| Company
to demonstrate recover of water from hydrogen fuel processor using high
sulfur fuels
IVYLAND, Pa.-- Power and Energy,
Inc. (P+E) has received a new SBIR Phase I contract from the US Office
of Naval Research entitled Modular High Power Fuel Cell System Design.
Under this contract, P+E will demonstrate methods to recover the waste
water from hydrogen fuel processing and remove critical impurities (including
sulfur-bearing compounds). This recovered water can be reused to supply
the water required for the fuel processing system.
This technology demonstration is
another important milestone for P+E in delivering a practical system that
can efficiently support the operation of fuel cells on board Navy vessels.
In order to be practical, these systems need to utilize existing logistics
fuel supplies that can contain large quantities of sulfur. The P+E technology
avoids the need to utilize costly sulfur removal technology prior to converting
the fuels into high quality hydrogen needed for fuel cell operations. P+E
intends to demonstrate the feasibility of water self-sufficiency for a
diesel fuel processor and fuel cell for ship-service power generation.
Water consumption is an important issue for fuel cell implementation; it
is especially critical on board ships where fresh, clean water is an expensive
and precious commodity.
Power+Energy, Inc. is a leading developer
and supplier of Palladium Alloy membrane systems for delivery of high quality
hydrogen for electronics and energy applications. In a series of contracts
with the US Navy, P+E has been developing key process components required
to convert existing logistical diesel fuels into hydrogen. This same technology
can be utilized across a spectrum of applications for fuel cells including
mobile, stationary and portable power generation in commercial, residential
and industrial markets.
P+E is actively working with a number
of leading organizations in integrating fuel cell systems. This includes
a series of contracts with the Army Research Office (ARO), DARPA, and the
Navy (NAVSEA and ONR) to develop hydrogen separation systems for extracting
hydrogen from methanol, ethanol and logistic (diesel and jet) fuels. P+E
hydrogen separators have also been used in a number of successful demonstration
projects including a diesel fueled mobile auxiliary power system for the
Bradley M2/M3 Armored Fighting Vehicle. Other separators have been operated
for periods extending far beyond 10,000 hours feeding PEM fuel cell systems
in a wide variety of operating environments. The technology is scaleable
from small portable systems (50-500 watts) to power plants in the megawatt
range. Applications include portable battery chargers, auxiliary and back-up
power systems and remote, off-grid power systems.
Power+Energy, Inc., established in
1993, is a privately held firm based near Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, with
a branch office in Japan. The company develops and manufactures hydrogen
purifiers, separators and membrane reactors for fuel cell systems as well
as a number of applications including semiconductor fabrication, energy
research and laboratory applications. P+E has a worldwide customer base
and supplies hydrogen purifiers to producers of semiconductors including
most major suppliers of high brightness light emitting diodes (LEDs).
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