Acumentrics Canada Investigates Ammonia as Hydrogen Source

January 3, 2008 // Published as a news service by IHS

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Acumentrics Canada is partnering with Natural Resources Canada's (NRC) Canada Center for Mineral and Energy Technology (CANMET) to investigate the use of ammonia as a fuel for Acumentrics' solid oxide fuel cells (SOFCs).

According to experts, the fuel cell will convert ammonia to hydrogen and nitrogen internally and release only water vapor and nitrogen in the process.

For several decades now, ammonia, a compound familiar to most people as a cleaning fluid, has been touted as one of the most efficient ways to store and transport hydrogen.

Experts said it is already widely available as a synthetic fertilizer, and is both relatively inexpensive to produce and easy to transport.

Pipelines for anhydrous ammonia exist in the U.S., and the ammonia is transported as a liquid in tankers at pressures similar to propane.

According to NRC, SOFCs are one of the most efficient, cleanest power generating systems being developed today, producing power electrochemically using solid state ceramic cells.

SOFCs are highly fuel-flexible and can operate on available fossil fuels, including natural gas, propane, methane and diesel fuel, as well as ethanol and biogas. Because no combustion is involved, experts said SOFCs produce virtually no nitrogen dioxide (NO2), sulfur dioxide (SO2) or particulate emissions.

"We need energy to power our economy, and we need clean energy to protect our environment - that's a priority for our government," said Gary Lunn, Canada's minister of natural resources. "By investing in this project, and other similar projects, we are ensuring that clean energy will continue to form an important part of Canada's energy future."

Source: Natural Resources Canada (NRC).