Federica Franzoni

A Novel Concept for Combined Hydrogen Production and Power Generation

A novel concept of combined hydrogen production and power generation system based on the combustion of aluminum in water is explored. The energy conversion system proposed is potentially able to provide four different energy sources, such us pressurized hydrogen, high temperature steam, heat, and work at the crankshaft on demand, as well as to fully comply with the environment sustainability requirements. Once aluminum oxide layer is removed, the pure aluminum can react with water producing alumina and hydrogen while releasing a significant amount of energy. Thus, the hydrogen can be stored for further use and the steam can be employed for energy generation or work production in a supplementary power system. The process is proved to be self-sustained and to provide a remarkable amount of energy available as work or hydrogen. Furthermore, since the aluminum oxidation is completely GHG free and the alumina produced by the reaction can be recycled back to aluminum, the process has a sustainable environmental management. A preliminary design of the combined hydrogen production and power generation unit based on the aluminum combustion in water is proposed and the efficiency of the process is discussed in terms of both hydrogen production and power generation