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Microcap & Penny Stocks : MECHANICAL TECHNOLOGY (MKTY) -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: Bread Upon The Water who wrote (306)	7/17/1999 9:47:00 AM
From: Scoobah	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 542

A boost for Hydrogen, Northwest Power Systems Develops Diesel Fuel Processor biz.yahoo.com Northwest Power Systems Develops Diesel Fuel Processor BEND, Ore., July 15 /PRNewswire/ -- Northwest Power Systems (NPS), under contract to Sandia National Laboratories, a prime contractor to the U.S. Department of Energy, announced today that it successfully tested a new fuel processor that converts diesel into high-purity hydrogen. Without need for further purification, the hydrogen was fed to a proton-exchange-membrane (PEM) fuel cell that produced electricity. NPS developed the diesel fuel processor for use in fuel cell systems that can generate electricity for use in homes, schools and businesses in remotely located villages of Alaska. The technology breakthrough enhances NPS's prospects for rapid commercialization of fuel cells for both stationary and portable applications, worldwide. Northwest Power previously demonstrated a kerosene fuel processor for Arctic applications. Both the diesel and kerosene fuel processors will be automated and tested this fall with fuel cells that NPS purchases from independent manufacturers. ''Our longer-term objective is to complete all field testing of a series of fully-integrated fuel cell systems for residential applications in rural Alaska in the year 2000,'' said Guggenheim. ''Diesel is a bonus for us and Sandia because of the widespread distribution of this fuel in Alaska and elsewhere.'' The successful diesel fuel processor demonstration culminated a week-long effort in which the Company produced hydrogen from kerosene, bio-diesel, petroleum diesel and a proprietary nonflammable liquid feedstock in a single fuel processor. The fuel processor is a proprietary design that incorporates hydrogen purification as part of the fuel processor. The product hydrogen from all four of the test fuels was greater than 99.8% pure with less than one part per million (ppm) of carbon monoxide and less than one ppm of carbon dioxide. These contaminants can poison a PEM fuel cell irreversibly. No further purification of the product hydrogen is necessary with Northwest Power's fuel processor before passing it into any conventional PEM fuel cell stack. NPS already has developed a fuel processor that converts methanol to hydrogen. The Company is developing ethanol, propane and, most recently, natural gas, models that provide needed hydrogen for PEM fuel cell systems. PEM fuel cells run quietly with no combustion cycle and no moving parts. Founded in 1996, Northwest Power Systems is a subsidiary of IDACORP Technologies, Inc., Boise, Idaho. SOURCE: Northwest Power Systems

To: Bread Upon The Water who wrote (306)	7/17/1999 12:07:00 PM
From: raisinkane	Read Replies (2) \| Respond to of 542

Confused!!...:) :)...The Gle website I was looking at describes the operation of a PEM fuel cell and SOFC for comparison purpose's only. Gle has no Pem fuel cell technology. The individual home market for their SOFC is mentioned a couple times although it will be longer to market compared to MKTY. One advantage is a SOFC will not require a reformer for the natural gas like a PEM cell......raisin

To: Bread Upon The Water who wrote (306)	7/17/1999 12:32:00 PM
From: Sid Turtlman	Read Replies (4) \| Respond to of 542

Bill: Just so you get the players right, in the low temperature area (i.e., requires a reformer to process the fuel) is everyone making PEM (dozens of players) and UTX, which, under the ONSI and IFC names, makes both PEM and phosphoric acid. In the more efficient high temperature fuel cells, there is ERC making carbonate and GLE and Siemens/Westinghouse doing solid oxide. ERC doesn't do solid oxide, and no one else public does carbonate. Also, once again, high temperature fuel cells are not more efficient "according to Sid", they are more efficient period. This is a fact, not an opinion. Please check with Plug Power if you don't believe me. Also, if there actually turns out to be a viable market for home size fuel cells - certainly a big question in my mind - the last thing Plug Power will find itself is alone. In the one reported story of a housing developer talking about putting them into a new development, Avista Labs' product is reported to be the choice, not Plug Power. More important, all the PEM fc developers intending to market 250 kW units started out making smaller ones first. Ballard and IFC are years ahead of Plug Power. They have been skeptical of there being much of a market for the individual house size, but can turn them out in their sleep if they decide to do so. It will be easy enough for them to work with an established appliance brand name to get distribution. If there turns out to be a market, I wouldn't bet that Plug Power even ends up with a big piece of it.