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HyArk - Hydrogen Fuel Cell Domestic Power Unit

Our "HyArk" domestic power unit for boats is designed to keep your domestic batteries fully charged.  Never suffer from flat batteries again!  It does this by creating electricity from hydrogen, using a PEM fuel cell.  This is the blue box in some of the pictures above.  The rest of the unit provides gas storage in a ventilated, securely locked enclosure, designed to integrate with different designs of boats. The unit connects directly to your domestic batteries (via a fuse) and will optimise the charge on the battery bank.  It can be set to charge Lead-Acid or Lithium batteries.

 

We are now taking orders for our HyArk product.  The price includes:

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Hymera 200 Fuel Cell with 200W peak output

Housing, base tray and plinth

Two keys for the locks

Remote control switch

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Price £7,495 

 

Thanks for your order. We will be in touch soon

The lid can be configured for left-hand or right-hand operation. Please state your preference (when viewed from the front).  The product is supplied un-painted.  Alternatively we can arrange for vinyl wrapping in any colour for £479.

 

Delivery and installation can be arranged at an additional charge.  We are not VAT registered yet.  Please complete the order form above and pay the deposit to secure your order and delivery date.  Delivery times are currently 8 to 12 weeks.

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Rev5_310322_Full Assembly_edited.jpg
Rev5_310322_Full Assembly_edited.jpg
Right hand hinged lid - goes to right when viewed from front of HyArk

More detail on what it does

HyArk can be set to a nominal 12 or 24 volts DC output.  It can also be configured to charge lead acid / AGM cells, or Lithium ion battery banks.  The fuel cell has two modes of operation and can we swapped between modes.

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Manual.

In manual mode the fuel cell can be turn off and on, either on the unit itself or via a remote button that can be fitted inside the boat.  It can also be integrated into a boat electrical management system.  The unit will start within a few moments, slightly longer in low ambient temperatures, and charge at the current drawn by the electrical load applied.  It can be turned on and off like a petrol generator.

 

Automatic.

In automatic mode the unit will "wake up" after a set period of time, measure the battery voltage and then go to sleep.  If the voltage drops below a certain value, and this is measured more than twice, on the third occasion the fuel cell will turn on and charge the battery bank.  It will turn off after some preset values are achieved.

 

Our experience

We have 330Ah of AGM cells.  We have 320W of installed solar.  We use a Victron Smartshunt that exports data to a mobile device by bluetooth.  The following images show operation of the fuel cell.

Smartshunter charging - week_edited.jpg
smartshunt soc plot_edited.jpg
smartshunt current plot_edited.jpg
The first image is two weeks of data. It shows the voltage dropping overtime (mostly the fridge cycling on and off), with the peaks being when the fuel cell has started automatically and charged the batteries. We use more power at weekends, hence the closer peaks.  The occasional increase in voltage is the contribution of the solar in winter.
The second image is the state of charge and the voltage during a charging cycle.  The fuel cell came on late afternoon and the state of charge built over the evening.  The HyArk turned itself off in the morning. The slight drop in voltage is the fridge coming on for a period overnight.
The third image is the same charging event, but showing voltage and current. The drop in current to the battery was the effect of the electric blanket being turned (one of the benefits of more power).  Once the state of charge reaches 100% the current falls away, providing the batteries with their "float" charge, until the current draw drops to a couple of amps and the fuel cell goes back to sleep. 
Each charge cycle uses around 22-25% of a cylinder of gas, so we change cylinders around every three weeks in winter. 
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