Replacing Gasoline with Aluminum?

Dean Sigler Electric Powerplants, Sustainable Aviation 2 Comments

Several researchers in commercial, government, and academic realms are studying the possibility of using aluminum as an energy source for vehicles and even grid power. In the commercial realm, Alchemy Research in Israel makes the following rather startling claims.  “Alydro is a new technology developed by Alchemy Research for producing clean energy from a reaction of aluminum and water at elevated temperatures. “Alydro generates energy in the form of hydrogen and heat. The only by-product is fully recyclable aluminum oxide. “Alydro is competitive with gasoline on energy density and affordability. It is superior to gasoline on sustainability, environmental characteristics and safety.” Alchemy Research claims that aluminum has 2.5 times the energy density of gasoline, about 84 mega Joules per liter or 23.3 kilowatt hours. Aluminum has about 8.6 kilowatt hours per kilogram, considerably more energy dense than lithium batteries, which range from 120 to 190 Watt-hours per kilogram. Storage takes less space than its equivalent in gasoline and the material is perfectly …

Hybrid Hopes or Hype?

Dean Sigler Uncategorized Leave a Comment

Batteries are achieving increasingly high capacities and outputs, though at a frustratingly slow pace, especially for those of us who want that much hoped-for lightweight power pack that will make the electric backpack helicopter of our dreams a practical reality.  For cars, a viable and attractive alternative to pure battery use in hybrid propulsion is described in an Earth2Tech entry supplied by Dr. Seeley.  That entry describes a three-step approach to making ultracapacitors and batteries into friendly allies in propusion. First, ultracaps should not compete with batteries, but enhance them. “Second, get creative to bring costs down quickly. Third, embrace the niche.” The big problem with batteries is being able to take in or put out large amounts of power without reaching a thermal meltdown point. Batteries are good at storing energy, though.  Capacitors can take on or release large power bursts, but have only about 5-percent of the energy storage capacity per weight of the best lithium batteries at …