Mainstream Awarded Contract from the Army to Advance Hydrogen Storage Technology

ROCKLEDGE, FL – August 19, 2008 – Mainstream Engineering Corporation, leading research, and development company specializing in advanced thermal control and energy conversion, has been awarded a contract from the Army to develop nanotechnology-based hydrogen generators for compact fuel cell power systems.

Advances in microelectronics technology have digitized the modern battlefield by enabling night vision, global positioning, laser range-finding/targeting, digital communications, and advanced sensing. As these powerful new battlefield technologies emerge and mature, the need for compact, efficient, silent, and safe power generation will continue to grow. Although fuel cells have kept pace with these power needs so far, the hydrogen storage and retrieval technologies on which they depend are still transitioning out of the laboratory.

The Army has selected Mainstream to close that technology gap by partnering with University of Washington researchers to integrate their groundbreaking nanostructured hydrogen fuel technology into compact, soldier-mounted generators. These generators will be designed to fuel commercial fuel cells, which in turn will power the soldier-borne electronics of the future.

The Phase I STTR (Small Business Technology Transfer Research) effort ends in February when Mainstream will present a breadboard-level system to the Army for review. The content herein does not necessarily reflect the position or policy of the Government, and no official endorsement should be inferred.