The "Godfather of the Internet" SOFC applications as small as a dime... Beyond batteries ...
report by Scott Kisner, 6/18/2001 Boston Globe
Over a tasty lunch at Emma's Pizza, Sam Schaevitz explains all the things that
are wrong with rechargeable batteries.
The litany will sound pretty familiar if you own a cellphone or laptop.
Batteries die at the worst possible moments. They take too long to recharge. And
after you've used them for a month or two, you start to notice that they don't store
quite as much juice as they once did.
''There are no new technologies in the pipeline to provide a performance
improvement in traditional batteries,'' says Schaevitz, a preternaturally polished
22-year-old PhD candidate at MIT's Microsystems Technology Lab. ''Yet
[consumer] electronics keep getting more power-hungry. To get further from here,
it's got to be a fuel-based device.''
By fuel-based, Schaevitz is thinking of a mini-generator that would run on butane
cartridges, much like a cigarette lighter. The company he's beginning to build,
Lilliputian Systems, plans to offer generators the same size as today's cellphone
and laptop batteries, but with an increase in performance of at least tenfold, and
possibly as much as fiftyfold. ''We don't think a month of running time for a
cellphone would be out of the question,'' Schaevitz says.
Lilliputian's generator is based on technology developed at MIT under sponsorship
of the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency. (DARPA was also the
Internet's godfather.)
Here's how it would work: The generator would take in butane, mix it with oxygen,
and heat it up to 1,000 degrees Celsius on a microchip about the size of a dime.
The temperature increase splits the butane and oxygen mixture into carbon
monoxide and hydrogen gas, which feed a solid oxide fuel cell that produces
electricity. The by-products of the reaction are carbon dioxide and water, which
Schaevitz says are ''approximately one-fiftieth of [what's] produced by a birthday
candle.''
Schaevitz says Lilliputian's generators would have useful lives of two to three years.
Recharging would be instant - just pop in a new butane cartridge. And
performance wouldn't degrade over the generator's lifetime.
Of course, there are questions. Like: How will the airlines react to a
butane-powered laptop? Will another company working in this field, like Motorola
or New Hampshire's DEKA Research, deliver a comparable generator first? And
can Lilliputian Systems, which right now consists of Schaevitz and Aleks Franz, a
research scientist in the Microsystems Technology Lab, actually deliver a working
prototype in 18 months, as they promise?
The pair, who participated in this year's MIT $50K Entrepreneurship Competition,
are selectively circulating their business plan,looking for a CEO, and trying to raise
enough money to hire a 12-person team to develop the prototype. More info at
www.LilliputianSystemsInc.com.
boston.com ... original report
itnes.com ... more DARPA latest solid oxide fuel cell developments June 21 2001
i.m.h.o.
GLE's definitely got all the bases covered, although it may be unrealistic to expect them to supply the complete market range of solid oxide fuel cell applications, GLE has a major role role to play in setting the standards, and testing of future SOFC applications.
GLE's part ownership of AMI's solid oxide fuel cell test stations, and world leading volume manufacturing of 'ceramic' fuel cell components, will certainly hold this amazing company's capabilities in good stead for a long and profitable future.
There's no job big or small GLE's ready to do them all, eh !
Excerpt from Global Thermoelectric Delivers Prototype Residential Fuel Cell
System to Enbridge Inc. May 31 2001 ...
Global Acquires 20% of Advanced Measurements Inc.
Global and Advanced Measurements Inc. (AMI), a private company and a
leading integrator of PC-based, intelligent test, measurement and automation
solutions across North America, have jointly developed fuel cell testing
stations. To date, Global has installed 14 of these test stations at its
facilities in Calgary. In conjunction with the joint development effort,
Global has acquired a 20% equity position in AMI for an undisclosed amount.
The two companies are exploring options to market these test stations in
Canada and internationally.
Global Thermoelectric Inc. is a world leader in the development of solid
oxide fuel cell technology. The Calgary-based company is also the world's
largest manufacturer and distributor of thermoelectric generators for use in
remote locations, and produces advanced personnel heaters for use by the
defence industry. The Company is listed on The Toronto Stock Exchange (stock
symbol: GLE).
globalte.com ... Global Thermoelectric's home page |
