Periodic Reporting for period 1 - DENS X4 (Hydrozine Generator for Zero-emission Power on Demand)
Periodo di rendicontazione: 2022-03-01 al 2023-02-28
The construction industry is responsible for 23% of the world´s GHG. Regulatory restrictions and public procurement processes push for the reduction of these emissions. Electrification of construction equipment is a solution as it reduces emissions. However, charging without emission is still a challenge. One of the alternatives to this problem is to use Hydrogen or Liquid Organic Hydrogen Carriers (LOHC) as main energy source. The LOHC Hydrozine can easily facilitate this transition; however, there are still problems to be solved.
DENS’s mission is the creation of highly reliable power sources that provide renewable and zero-emission power everywhere. Based on a patented technology we develop and build reformers that provide clean and affordable hydrogen gas (H2) via the conversion of Hydrozine (or otherwise known as formic acid). With our Project DENS X4 we aim to introduce the world's first commercially available Hydrozine stationary 100 kW power generator, where our proprietary reformer transforms Hydrozine into H2 gas and subsequently supplies a fuel cell for electricity generation on demand. It is an excellent replacement of high polluting and noisy diesel generators, which emit substances like CO2, NOX, SOX, soot.
Nowadays, for the generation of electricity, large scale solar and wind energy are seen ways to make the energy grid more sustainable. However, there are also situations where a connection to the grid is not easy or completely impossible. In such situations a storage medium is necessary being the Hydrogen gas or the LOHC potential alternatives. However, hydrogen in gaseous form has the disadvantage that is not easy to store and transport in large quantities. So LOHC are more feasible; in this case Hydrozine can be used. Hydrozine is a colorless liquid that stores up to 4 times as much hydrogen compared to pressure bottles and it is safer than H2 gas which is highly flammable. The Hydrozine is produced with three ingredients: renewable energy, water and biogenic CO2 (non-fossil carbon dioxide) so this is a renewable energy storage carrier.
In the DENS reformer, the Hydrozine is converted into H2 (hydrogen) and CO2 gas. This gas mixture is then fed to a fuel cell which converts the mixture into water vapor and electrical energy. The conversion in the fuel cell takes place at low temperatures, so no harmful substances such as sulfur oxides, nitrogen oxides or particulate matter are formed. In addition, the process is completely whisper quiet. Through this cycle the original renewable Hydrozine is converted into energy emitting an equal amount of CO2 as H2O (water), making the entire use 100% renewable.
DENS’s mission is the creation of highly reliable power sources that provide renewable and zero-emission power everywhere. Based on a patented technology we develop and build reformers that provide clean and affordable hydrogen gas (H2) via the conversion of Hydrozine (or otherwise known as formic acid). With our Project DENS X4 we aim to introduce the world's first commercially available Hydrozine stationary 100 kW power generator, where our proprietary reformer transforms Hydrozine into H2 gas and subsequently supplies a fuel cell for electricity generation on demand. It is an excellent replacement of high polluting and noisy diesel generators, which emit substances like CO2, NOX, SOX, soot.
Nowadays, for the generation of electricity, large scale solar and wind energy are seen ways to make the energy grid more sustainable. However, there are also situations where a connection to the grid is not easy or completely impossible. In such situations a storage medium is necessary being the Hydrogen gas or the LOHC potential alternatives. However, hydrogen in gaseous form has the disadvantage that is not easy to store and transport in large quantities. So LOHC are more feasible; in this case Hydrozine can be used. Hydrozine is a colorless liquid that stores up to 4 times as much hydrogen compared to pressure bottles and it is safer than H2 gas which is highly flammable. The Hydrozine is produced with three ingredients: renewable energy, water and biogenic CO2 (non-fossil carbon dioxide) so this is a renewable energy storage carrier.
In the DENS reformer, the Hydrozine is converted into H2 (hydrogen) and CO2 gas. This gas mixture is then fed to a fuel cell which converts the mixture into water vapor and electrical energy. The conversion in the fuel cell takes place at low temperatures, so no harmful substances such as sulfur oxides, nitrogen oxides or particulate matter are formed. In addition, the process is completely whisper quiet. Through this cycle the original renewable Hydrozine is converted into energy emitting an equal amount of CO2 as H2O (water), making the entire use 100% renewable.
The main objective of this project is to scale up the Hydrozine power generator from the currently available output of 25 kW to 100 kW. To do this, different sub-systems will be scaled up to 100 kW individually before being brought together to form an entire generator that can deliver 100 kW. How these subsystems can be scaled up is currently being researched and tested. The battery and the electronic sub-system both have made significant progress and look very promising for 100 kW application. The same is true for the software and the Human Machine Interface (HMI).
Research and tests for the reactor are still ongoing. Very promising results have been found in catalyst efficiency and defoaming techniques. but for gas purification, this development is still on-going and further experiments are necessary to check its scale-up viability. This also highly affects and impacts the fuel cell design. Tests for fuel cell options also show promising results so far, but its final development is still a challenge because the fuel cell is dependent on the gas flow that comes out of the reactor and this is still under investigation.
In short, significant progress has been made in many sub-systems. While most show promising results, results of the gas flow tests coming from the reactor are still in the pipeline. These results will allow for a more thorough analysis of the scaled DENS X4 power generator
Research and tests for the reactor are still ongoing. Very promising results have been found in catalyst efficiency and defoaming techniques. but for gas purification, this development is still on-going and further experiments are necessary to check its scale-up viability. This also highly affects and impacts the fuel cell design. Tests for fuel cell options also show promising results so far, but its final development is still a challenge because the fuel cell is dependent on the gas flow that comes out of the reactor and this is still under investigation.
In short, significant progress has been made in many sub-systems. While most show promising results, results of the gas flow tests coming from the reactor are still in the pipeline. These results will allow for a more thorough analysis of the scaled DENS X4 power generator
The realisation of a 100 kW Hydrozine power generator can make a big impact on emission reduction. This happens through for example the electrification of construction equipment that can be charged by the generator. The only currently available Hydrozine generator can deliver 25 kW. Introducing a 100 kW system that can provides higher power levels more easily, would increase the attractiveness of sustainable generators versus their fossil powered counterparts. This should make an impact on reducing emissions in the construction sector, and also on the well being of people close to construction sites, such as people living nearby or working on the site. The new DENS X4 generator is not only less contaminant but also whisper silent contributing positively to citizens and end-users´ health.
In order to commercialize the technology, many conversations are already ongoing with interested parties from the industry. Not being a completely market ready system yet, these conversations are oriented to make people aware of the advantages that it can provide. The interest from many (large) industrial players shows that the market is ready for this technology. These conversations are ongoing with both national and international companies, showing that this technology can potentially make an impact Europe-wide. In addition to that and regarding our company, multiple patents related to different parts of the technology are currently being applied for. This should help DENS to protect these innovations, so that we can profit this market potential ourselves.
In order to commercialize the technology, many conversations are already ongoing with interested parties from the industry. Not being a completely market ready system yet, these conversations are oriented to make people aware of the advantages that it can provide. The interest from many (large) industrial players shows that the market is ready for this technology. These conversations are ongoing with both national and international companies, showing that this technology can potentially make an impact Europe-wide. In addition to that and regarding our company, multiple patents related to different parts of the technology are currently being applied for. This should help DENS to protect these innovations, so that we can profit this market potential ourselves.