Two additional patents US 9,184,463 (Ohlsen et al) and US 9,112,215 (Cross et al) have been awarded to Neah Power Systems, Inc. by USPTO. It’s a proud moment for the company which is a budding leader in the field of fuel cell-based power solutions and rechargeable lithium battery storage solutions for various arenas of defense, commercial, and consumer applications. In general, the granted patents relate to the one and only, non-air, methanol PowerChip® Fuel cell technology that has many customers including the DRDO, Government of India. The granted patents are related to the insitu regeneration of the oxidant employed in the fuel cell which increases the energy density of the system, thus enabling design and working of a smaller, more compact, and lighter fuel cell. The granted patents in association with the already existing Company Patent portfolio is considered to be imperative for the ground breaking success of the company. Also, the granted additional patents hold particular significance to the recently signed memorandum of understanding (MOU) with a great South African based unit and the licensing agreement with the Government of India.
About Neah Power Systems, Inc.: Neah Power Systems, Inc. centered in Bothell, WA, deals with the development of innovative, long-lasting, efficient and safe power solutions for the military, transportation, and portable electronics applications. In achieving such goals, the company employs a unique, patented and award winning, silicon-based design for its Powerchip(R) technology that enables higher power densities, air and non-air operation, lower cost and compact form-factors. Furthermore, the company uses patent pending low cost, differentiated technology for its BuzzBar™ and BuzzCell™ micro fuel cells for the sake of consumer oriented products. Neah Power’s Solutions products include the patented and patent pending PowerChip®, Formira® and the BuzzBar Suite®.
The US 9,184,463 patent entitled ‘Nitric acid regeneration fuel cell systems’ is directed to nitric acid regeneration fuel cell systems. The inventors of the patent are Leroy J. Ohlsen , Slobodan Petrovic, David W. Wine, Lorne Roy and Julie Birashk. The system comprises of an anode; a cathode which faces the anode and spaced apart; an anolyte flowstream configured to flowingly contact the anode. The anolyte flowstream includes a fuel like methanol, for initiating a reaction with anode. The catholyte flowstream is configured to flowingly contact the cathode, and it includes nitric acid for initialing reaction at the cathode to ultimately yield cathode reaction products that include nitric oxide and water in a catholyte effluent flowstream. Furthermore, hydrogen peroxide flowstream is configured to make contact and react hydrogen peroxide with the nitric oxide of the catholyte effluent flowstream at a hydrogen peroxide oxidation zone to yield a regenerated nitric acid flowstream thereby. The regenerated nitric acid flowstream is preferably reused in the catholyte flowstream. The disclosed invention was made with United States Government support under Advanced Technology Program Award Number 70NANB3H3036 awarded by the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST).
The US 9,112,215 patent also entitled ‘Nitric acid regeneration fuel cell systems’ discloses methods and systems for regenerating a fuel cell. The inventors of the patent are Tsali Cross, Derek Reiman and Corina Margineanu. The system comprises of sparging a catholyte liquid with a gaseous oxygen-containing flow stream. Furthermore, the gaseous byproducts in the catholyte can be collected and further converted to liquid forms for the purpose of easy disposal. In some embodiments, the regeneration process comprises intermittently regenerating an oxidant flow stream, like, based on detected conditions. In some embodiments, the regeneration process comprises switching between different modes of oxidant regeneration, for example, based on detected conditions.
Neah Power is determined to establish relations worldwide and grow global opportunities through its strategically development of unique and disruptive new technologies including the Military, First Responders, Logistics and Consumer Electronic and Mobile markets.
