More than $5.5 million in Third Frontier Grants Awarded to Companies in Cleveland Plus Region
12/15/2008
Energy Technologies (ETI), located in Mansfield (Richland County), was awarded $1 million for its Development of a High-Volume Manufacturing Process for Metal Hydride Fuel Cell (MHFC) Stack and Systems project. Energy Technologies will expand on their 2008 Ohio Third Frontier Fuel Cell Program award and will develop and implement a high volume production capability for producing the metal hydride fuel cell stack, stack components welding process and balance-of-plant (BOP) integration at Energy Technologies' facilities. The project is to set up Energy Technologies' collaborator, Michigan-based Energy Conversion Devices' electrode manufacturing line and the stack assembly and joining line at Energy Technologies. The electrode manufacturing line will use the low cost methods commonly used in the battery manufacturing industry and the stack joining will use laser methods currently outsourced that will be brought into Energy Technologies.
Rolls-Royce Fuel Cell Systems (RRFCS), located in North Canton (Stark County), was awarded $600,000 for its Low Cost Internal Steam Reformer for 1MW SOFC Electric Power System project. RRFCS will improve the performance and reduce the cost of a critical component in RRFCS's fuel cell design—the internal steam reformers (ISRs). The current internal steam reformer was developed by Rolls-Royce in the U.K. and has demonstrated baseline performance requirements. However, its cost and durability are barriers yet to be overcome. In this project, RRFCS will transfer the current internal steam reformer technology to its Ohio operations to address these barriers and develop a commercially viable internal steam reformer. The project will establish a new performance baseline using a catalyst manufactured by BASF that offers a 50 percent internal steam reformer cost reduction. The Ohio State University will explore catalyst performance to determine pathways to an order-of-magnitude lower cost internal steam reformer.
Lockheed Martin-Akron (LM-Akron), located in Akron (Summit County), was awarded $998,393 for its Military Solid Oxide Fuel Cell (SOFC) Genset project. The proposed project is aimed at developing a Solid Oxide Fuel Cell system, including balance-of-plant (BOP) components that can meet military performance requirements for mobile generator sets (gensets) and demonstrating continuous generator operation for greater than 1000 hours. Technology Management, Inc. (TMI), based in Cleveland, will be responsible for developing a flexible fuel processor to provide the hydrogen fuel, improving its manufacturing process to insure Solid Oxide Fuel Cell stack quality and repeatability, and optimizing the system performance for the military application. LM-Akron will assess the durability barriers that the Solid Oxide Fuel Cell stack and balance-of-plant will need to address and develop the appropriate balance-of-plant. Stark State College of Technology, located in Canton, will conduct reliability testing of key balance-of-plant components. LM-Akron will assemble 1-kW prototypes for demonstrating efficient, reliable operation, and for demonstrating operation on multiple fuels.
Contained Energy, located in Cleveland (Cuyahoga County), was awarded $350,000 for its Improved Direct Carbon Fuel Cell Stack Efficiency project. Contained Energy will expand upon the work being performed under their 2007 Ohio Third Frontier Fuel Cell Program grant. The primary objective is to further improve cell efficiency and complete the commercial design issues defined in the ongoing project. Specifically the project objectives are to understand the conditions in the anode that achieve the needed full polarization, develop an effective separator (membrane), develop an effective seal to prevent electrolyte leakage, improve the cell power density (at least 100mW/cm2) and build a 3-cell stack achieving 50 percent efficiency for 72 hours.
Parker Hannifin Corporation, located in Cleveland (Cuyahoga County), was awarded $1 million for its Ohio Wind Turbine Brake Commercialization project. Parker Hannifin will commercialize a modular high-speed shaft (HSS) brake for wind turbines based on its industry-leading helicopter brake technology produced at Parker's Aircraft Wheel and Brake Division in Avon. The project will include assessments of both hydraulic and electric brake concepts and the construction of prototypes of each for evaluation by wind turbine manufacturers collaborating in the project. Three prototype hydraulic brake systems will be built for GE Wind for installation on GE's 1.5MW wind turbine. The electric brake technology product launch is projected for 2010.
Tremco Incorporated, located in Beachwood (Cuyahoga County), was awarded $1 million for its Tremco BIPV Commercialization project. Tremco will solve the problems encountered with first-generation building-integrated photovoltaic (BIPV) systems that were single junction, silicon-based, rack-mounted modules. In this project, an easy-to-install and maintain building-integrated photovoltaic system will be developed and tested. It will be code compliant and meet removal requirements of Power Purchase Agreements. Work will be done to select the best membrane and bonding concept and to develop all balance-of-plant components including the electrical system. The photovoltaic modules will be produced by Xunlight Corporation, based in Toledo, and both factory and field lamination processes will be developed to join the thin-film photovoltaic modules to the membrane in a fashion that is removable for maintenance and utilization of Power Purchase Agreements.
Industrial Railway Switching & Services (IRSS), Inc., located in Lorain (Lorain County), was awarded $450,000 for its Lean and Green Locomotive project. IRSS will build and commercialize a new switcher-style locomotive prototype. These industrial-sized (~ 1000 hp) locomotives are currently based on 40-year-old technology. They are used to transport materials within the boundaries of industrial plants and to the loading sites of the commercial railroads. IRSS's six-month project will involve stripping an existing General Motors Electric Motor Division locomotive to its bare frame, refurbishing the frame, and rebuilding the locomotive using modernized technology. The new engine to be used is a four-stroke design. Industrial Railway Switching & Services and its collaborators have engineered the other updated components that will be used. Proprietary computer-controlled fuel delivery and monitoring is incorporated into the design, a first in this type of locomotive. The project deliverable, called the Lean and Green Locomotive, will be a completely operational prototype ready for testing by a current IRSS customer, U.S. Steel, at its Lorain facility. The project was approved for either Ohio Third Frontier funding or Ohio Job Stimulus Plan funding.
Proxy Biomedical Limited, located in Galway, Ireland, was awarded $160,000 for the establishment of its first U.S. full service operation with a proposed location in Cleveland (Cuyahoga County). Founded in 2002, Proxy Biomedical Limited is a private, leading innovator in the development of next generation medical products using proprietary synthetic and biologic biomaterials technology. The company has worked with a tissue bank partner in the Dayton, OH area to develop an allograft biologic membrane for homologous wound covering use. The biologic implant is FDA approved and is being evaluated for specific clinical indications (ob/gyn, colorectal, and general surgery). Proxy Biomedical is also performing research and development for a proprietary xenograft biologic membrane material for evolving market indications. Terms for license on a patented decelluarization technique have been evaluated for the xenograft biologic membrane, which will shorten time to market and strengthen the product portfolio. Proxy Biomedical will lease approximately 5,000 square-feet of multi-use space in the Cleveland University/Hospital area for the facility. The proposed project will be a separate business unit which designs, develops, manufactures, and markets advanced procedure-specific devices and materials for advanced surgical procedures. The project is expected to create 26 new full-time jobs within three years of the project's initial operations.
Learn more at www.ThirdFrontier.com
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