While producing a green fuel from a green pond scum… turning algae into biodiesel… isn’t anything new, doing it in the nation’s breadbasket, where plenty of soybeans for biodiesel are already being grown, is a bit more of a novel concept.
Hydrogen Maker Gets Patent for Breakthrough
A Connecticut-based hydrogen technology maker has received a patent on a system that will help regulate the purity and pressure of hydrogen gas used to cool large electric generators.
This company press release says Proton Energy Systems’ StableFlow system is considered a real breakthrough because it actively controls purity and dew point, monitors pressure and, enables more efficient power production while also enhancing capacity and generator life:
“We are pleased that the U.S Patent office has recognized the critical importance of the StableFlow hydrogen control system, which provides utilities the opportunity to improve the operating efficiency of their plants, creating major savings in fuel consumption and reduced CO2 emissions,” said Rob Friedland, President and Chief Executive Officer of Proton Energy Systems. “Our mission at Proton Energy is to apply our advanced hydrogen technology in creative and practical ways to deliver the most reliability, durability and savings for our customers. With this patent, we are committed to sharing this value with additional partners throughout the world.”
With this latest achievement, Proton Energy continues to lead the market in hydrogen innovation. Proton Energy is the world’s leading supplier of onsite hydrogen generators utilizing proton exchange membrane (PEM) technology, and combining Proton’s HOGEN generators with the StableFlow system provides a utility with full control over its hydrogen generating system – maximizing efficiency, cost and safety. Proton’s StableFlow system can save most plants an average of one megawatt per hour in windage losses per generator. A megawatt of power production is equivalent to $50-$100 an hour in electricity revenue to the average power plant and is equivalent to one ton of CO2 reduction per hour in stack emissions. StableFlow provides efficiency improvements to a plant’s power generators that effects both fuel consumption and CO2 emissions providing the plant with a very attractive return on investment.
Proton is working on several Department of Defense projects, developing a system that will provide backup power and an advanced fueling system for a fleet of military vehicles powered by hydrogen.