MazerRR wrote: After looking into it, I think flybyyou is right in the numbers presented, and in his comment on the economic viability of
mass producing hydrogen for the hydrogen economy using Silicon nanopowder.
However, I don't think they are targeting that market; to me it looks like the Gennao H2 is a combined hydrogen production unit + hydrogen fuel-cell for lightweight portability & remote applications, for instance where there is no access to charging or generators. Which has a lot of potential.
1kg of Hydrogen contains about 33.33 kWh of useable energy, which like flybyyou said makes 89 g of Hydrogen = about 3 kWh of useable energy. Let’s say the Gennao H2 system is a 60% efficiency fuel cell, so 0.6*3kWh = 1.8 kWh per kg silicon.
The Gennao system is a 200W system. Right now it uses a chemical powder, and HPQ has said that the silicon nanopowders will increase H2 generation of the system by 40%, and porous silicon nanopowders by 100%, at which point the system should reach that 1.8 kWh per kg silicon value. I don’t know what the size of the silicon powder pack is going to be, but that’s a lot of hours of powering up battery packs, or directly to portable electronic devices & equipment, like laptops, cellphones, satellite phones, video cameras, scientific equipment, portable power radios, emergency lighting, etc. (Laptops typically use 0.05 kWh for example).
For remote applications, think military excursions, exploration (surveying for mining, wilderness treks), scientific expeditions, first responders in emergency preparedness situations. Long trips in a motor home or on a boat. Etc…
There’s lots of potential for this additional revenue stream for both Apollon and HPQ, and I hope HPQ can help them unlock it. For sure, though, by
FAR the biggest application for silicon nanopowders will be in the battery space. Come December & samples, things are going to be hopping around here.
flybyyou wrote: To produce hydrogen from reacting silicon nanopowder with water to produce SiO2 and H2. No heat is required. I calculated that 1 kg of the silicon powder can produce about 89 g of hydrogen. I also know that 1 kg of Hydrogen has the equavalent energy of 1 gallon of gasoline. So the question is if its cost effective to make hydrogen this way.