Energy supply regardless of weather conditions

The oil & gas industry is highly reliant on reliable power solutions for their control, monitoring and measuring equipment. Sunfire gives operators an increased confidence that the service will remain uninterrupted, no matter the situation.

The high efficiency, reduced emissions and minimised maintenance efforts are leading to lower operational cost. Remote monitoring, only one annual proactive maintenance and the use of robust long-life industrial components enables the use of Sunfire-Remote fuel cells in regions far away from civilisation. Integrated into a suitable system environment and housing it can withstand harsh climatic conditions.

Find out more

Reference Installations

Our Sunfire-Remote units are installed at natural gas pipelines in Russia. The fuel cell devices have been integrated by our partners into solutions for cathodic corrosion protection, remote gate valve operation, integrity monitoring and communication along pipelines.

Frequently asked questions

In which temperature range can the fuel cell units be operated?

The Sunfire-Remote series is specified currently for operation at ambient temperatures between -20 and +40 °C. With product revisions until summer 2020 an extension to higher temperatures is pursued.

Within a suitable packaging respectively integration that includes ventilation, heat utilisation and thermal management, also deviating temperature ranges are possible, e.g. from -40 to +40 °C.

What type of fuel does Sunfire-Remote need?

Fuelled by natural gas with a Methane content of > 90 % OR LPG with a Propane share of > 95 %, Sunfire-Remote provides clean power wherever it is needed.

Is Sunfire-Remote remote controllable?

Yes, the Sunfire-Remote units can be started, stopped and monitored remotely.

What is the maintenance effort for Sunfire-Remote?

The Sunfire-Remote systems do not contain any lubricants and only two blowers as components with rotating parts. Hence, the annual proactive maintenance is limited to following activities: visual inspection, cleaning, change of desulfurizer cartridges, gas and air filters, gas leakage test.

How does the Sunfire fuel cell work?

The heart of the Sunfire-Remote units are Solid Oxide Fuel Cells (SOFC). These are high temperature fuel cells which operate at temperatures between 800 and 900 °C. Similar to other fuel cell technologies they compose of an anode and a cathode separated by a ceramic electrolyte. This principle is similar to batteries with the difference that fuel cells are continuously fuelled. The ceramic electrolyte conducts oxygen ions from the cathode to the anode whilst electrons are sent to an external circuit in order to produce electricity. At the anode, the oxygen ions combine with the fuel to produce water and carbon dioxide. Heat and carbon dioxide are also generated at the anode. Unlike conventional fuel cells, the Sunfire fuel cells run on hydrocarbons such as natural gas or propane.

Find out more

Sunfire is the recognised global industry leader in solid oxide technology with hundreds of systems installed and longest operation in customer applications. Founded in 2010, Sunfire is one of the world's most innovative companies and belongs to the Global Cleantech 100 companies since 2014. Next to development and production of high-temperature fuel cells (SOFC) also high-temperature electrolysers (SOEC) belong to the product portfolio of Sunfire.

Contact us