Air Products' Mobile Hydrogen Fueling Technology Helping National Laboratory to Achieve Energy Goals

LEHIGH VALLEY, Pa., Feb. 15, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- Air Products' (NYSE: APD) mobile hydrogen fueling technology is helping Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) achieve its strategy of an energy sustainable future and a cleaner environment.  At the Livermore, Calif. based national security laboratory, Air Products technology and equipment is fueling two hydrogen powered shuttle buses used to transport employees and visitors at LLNL's main site.

"This laboratory does cutting edge work and is an important place to locate hydrogen fueling technology to show that it is ready and working today.  This is an opportunity for the scientists working at the lab and the guests who visit the site to get a first-hand look at hydrogen as an alternative fuel," said Dan Rabun, business development manager for Hydrogen Energy Systems at Air Products.  "We operate an identical shuttle bus at our headquarters and its daily use makes a positive statement about the potential of the technology."

The mobile hydrogen fueler is part of the diverse portfolio of hydrogen fueling technologies deployed by Air Products around the world.  The versatile technology comes complete with fuel storage and dispensing, and can be transported from location to location to provide hydrogen fueling for both short and long-term fueling needs.  The fueler can be remotely monitored and is designed to provide daily, around-the-clock hydrogen vehicle fueling availability. It is able to dispense hydrogen without the need for a utility hook-up as solar panels on the top of the fuelers provide the electrical power for the dispensing unit. In all, Air Products has 20 mobile fuelers at locations in the U.S. Details on Air Products' portfolio of hydrogen fueling station technologies are provided at: www.airproducts.com/h2energy.

A collaboration of Lawrence Livermore and Sandia National Laboratories, the shuttle project is funded by the U.S. Department of Energy's (DOE) Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy, Fuel Cell Technologies Program. LLNL has said the hydrogen shuttles, which will also be featured in educational community outreach activities, are part of a DOE-funded deployment of hydrogen powered vehicles and fueling infrastructure at nine federal facilities across the country to demonstrate this market-ready advanced technology.

This project is the latest in several hydrogen-fueled transit announcements by Air Products. In December 2010, Air Products announced it was filling five new hydrogen fuel cell powered buses that transport riders daily on the Alameda-Contra Costa Transit District (AC Transit) bus system in the San Francisco Bay Area in California. It also commissioned its fueling station in London and is filling a fleet of five hydrogen buses as part of the Transport for London Project, which will be adding the first fleet of London hydrogen taxis in 2012. In November 2010, Air Products provided the hydrogen for a fleet of more than 50 hydrogen fuel cell shuttle vehicles that transported athletes and government officials at the Asian Games and Asian Para Games in Guangzhou City, China. The project was similar to Air Products' filling hydrogen buses at a fueling station in the Beijing Hydrogen Park for the Beijing Olympic Games, which marked the first demonstration project for new-energy vehicles in China.

Air Products, the leading supplier of hydrogen to refineries to assist in the production of cleaner burning transportation fuels, has unique experience in the hydrogen fueling industry. These varied fueling applications provide an opportunity to assess consumer experiences, evaluate product performance and advance product improvements.  In fact, in certain market applications, fueling rates at several individual sites of over 10,000 refills per year are occurring.  The company has placed over 120 hydrogen fueling stations in the United States and 19 countries worldwide.  Cars, trucks, vans, buses, scooters, forklifts, locomotives, planes, cell towers, material handling equipment, and even submarines have been fueled with trend-setting technologies that involve Air Products' know-how, equipment and hydrogen.  Use of the company's technology is increasing and is currently over 275,000 hydrogen fills per year. 

Air Products has more than 50 years of hydrogen experience and is on the forefront of hydrogen energy technology development.  Air Products has an extensive patent portfolio with over 50 patents in hydrogen dispensing technology.  Air Products provides liquid and gaseous hydrogen, and HCNG (hydrogen/compressed natural gas) fueling, and has developed a variety of enabling devices and protocols for fuel dispensing at varied pressures.  Hydrogen for these stations can be delivered to a site via truck, produced by natural gas reformation, biomass conversion, or by electrolysis, including electrolysis that is solar and wind driven.

About Air Products

Air Products (NYSE: APD) serves customers in industrial, energy, technology and healthcare markets worldwide with a unique portfolio of atmospheric gases, process and specialty gases, performance materials, and equipment and services.  Founded in 1940, Air Products has built leading positions in key growth markets such as semiconductor materials, refinery hydrogen, home healthcare services, natural gas liquefaction, and advanced coatings and adhesives.  The company is recognized for its innovative culture, operational excellence and commitment to safety and the environment.  In fiscal 2010, Air Products had revenues of $9 billion, operations in over 40 countries, and 18,300 employees around the globe.  For more information, visit www.airproducts.com.

About Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory

Founded in 1952, Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory is a national security laboratory, with a mission to ensure national security and apply science and technology to the important issues of our time. Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory is managed by Lawrence Livermore National Security, LLC for the U.S. Department of Energy's National Nuclear Security Administration.  For more information, visit www.llnl.gov/.

***NOTE: This release may contain forward-looking statements within the safe harbor provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. These forward-looking statements are based on management's reasonable expectations and assumptions as of the date of this release regarding important risk factors. Actual performance and financial results may differ materially from projections and estimates expressed in the forward-looking statements because of many factors not anticipated by management, including risk factors described in the Company's Form 10K for its fiscal year ended September 30, 2010.

SOURCE Air Products