounds per hour of VOCs, cutting carbon dioxide emissions from the paint line by 88 percent and eliminating oxide of nitrogen emissions. If insufficient VOCs are available, the system will automatically switch to natural gas.