News

Innovatek Receives $780,000 US Army Contract

January 06, 2004 by Jeff Shepard

InnovaTek Inc. (Richland, WA) has received a $780,000 contract with the US Army to develop a new fuel processor that will generate hydrogen for use in portable fuel cells. The technology is built on InnovaTek's proprietary, compact micro-channel architecture that produces hydrogen from readily available fuels such as gasoline and diesel.

The device will generate hydrogen for a fuel cell to provide a reliable portable power source for the individual soldier for extended missions. The contract is a Phase 2 award under the Small Business Innovation Research Program. During Phase 1 in 2002, InnovaTek developed a proprietary advanced sulfur-tolerant catalyst that provided the key element and technical foundation for the Phase 2 program.

"The individual soldier now carries an incredible amount of gear, much of it electronic," said InnovaTek CEO Patricia Irving. "The Army is focused on technologies that can lighten the load while increasing the overall length of time the soldier can remain in the field."