IV.Customer Support

V. Introduction to Parker Energy Systems and Parker Hannifin Corporation

About Parker Hannifin Headquartered in Cleveland, Ohio with over 200 locations in 45 countries, Parker Hannifin Corporation is a world-leading manufacturer of engineered components and systems for a wide range of fluid control applications. Parker appreciates the far-reaching benefits of a hydrogen-based economy and is well positioned to help the fuel cell industry along the challenging road towards commercialization.

About Parker Energy Systems

Parker’s involvement with fuel cell technology is a natural outgrowth of its existing product technologies and engineering capabilities. Parker already manufactures most of the individual fittings, valves, hoses, seals and filters required to meet balance of plant needs for mobile and stationary fuel cell power plants. However, to achieve the kind of dramatic cost reductions required for the commercialization of fuel cell products, Parker created its Energy Systems Business Unit to combine components with high efficiency motors, pumps, compressors and programmable electronic controls to deliver complete system solutions. Through Parker Energy Systems (PES), Parker offers humidifiers, fuel cell stack assemblies, cathode air compressors, hydrogen circulators, flexible stainless steel tubing, filtration products, control valves, liquid pumps, pressure regulators & transducers, positioning tables, PEM fuel cell stack components, seals, manifolds, fittings and tubing. Parker’s recent collaboration with Vectrix Corporation to design and build a prototype Fuel Cell/Electric Hybrid Motorbike is an example of PES’s system integration capabilities. Under PES’s guidance, ten Parker divisions provided product and engineering assistance to a start-up company (Vectrix) launching the world’s first hybrid fuel cell/electric scooter. The scooters will be sold in Europe where high priced gasoline, lack of parking space and even government taxes and outright bans on internal combustion engines in some cities should make them very popular. Additionally, PES is working with fuel cell manufacturers producing power units for public transportation, utility companies and residential systems.

Parker believes that it’s incumbent on manufacturers to think ahead, to provide for the future of more than just our industries. Oil won’t last forever. Solar, wind and fuel cell technologies, in addition to being environmentally friendlier right now, should be developed against the day when they will be urgently needed to provide the power many take for granted.

To be ready for this day, tomorrow’s engineers and scientists must begin working with these technologies now. The TekStak product line is intended to provide students from high school through university-level with the ability to assemble and test customizable fuel cell stacks. To enhance the educational opportunity for students, the TekStak product line includes a range of balance of plant components that can be combined with the fuel cell stacks, allowing students to construct their own complete fuel cell system.

Parker Energy Systems is preparing the world. Today.

VII.Recommended Reading

Websites

www.parker.com/fuelcells -Homepage of Parker Energy Systems
www.fuelcells.org -Contains a wide variety of information relating to fuel cells
www.nrel.gov -Homepage of the National Renewable Energy Lab (DOE)
www.netl.doe.gov -Homepage of the National Energy Technology Lab (DOE)
www.usfcc.com -Homepage of the US Fuel Cell Council (USFCC)