A new provisional patent application was filed with the Canadian Patent Office. The company has sought global protection on this technology. This invention is in the field of solar and process heating. The “Heat Valve” has been designed for the efficient transfer of heat from one process to another. (PRWEB) March 10, 2005 -- Thermo-chemical processing plants require precise control of heat inputs to various processes. Controlling the fuel flow from a fuel supply to a burner thermally coupled to a chemical process generally provides this. In most chemical processing plants, process heat is distributed according to the process temperature and heat energy required. Excess heat from one process is utilized by another process in conjunction with heat exchangers or direct feed. The goal is to minimize the heat input and thus fuel consumption while maximizing the plant throughput. Solar reactors such as ones developed by SHEC labs are now emerging owing to the need for renewable energy sources. Because these reactors are usually positioned at the focus of solar collectors, they are by necessity very compact and don’t have space for complimentary equipment such as heat exchangers. Heat exchangers require large surface area to be efficient at high flow rates. Another factor in solar reactor design is a single heat source of a focused solar beam and the difficulties in driving multiple reactors from one heat source. This invention serves to minimize these problems by providing a mechanism to transfer heat in a precisely controlled manner. This invention provides a heat transfer mechanism in which the thermal transfer properties are controlled by setting the system parameters and thus the rate of heat transfer in response to thermal demand. The present invention provides a heat transfer mechanism where one end is thermally coupled to a heat source and the opposite end is thermally coupled to a heat sink or heat process at a lower temperature than the source. The thermal conductivity is controlled by changing the input parameters in real time and therefore the thermal transfer properties of the system. About SHEC-Labs – (Solar Hydrogen Energy Corporation) SHEC-Labs a research and development company, is a world leader in providing solutions for the production of clean, renewable energy for the emerging hydrogen economy. SHEC-Labs, founded in 1996, has developed technologies to more economically harness the power of the sun, reduce the temperatures required for the disassociation of water and more economically produce hydrogen from fossil fuels. Additional information about SHEC-Labs may be found online at www.shec-labs.com For additional information, contact: Ray Fehr, V.P. Marketing SHEC-Labs - Solar Hydrogen Energy Corporation Phone: (306) 244 0122 www.shec-labs.com

Hydrogen Fuel Cells

1-Alternative Energy Series Water - The Perfect Fuel

VIASPACE Developing Hydrogen Fuel Cell Humidity Measurement Instrument (MetrologyWorld.com)
VIASPACE Inc., a company that transforms proven space and defense technologies from NASA and the Department of Defense into hardware and software solutions, announced that it is developing a laser based instrument to measure the humidity level in hydrogen fuel cells...

New Laser Technique That Strips Hydrogen From Silicon Surfaces (PhotonicsOnline)
A team of researchers have achieved a long-sought scientific goal: using laser light to break specific molecular bonds. The process uses laser light, instead of heat, to strip hydrogen atoms from silicon surfaces, a key step in the manufacture of computer chips and solar cells...

Sweet-toothed bacteria confect hydrogen (E4: Engineering)
Research funded by the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC) has shown bacteria that can metabolise confectionery could be a valuable source of clean hydrogen energy in the future.

Hydrogen Fuel Balls from a Gas Pump? (Slashdot)
navalynt writes "New Scientist reports that the Department of Energy has filed a patent for hydrogen fuel balls. From the article 'The proposed glass microspheres would each be a few millionths of a metre (microns) wide with a hollow center containing specks of palladium. The walls of each sphere would also have pores just a few ten-billionths of a metre in diameter.' They are supposedly safe and

Los Alamos National Laboratory and Japanese Scientists Team Up for Hydrogen Project (Fuel Cell Today)
Scientists from Los Alamos National Laboratory and Japan have formalized a working relationship to share information on hydrogen technologies, which could someday reduce the country's dependence on fossil fuels to power cars.