Green Car Congress: AEC Takes On-Demand Hydrogen Demo on the Road

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AEC Takes On-Demand Hydrogen Demo on the Road

19 July 2005

“Black Box” H₂ Production

Alternate Energy Corporation (AEC) is taking its new small-scale, on-demand hydrogen production systems on the road in demonstrations before “prospective commercial customers, potential licensees, select government and institutional contacts and other interested commercial parties.”

AEC claims to have an alloy which separates hydrogen from water at low cost, requiring no electrical energy or external input (in the process), and without utilizing or producing any hazardous waste materials. (Sounds a bit like the efforts with sodium borohydride. (Earlier post.)

The company is tight-lipped about the actual composition of its alloy and the chemistry of what actually occurs within its process, pending the award of patents for which it filed last year.

In the demonstrations of its hydrogen production unit (the newly named H2 1500-A1), AEC powers a small combustion engine and a 2.4-kW Alkaline Fuel Cell from Astris Energi.

There are a number of questions that need to be answered about the AEC technology before investors or customers begin lining up, such as the hydrogen yield and effective fuel density of the material, balanced against cost (financial and environmental) of the alloy production.

AEC claims that based on its in-house testing, the current hydrogen production unit will produce an on-going supply of hydrogen required to operate a 1-kW fuel cell for weeks without maintenance—i.e., replenishment of alloy. The water must be replaced more frequently, although how often, the company does not say.

In general, “black box” claims make me skeptical. It is clear they are producing hydrogen. Whether or not the process is viable is an entirely different issue—one that won’t be sorted out without a great deal more information.

Resources:

AEC demonstration video (lab bench generation of hydrogen, powering a 1-kW generator)

July 19, 2005 in Hydrogen | Permalink | Comments (7) | TrackBack (0)

Comments

Once a patent application is filed the is no need to keep the details secret.
Their website made the illogical claim that pure water is a byproduct of their process as well as the source of the hydrogen. How can it be both?

Posted by: tom | July 19, 2005 at 04:27 PM

Not only that, but the process is indirect when it could be direct. Metals from aluminum to zinc can be used to make electric power directly in metal-air batteries (fuel cells); making hydrogen as an intermediary just raises the complexity and the cost.

This has all the hallmarks of a scam.

Posted by: Engineer-Poet | July 20, 2005 at 05:27 AM

I have made hydrogen from a 'can' using aluminum and a commonn chemical.It's no secret...

Posted by: Rich | July 31, 2005 at 08:29 PM

I have made hydrogen from a'can' using aluminum and a common chemical..It's no secret..

Posted by: RICH | July 31, 2005 at 08:32 PM

Has any body out there experimented with Plasma Electrolysis of H2O and NaOh. I have been experimenting
on these lines for four years. I am producing my first
cell with four switchable Cathodes and a common anode.
The plasma is enhanced between 100 to 300 Volts DC.at about 2 to 4Amps, depending on the temperature of the cell and catalyst concentration:

Posted by: Ralph | August 01, 2005 at 11:56 PM

I'm sure the claims are correct, they seem very similar to discoveries at Purdue recently. Aluminum and gallium mixed into an alloy allows the aluminum to extract oxygen to corrode the aluminum in full (as compared to a corroded exterior of just aluminum) while simiultaniously releasing hydrogen for capture and use. I have read that this mix rate is 95% aluminum and 5% Gallium. Simply refill the cotainer with water as necessary, and when hydrogen pruduction levels are below optimal, for the given device being run from hydrogen, simply ad more alloy pellets. These pellets are easily retrieved (their in water) and recycleble. Both aluminum and gallium i believe are non-toxic and plentiful in ore (bauxite) we already mine.

Posted by: caleb Davis | March 04, 2008 at 11:47 PM

Hydrorunner.com has a system which produces hydrogen on demand through electrolosis. They are doubling fuel mileage.

Posted by: Steve Riggs | May 27, 2008 at 02:41 AM