News

HPI Announces Development of Advanced Fuel Technology

January 06, 2008 by Jeff Shepard

Hydrogen Power, Inc. (HPI), an engineering development stage hydrogen generation company, announced that it has developed a new technology for mixing its proprietary AlumiFuel™ fuel which the company states significantly improves performance and cost effectiveness in its target energy applications.

HPI’s new technology covers the production of hydrogen from aluminum, water and a proprietary reactant additive using an advanced processing technique and formula. This new mixing technology – which creates what the company claims is a different and faster reaction than previously used mixing technologies – has made possible a 60% increase in hydrogen generation yields and 45% reduction in fuel production costs.

Cartridges filled with AlumiFuel™ powder are dropped into a reactor and when water is added, high purity hydrogen and steam are generated as a result of the chemical reaction. The hydrogen and/or steam can be fed into fuel cells, turbine-based power conversion modules, or directly into inflatable devices, such as weather balloons.

HPI has filed a provisional patent application for the new technology, which is considered a separate invention and is the property of HPI. This is the technology the company is now using in all applications being pursued with partners and customers.

Ben Larson, HPI’s Director of Business Development, commented, "As the company moves into the hardware engineering development stage for product applications with selected partners, the new mixing breakthrough makes HPI’s AlumiFuel™-based technology highly competitive for certain portable, stationary power and underwater systems."