Introducing :: The NH3 500 - Standalone Fuel Synthesizer
Our flagship product is a free-standing NH3 production plant, about the size of two refrigerators side-by-side, capable of producing 500 litres/day - 20 litres/hr., or 130 (US) Gal/day - 5.5 Gal./hr.
It is powered by electricity, and we of course have a strong preference for that electricity to be sourced from a renewable supply, be it wind, solar, or tidal. The only feedstocks (raw materials) are Air +Water.
The Math: 2 litres of Water + 7.5 KWhrs of Electricity = 1 litre of NH3.
Therefore: 2 (US) Gal. of Water + 30 KWhrs of Electricity = 1 (US) Gal. of NH3.
Any calculation is therefore based on the value/cost of electricity, in any given market, and at given time of day. To claim that NH3 costs âxâ amount of $ / gal., is essentially misleading. Under ideal conditions, that price may be as low as 5 cents per KW/hr. In the worst case, as much as 10 times that amount. And while all such pricing may be volatile, the amount of electricity required to produce a Litre or (US) Gal. of NH3, is not. It is finite.
Currently, our technicians are assembling the first of these machines by hand, and delivering them to a select group of BETA testers, within both gov. and the private sector, via a series of field trials and pilot projects, throughout 2013/14. Full commercial production starts immediately thereafter, with client deliveries commencing by Q2, 2014.
In the interim, we are making âMachine #1â available as a demonstration unit, and benchmark test-bed, commencing Sept., 2012, for purposes of due diligence, and academic and commercial feedback. Please contact our business development office, at your earliest convenience, should you wish to be included.
NH3 500 - Standalone Fuel Synthesizer Bank of 4 x NH3 500s = 2,000 litres/day or 500 (US) Gal/day
While the machine operates on its own merits, it usually forms the heart of a larger, more complete, project solution. Typically, such a solution consists of one or more NH3 500s, Storage Tank(s), and a fenced enclosure to contain all connecting pipes and a point-of-fueling. Additionally, if it is to be used in conjunction with a renewable energy source (wind, solar, tidal, etc.), there will be a requirement for one or more GenSets, to convert the NH3 back into electricity, on demand. Such a system is usually located at or near the electrical substation to which the renewable energy facility is interconnected.
The process involves the intake of Water, and to then extract from it the required 3 parts of H (Hydrogen). Concurrently, there is an intake of Air, from which is extracted the 1 part of N (Nitrogen). In fact, the atmosphere which we breathe is actually 78.1% comprised of the element Nitrogen. There are even birds that are able to âeatâ the Nitrogen form the air, as a source of sustenance during long, migratory flights.
These two elements are then precisely synthesized into NH3, by our proprietary, reactive process, and then the resultant NH3 is liquified from its natural gaseous state, into the final product, for final consumption, transportation and/or storage.
In the simplest terms, our NH3 500 FuelStations perform three primary functions; as either an on-site gas pump, as a means of on-site fertilizer production, or essentially as a battery.
As a gas pump, it is of course much more than that, being the entire production system, on-site, for the production of clean, emission-free, and non-explosive fuel. NH3. This is of particular importance to fueling points located in hazardous conditions, and in hostile locales, where oil depots and gasoline convoys are often selected as primary targets of violence, for their shear vulnerability.
As on-site fertilizer production, it is a âbusiness in a boxâ, delivered as a turnkey system.
As a battery, the NH3 500 can be coupled with any number of additional units, to achieve the desired level of daily production. In fact, we refer to them as âcellsâ. A battery can be any device which stores energy, usually electrical, for use at the required time, later. Our system stores energy by converting it into a liquified gas, NH3, which can then be stored chemically in tanks, as already in use throughout farming communities where NH3 is routinely transported, stored and handled as fertilizer. The difference is that if that stored energy is then used as fuel to power an electrical generator, or multiples thereof, we are essentially converting it back to the electricity, from whence it was originally produced. As Newton originally discovered, energy can neither be created, nor destroyed. It can only be converted from one form to another. Like all batteries, there are some losses to be expected, through the entire cycle of charge, storage and discharge. And while our NH3 FuelStations compare very favorably with all other types of battery systems, there are other non-scientific forces at work, which synergize with our production of NH3, namely commercial ones. Because, while the amount of energy stored at any given time may be constant, the commercial value of it time-of-day wise, certainly is not.
The price of electricity is based on two essential factors; the amount required, and when it is required for. The cost of the amounts of energy purchased are measured in $ per KW/hrs. and $ per MW/hrs., depending on the scale of consumption. However, as always, the rate charged is ultimately determined by supply and demand. In most cases, electricity produced during the night can be purchased far cheaper than that which is required for the peak human activity of 2:00 -5:00 PM, coupled with the nature of our 5-day work and school weeks. In the worst cases of consumption, such as during a heat wave, when air conditioning loads push the system to its limits, special âpeakingâ plants are brought online, for this very purpose, and of course the worst case scenarios drive the hardest bargains. In standard operation, this situation can now be addressed by time-shifting the electricity which has been collected, as it being produced, in the form of NH3 production, and then stored in tanks, until it is required to re-generate electricity, on demand. Therefore, its true market value is now determined more by market pricing, than by actual physics. At present, it is therefore conceivable that a KW/hr. of electricity can make a round-trip, lasting hours, even days, with little or no economic loss. (Note: This is of course highly dependent on electrical rates, market by market, but still entirely calculatable). Additionally, dispatchable energy is worth more than that which is derived from intermittent or variable sources (renewables), and less back-up and support is then required to compensate for that level of unreliability. In short, storage by NH3 provides a level playing field for all types of renewable energy production, by making them just as reliable, and just as contractable for, as any other form of traditional generation, albeit without any of the CO2 and GHG emissions, whatsoever. Which is why we contend that you can now indeed âhave your cake and eat it tooâ, when it comes to wind power, solar, and all the others.
All of the gain. None of the pain.
To scale a project to size, we simply calculate the output of production required by day, then divide by the number of NH3 500 FuelStations (cells) required., Next, we determine the appropriate volumes of storage tanks, over the the amount of time-shifting required/desired. And then we connect it all, piping wise, and electronically, to integrate it with the local data collection and control systems, as required.
Sized to fit. Able to be supported locally, and/or by remote. Zero Emissions. Energy safety, and secure, local supply. Fixed pricing possible, or even trending downwards, through economies of scale, and potentially so, through ongoing development and the potential still remaining for further optimizations.
It isnât rocket science. Actually, in the case of the X-15 above, it was.
NH3 - âGood to Goâ
Key Features:
*0% GHGs (GreenHouse Gases) emitted
*Direct substitute for most gasoline, diesel, and jet fuels
*Can be produced on-site, distributed generation
*Can be scaled, through the use of multiple units, to fit almost any size of power project; community or commercial
*Non-Explosive, especially important to military, fire and other emergency services
*Ideal as fuel for emergency power backup systems, such as pumping of water to nuclear generating stations
*Only practical solution today, for storage of commercial quantities of (variable) renewable electricity, as produced at site; wind, solar, tidal, etc.
*Works with all major forms of renewables
*Works with existing internal combustion engines, as well as fuel cells, in the near future
*Smart Grid: Storage Solutions, even for all sources of traditional generation also, downstream
*Energy Security, produced locally, and domestically
*Existing Distribution; trucks, rail cars, and even pipelines, already in place
*Skilled Workers in place; from Ammonia Refrigeration and Agricultural sectors
*Turnkey System Solutions
*Fertilizer
*Premium Refrigerant (selected as such for International Space Station)
*Pharmaceuticals
*Other
