Have Hydrogen, Will Travel.

Published on Monday, 18 July 2011 15:08

	By Gregg Bayes-Brown Follow @ATE_Gregg

In the past twenty years, can you think of something monumental that has been invented?

On the surface of it, you would surely answer yes. We have smart phones, social media and HD television. We even have Reggae Reggae sauce. However, they are not entirely revolutionary. Impressive as they are, they are not true game changers.

True ground-breaking technologies have the potential to change the world: computers, the Internet, nuclear power, electricity, space travel, the ability to manipulate oil. These are discoveries that have revolutionised mankind. While the ability to tweet your opinions on your favourite HD show to your mates via your iPhone whilst drowning your dinner in the latest evolution in Caribbean sauce has its own appeals, no one will ever build an empire on the back of it.

That said, there are many intriguing innovations that constantly seem just around the corner. Recent advancements in genetics, medicine and metamaterials have all pointed to some remarkable technology that will appear in the next few years. Arguably the most important of any advancement though are those in power and energy. When it comes to future energy supply, there is one word that is repeatedly bounded about; hydrogen.

While the dream of hydrogen fuel replacing oil has long been the goal of hydrogen economy enthusiasts, it has remained just that; a dream. Although hydrogen is rich in energy, burns cleanly and is the most plentiful element in the universe, it has met multiple obstacles in the development of its use as a fuel.

Hydrogen fuel cells have been developed and are in use, but face a plethora of barriers to their success. Safety concerns, a lack of supporting infrastructure and inefficiency issues are just a few problems that hydrogen fuel faces.

The main problem is the storage of hydrogen fuel. It either needs to be stored in its liquid state (at a breezy -273°C) or in high pressure containers at 700bar (700x atmospheric pressure). Owing to the unique designs that must be utilised to contain hydrogen, neither of these solutions is particularly consumer friendly. There is also the problem of containing hydrogen safely. One slight breach and you’ll either be out of fuel or you’ll find out what’s been keeping the sun so hot all these years.

Cella Energy, 2011 winner of both the Shell Springboard Award and the Energy Innovation Award for Consumer Benefit, believe they have the answer. Using complex hydrides, they have developed a low cost, zero emission hydrogen fuel polymer. The complex hydrides soak up the hydrogen like a sponge and release it when heated. These in turn are transformed into micro-beads, which can then be pumped and utilised like petrol.

“What we've been doing is taking these materials and encasing them in plastic and making them into a very fine powder and that improves their properties,” Cella Energy Chief Scientific Officer Stephen Bennington said to Reuters. “It also means you can pump it like a fluid and it's safe. It is not going to easily burst into flames.”

The benefits of such a substance are substantial. Firstly, it enables hydrogen to be utilised as a fuel in a safe way. Unlike previous hydrogen fuel storage methods, the hydrogen polymer is designed to be used at room temperature and won’t dissipate or ignite in either open air or if a fuel tank is breached.

Secondly is adaptability of the fuel. The current method of filling up your car with a pump remains intact. Additionally, it can be used in most internal combustion engines, with only mild alterations required to a vehicle.

“The experience that most people have now is using regular liquid fuels where it takes three minutes to fill your vehicle and then you can travel 300 miles,” said Stephen Voller, Cella Energy's CEO. “Now you can have exactly the same experience with hydrogen.”

Alternatively, it can be combined with existing fuels. Cella Energy have suggested that a solution of 80% gasoline, 20% hydrogen polymer would create a 30% drop in emissions and would require no modifications to the car. It could also be applied to diesel, jet-fuel or kerosene with similar effect – a feat which Reggae Reggae sauce is yet to achieve.

While this would have obvious advantage for aviation and shipping businesses trying to reduce their carbon emissions, the real environmental benefit from the fuel lies in utilising the pure polymer in motoring.

By various estimations, car exhaust fumes make up roughly a quarter of all global carbon emissions. Hydrogen burns cleanly with no other waste given off other than water, and the recyclable micro-beads. The benefits of a switchover are obvious; a massive drop in global emissions.

Cella Energy said hydrogen could prove to be an economically viable and environmentally friendly alternative to fossil fuels, especially if the hydrogen is produced with renewable energy sources. There is an added bonus for cash strapped motorists. The company estimates that the fuel will be available for roughly £1-£1.20 on the gallon.

{youtubejw}-W99ma7P6HU{/youtubejw}

They have also said that it has gained a substantial amount of interest from companies in the energy and transportation sectors and that it could be rolled out within the next three to five years.

Would a clean, renewable fossil fuel replacement be a game changing technology? That remains to be seen. One thing is sure though; it definitely can’t hurt.

Cella Energy Limited is a spin-out company from the Rutherford Appleton Laboratory at Harwell, Oxford, UK, part of Science & Technology Facilities Council. The lead round investor in the Company is Thomas Swan & Co. Ltd.

Relevant Links

Cella Energy

Cella Energy on YouTube

Science & Technology Facilities Council