Novel Power Source for Artificial Heart Devices

A new class of artificial heart-type devices is emerging that offers the potential of practically unlimited patient mobility and a near-normal lifestyle for the recipient. The new devices being developed are totally implantable, self-contained, electrically driven systems. However, the power and energy density requirements of the new devices are very large and are at the limit, or exceed, the best battery technologies available today. The objective of this project is to determine the feasibility of using a lightweight, high power density, fuel cell system supplied with pure hydrogen fuel and oxygen from the air, as the external electrical power source for these new devices. The fuel cell power supply has been designed to provide 1 A for 0.4 seconds at 12 V, followed by 2.6 A for 0.2 seconds at 12 V, i. e., for an average power of 18 W over a time period of ten hours. Hydrogen fuel generation and storage, as well as an emergency back-up source of hydrogen fuel, have been considered. Unique approaches for the fabrication and validation of each component of the novel fuel cell external electrical power source for artificial heart-type devices have been devised. The system will be extremely lightweight, energy-efficient, reliable and safe.