{"id":4718,"date":"2004-11-01T12:00:00","date_gmt":"2004-11-01T12:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.hinduismtoday.com\/hpi\/2004\/11\/01\/2004-11-01-scientists-develop-system-to-convert-diesel-fuel-to-hydrogen\/"},"modified":"2004-11-01T12:00:00","modified_gmt":"2004-11-01T12:00:00","slug":"2004-11-01-scientists-develop-system-to-convert-diesel-fuel-to-hydrogen","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.hinduismtoday.com\/hpi\/2004\/11\/01\/2004-11-01-scientists-develop-system-to-convert-diesel-fuel-to-hydrogen\/","title":{"rendered":"Scientists Develop System to Convert Diesel Fuel to Hydrogen"},"content":{"rendered":"

Source<\/a><\/P>

IDAHO FALLS, IDAHO, USA, November 1, 2004: (HPI Note: Occasionally a news item catches our attention because it reports a potentially remarkable scientific advancement.)

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\n Scientists at the Idaho National Engineering and Environmental Laboratory say they have developed the first system to convert dirty diesel fuel into a quiet, self-contained and efficient energy source. The system is the product of six years of research and a $25 million joint effort between the Office of Naval Research and fuel-cell company SOFCo-EFS. In the future, the Navy’s destroyers could run quieter, require half the fuel, pollute less and have a smaller heat signature for enemies to detect. The system converts diesel fuel into a 30 percent hydrogen mixture. By using the diesel to run a fuel cell instead of burning it, the system produces twice the energy output, without sulfur or nitrous oxide pollution. About two weeks ago, the experimental system started running a 5-kilowatt fuel cell. “We see this as the start of a new technology that will greatly improve on where we are today,” said Rodger McKain, president of SOFCo-EFS, a fuel-cell company that split the project’s cost with the U.S. Navy.

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\nAlthough the process of getting hydrogen from diesel is not new, it has never been done before on such a large scale. It is also the only system specifically designed to run on high-sulfur content diesel, which the Navy can buy around the world.

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\nClick here<\/a> for the Lab’s web site and detailed PDF report on this system.

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\nThe technology could be installed anywhere people want to have quiet, self-contained energy systems instead of diesel generators. Dennis Witmer, a technology specialist at the University of Alaska in Fairbanks, wanted to see if the system could be used in remote Arctic villages that aren’t connected to a power grid. As with any new technology, the main obstacle is the cost. The 5-kilowatt experimental fuel cell that is running at the INEEL costs $200,000, and that doesn’t include the cost of a system to isolate hydrogen from diesel. Studies have shown that if the cost of the system came down to about $3,500, and could provide 5 kilowatts of electricity, plus heat, there would be a huge market among homeowners, Witmer said.

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