Harris, MTI Micro to develop prototypes for tactical radios

• Book ID: 104434383
• Publisher: Elsevier Science
• Year: 2003
• Tongue: English
• Weight: 29 KB
• Volume: 2003
• Category: Article
• ISSN: 1464-2859
• DOI: 10.1016/s1464-2859(03)00112-3

✦ Synopsis

MesoFuel reforms 99.9% pure H 2 , also converts surrogate military fuel

New Mexico-based MesoFuel has generated pure hydrogen from light hydrocarbons, such as methane or propane. This ability to produce pure (>99.9%) hydrogen is a dramatic improvement over conventional reformers, which typically produce diluted hydrogen (40-60% pure). The company has also reformed a surrogate of JP-8 -a logistical fuel widely used by the US military -into hydrogen.

The MesoChannel™ hydrogen generator at the heart of the company's system integrates the reactor, heater and hydrogen separation membrane into a single compact unit. When combined with a PEM fuel cell, the pure hydrogen output produced significantly improves the fuel cell's efficiency by more than 50%. The company uses 'mesotechnology' to design the MesoChannel hydrogen generator, to make large amounts of pure hydrogen relative to its compact size.

The system also allows hydrogen generation from different, easily available sources, making it useful in many applications that require portable power. It is particularly attractive for portable applications where low weight, compact size, no pollution and quick response are high priorities.

MesoFuel scientists also successfully reformed dodecane (C 12 H 26 ), a surrogate of JP-8, using the MesoChannel hydrogen generator. Using JP-8 fuel in portable fuel cells has numerous military applications, such as allowing soldiers to carry lightweight fuel cells to operate high-tech electronic equipment.