DOE Backs Australia's Eden Energy For Historic Hydrogen Fuel

An Australian company has won the backing of the United States Department of Energy ("DOE") for a long-term test of two hydrogen fuel types for automotive combustion engines.
Eden Energy Limited announced that:
The US’s first long-term test of engines fueled by hydrogen and a hydrogennatural gas mixture called Hythane®, had been awarded to wholly owned Eden Energy subsidiary, Colorado-based Hythane Co, subject to the Company completing an audit and contract negotiations with DOE.
The test program to deliver an ultra-clean hydrogen fuel would be supported by a US Energy Department grant of US$2.1 million.
“This is the first breakthrough into the massive American automotive market we have been working towards,” Eden Energy’s Executive Chairman, Greg Solomon, said.
“It is a two-year project that for the first time, will establish a ‘no compromises’ comparison of Hythane® and pure hydrogen based internal combustion engines (ICE) for the automotive sector,” Solomon said.
“With increasing acceptance that hydrogen will be the basis of automotive fuels of the future compared to other derivatives currently under study, the backing of the US DOE catapults Eden and Hythane Co. into a lead position in this emerging but potentially huge market opportunity.”
Eden Energy – which is 27% owned by Perth-based listed minerals explorer, Tasman Resources NL - has fostered the development of Hythane®, as the Company’s extensive field tests to date has shown it:
Cuts engine emissions of NOx and CO by 50% compared with natural gas
Has major carbon credit potential
Is immediately available because of existing low-cost natural gas infrastructure in the key markets of the US, China and India
Can use in its mix, low-purity hydrogen as well as CNG and LNGTest program termsSolomon said natural gas, Hythane®, and hydrogen ICEs represented the three most practical, and therefore the most likely transitional steps in the future between current diesel ICEs and fuel cell electric vehicles.
Under the terms of the grant and test program, two identical, heavy-duty, spark-ignited natural gas engines will be acquired and modified – one to run on Hythane® and the other to run on hydrogen. Hythane Co. will undertake most of the work on the 2,500 hour test program, which is expected to take two years.
“Many previous research, development, and demonstration studies have established the operational parameters and emissions performance for hydrogen and hydrogenblended ICEs but these programs have mostly provided only short-term data,” Solomon said.
“This new work will establish for the first time, formal laboratory data on the long-term performance, emissions, and durability of Hythane® and pure hydrogen ICEs.
“It is possible that the hydrogen content in the test fuels, particularly the pure hydrogen powered engine, could contribute to issues with engine lubricants, the engine, component or emissions system materials, the behavior of fuel supply components, or combustion product effects. These possible sources for accelerated deterioration may be subtle and require long-term interaction to become apparent.
“The new test work will aggressively simulate real-world, long-term operation of heavy-duty engines and provide sufficient opportunity to push durability and performance deterioration limits.”
SOURCE: Eden Energy -->
Forward This Article To An Associate