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According to its manufacturer, the device generates the energy equivalent to a liter of gasoline –30 Mjoules or 8.333333 kW– for 0.0151515 euros. There is already a prototype capable of generating heating, hot water and electricity for a home or a small business.
It all started when, a few weeks ago, we published a note in pv magazine informing about a new Spanish prototype to generate and store hydrogen in situ from water for homes and companies: Atom, a project developed by three Spanish students, has won the imaginPlanet Challenge from Caixabank and will travel to Silicon Valley during the month of July.
JAGI then wrote to the newsroom stating that he had fabricated "an operating model that far exceeds the one in his article." Thus, the “technical veteran and inventor”, as he calls himself, has shared with pv magazine the development of his invention that allows hydrogen to be generated from water, without electrolysis. Proof of this gives the utility model concession certificate by the Spanish Patent and Trademark Office, dependent on the Ministry of Industry, Commerce and Tourism, dated July of this year.
“Until now, the most common way to obtain hydrogen is by electrolysis of water. However, this process implies a significant electrical consumption that makes it not interesting from an economic point of view”, explains the creator. The generator of his invention is constituted from a first pressurized tank in which water, ferrosilicon and sodium hydroxide are introduced. The tank is fed with pressurized air through a compressor, which needs an electrical outlet, with a consumption of 20 W. This discharges the pressurized air in the lower part of the tank, and it is the air that causes the reaction between the different chemical components and generates hydrogen. “Then, the generated hydrogen leaves through the upper area of ??the first tank to be introduced into an equally pressurized tank, filled with water, in such a way that the water tank is fed through its lower area, and this goes through the volume of water in an ascending direction, which collects the possible impurities that the hydrogen could have dragged and exits through its upper area”, explains the author of the study. prototype. Finally, the cleaning tank feeds through an upper conduit to a battlement tank. The tank is equipped with closed contacts, a safety valve and an outlet pipe assisted by a solenoid valve. the cleaning tank feeds through an upper conduit to a battlement tank. The tank is equipped with closed contacts, a safety valve and an outlet pipe assisted by a solenoid valve. the cleaning tank feeds through an upper conduit to a battlement tank. The tank is equipped with closed contacts, a safety valve and an outlet pipe assisted by a solenoid valve.
“Currently I am finishing a model with a 220 liter tank at 1 kg/cm2 and a flow rate of 30 liters per minute. This can generate heating, hot water and electricity for a home or a small business", explains the inventor, adding that it does not end there, since I have already designed "a large production model that will work at 750 Kg / cm2. This model can supply a thermal power plant, a container ship, or a supply center”.
Among the advantages of the device: hydrogen is produced at the place of consumption, so transportation disappears, it only needs a water supply tap. "It can be made to measure to generate the consumption of a transport truck, or whatever is needed." Its author states that the device currently built has 3 tanks, “the first, reaction; the second, washing; and the third, storage for hydrogen of 220 liters, at 1 bar or kg/square centimeter”. Thus, it is capable of generating the energy equivalent to a liter of gasoline –30 Mjoules or 8.333333 kW– for 0.0111515 euros (obviously not including the price of the device).
Specifically, “the prototype in the video (below) uses 100 grams of ferrosilicon and 100 grams of sodium hydroxide, which reacts with 5 liters of water. As mentioned, each liter of gasoline generates 8.333333 kW, but a liter of water has 3 times more energy than hydrogen, or 25 kW of energy per liter. In this case we use 5 liters, which means a total of 125 kW", explains the inventor, adding: "The price of the components is as follows: 1,000 kg of ferro-silicon cost about 1,000 euros, and 1,000 kg of caustic soda, another 1000 euros maximum. The price of 100 grams of each one is 0.10 euros – in total, 0.20 euros. This, divided by 5 liters of water is equal to 0.04, which, if divided by 3 – as has been said, a liter of water has 3 times more energy in hydrogen than a liter of gasoline –, results in 0.011 euros ; not counting the contribution of energy from ferrosilicon and caustic soda”. In summary, with the authors data, with a current investment of 0.011 euros (not counting the price of water) the same energy is generated as with a liter of gasoline.
First test with compression, with only two tanks: the generation one and the washing one, without safety measures yet. |
