IDACORP Inc. (Boise, ID) subsidiary IdaTech Corp. (Bend, OR) recently received three US patents for the company's multi-fuel processing technology and fuel cell system integration, bringing the company's total number of US patents to 16, 10 having been issued in 2002. The company also has more than 100 patent applications pending.
The recently issued patents from the United States Patent and Trademark Office apply to an automated controller that allows the fuel cell system to be operated efficiently under varying loads; the design for an endplate incorporated into an enclosure for the hydrogen separation assembly; and a hydrogen purification device, its components and fuel processors and fuel cell systems containing such devices.
"These patents further strengthen our competitive advantage in the fuel cell industry by protecting our fully integrated fuel cell systems and fuel reforming and hydrogen purification technologies," said IdaTech Senior Vice President and Chief Technology Officer David Edlund. "Additionally, this intellectual property provides us with the unique ability to take a modular approach in developing customized solutions for our customers."
