Ford 2003 Annual Report Download - page 28

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Fumes to Fuel
The paint shop at the renovated Ford Rouge Center in
Dearborn, Michigan, not only is helping to generate great
current-model vehicles, it’s helping to generate great current.
For years Ford, like other automakers, has incinerated the
fumes drawn from paint booths in order to help protect air
quality. But now, in Fumes to Fuel, a pilot program jointly
developed by Ford Motor Company and Detroit Edison,
usable electric energy is being generated by what was formerly
a worthless waste product. The system captures the volatile
organic compounds found in paint fumes and concentrates
them into a rich mixture of hydrocarbons that are then converted
to a hydrogen-rich gas. The gas is fed into a stack of solid
oxide fuel cells, where a chemical reaction between hydrogen
and oxygen molecules is used to create electricity. The only
emissions from the fuel cells are water vapor and an
insignificant amount of carbon dioxide.
Patent pending in the United States and internationally, the system is capable of generating about
5,000 watts of electricity — enough to power an average home. Ford and Detroit Edison are exploring
larger fuel cells and additional energy generators with a larger system planned for later in 2004.
ACHIEVEMENTS
Fumes to Fuel
fuel cell
White House Honors
“When I first learned that I was being
summoned to the White House to receive
the National Medal of Technology, it was
unbelievable, absolutely fantastic,” recalls
Dr. Haren Gandhi, Ford Technical Fellow.
“And then when I realized that this was
the first time someone in the auto
industry had been so honored, I was
awestruck and humbled. I had just
assumed that, in an industry as
mature as this, someone would
have received it before me.”
Dr. Gandhi, who was recognized for
his work developing automotive exhaust catalyst technology, is
among a select group of individuals to have received the highest
honor bestowed on America’s leading innovators by the President
of the United States. Previous award recipients include
Microsoft’s Bill Gates and Apple Computer’s Steve Wozniak.
Dr. Gandhi has received several awards, including five Henry Ford
Technology Awards, for his pioneering work. But he says that his
greatest pleasure comes from the nature of the work itself.
“Most automotive research benefits vehicle owners and drivers,”
Dr. Gandhi says. “But cleaner air helps everyone — every single person
on Earth. I’m very pleased with the direction my life has taken.”
Dr. Haren Gandhi receives
the National Medal of Technology
from President George W. Bush
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