Hydrogen Power Inc. (HPI) is an energy company utilizing a powerful chemical reaction of powdered aluminum and water to produce hydrogen on-site, on-demand.  Water and aluminum, the prime reactants for this technology are widely available chemicals. To facilitate this reaction on a large, useable scale, HPI has designed a unique system of simple cartridges and reactors. The cartridges, sized by application, are filled with AlumiFuel^TM. The cartridge shapes are generally cylindrical and range in size from a C cell battery, to a standard aluminum soda can, to larger cylinders.

The simple reactor design is comprised of two vessels and a water transfer system. The first vessel houses the AlumiFuel^TM cartridge while the second contains the water. Both vessels are appropriately sized based on the volume and pressure of the hydrogen gas output.  A pump transfers the water from water reservoir to the cartridge placed inside the reactor vessel. The water introduction scheme is crucial to having a successful reaction and is therefore carefully designed. Hydrogen production is initiated and controlled by the injection of water into the cartridge. Hydrogen gas produced in the reactor vessel can be stored in the buffer tank or sent directly to end user application device/s: fuel cell or other similar device. HPI has built a number of reactors based on this concept successfully demonstrating the production of several liters to over a cubic meter of hydrogen.  Hydrogen generated by this water split reaction is of ultra high purity grade and the generators can function without any electrical power.

HPI’s AlumiFuel^TM cartridges enable a safe and convenient way to transport and store hydrogen. The transport of hydrogen gas remains a primary impediment to wide spread adoption of hydrogen as primary fuel source.  By substituting the transport of solid phase energy dense AlumiFuel^TM and producing hydrogen gas on site as needed, this impediment is eliminated. HPI has identified several target applications in which this methodology would provide a substantial strategic advantage over current practices.     

The breakthrough chemistry used to produce hydrogen has several other advantages over competing technologies. Because of the benign nature of the AlumiFuel^TM reaction used to produce hydrogen, disposal of spent cartridges has no adverse effects on the environment; alternatively, spent cartridges could be reprocessed, to generate aluminum powder. All reactants are of considerably lower cost as compared to many other hydrogen production chemistries.