PROJECT H December, 2014
Catalytic Carbon – Hydrogen on Demand (CC-HOD) Fuel Production for Generator Power
RETECH Engineering, Inc. (REI) and US Hydrogen and Power (USH&P) are working together to develop a hydrogen
production system for commercial deployment beginning in 2015.
CC-HOD is a patented process which we have licensed; we also have a Provisional Patent application pending for
a Continuous Flow Dual Reactor System design. Prototypes for CC-HOD production systems have been built,
tested and tracked in the lab and in-situ for over three years. The current prototype was built and tested by a
third party. The RETECH SolidWorks design includes automated production, sampling, monitoring and control.
CC-HOD addresses challenges previously purported by research of the reaction of aluminum with water to
produce Hydrogen. The proposed system offers solutions to the challenges including a mechanism for unloading
spent materials and loading fresh materials, a reactor that would allow controlled quantities of materials to be
disbursed, react, and be removed from the system. The streamline designed reactor can endure multiple cycles
to produce consistent quantities of hydrogen. The design also address the challenge of thermodynamics of the
material by maintaining the equilibrium hydrogen pressure at a given temperature.
The current design produces hydrogen at the attractive cost of approximately $0.64/gallon without recycling the
aluminum. The production system oxidizes aluminum to produce hydrogen, which results in oxidized aluminum.
Through design optimization using multi-physics software, we are confident this cost can be significantly
reduced. Design optimization modeling and engineering economics to optimize the material stability and
geometric configuration of a continuous flow reactor. The pure hydrogen produced can be used as a fuel
supplement for diesel power generators (current preferred target application) or in numerous other settings not
limited to the transportation, power, medical or food processing industries.
Next steps include using a multi-physics software solution to (i.e., CD-adapco) to optimize the design
configuration to maximize aluminum oxidation and hydrogen generation, refining the electronic control system,
building a prototype of the optimized design, and conducting performance tests of the finalized system.
Objectives of the Student Team Project:
1) Work with CD-adapco Star CCM+ multi-physics software to optimize the system design;
2) Design electronic control/interface to dispense proportionate feedstock and control entire system;
3) Build, bench-test and record performance results of prototype unit using the optimized design;
Schedule: This project is ready for design optimization and prototype development of the final, optimized design.
RETECH and USH&P are eager to complete design optimization and prototype development of the final
optimized design, complete testing, and begin commercial marketing.
Additional student team opportunity: This project is eligible to apply for funding through the Department of
Energy (DOE) Hydrogen Contest, DOE Advanced Research Projects Agency – Energy (ARPA-e) funding, through
California Energy Commission (CEC) programs, and other private or public Funding Opportunity Announcements
(FOA’s). We will pursue these contest and funding opportunities concurrently with development of the project.
PROJECT H December, 2014
Mentor:
Mark G. Anderson, PE
Senior Project Manager RETECH Engineering, Inc.
760-889-1327 (direct) Skype ID: Evisionary Manderson@RETECHEngineering.com
Additional Information:
The embedded PowerPoint provides a full description of the project, including a process flow diagram,
schematic instrument dawing, control logic and an electrical single line diagram. The PowerPoint also includes
an animated video of the process, which is a larger file that can be provided separately.
USHP Presentation
September 2014 Los Angeles pdf.pdf
If any student would like to see the video or has questions about other elements of the project, please feel free
to email Mark Anderson at Manderson@RETECHEngineering.com, and we will send a link to the video files.
A White Paper “Technical and Commercial Evaluation of Catalytic Carbon – Hydrogen on Demand” which also
provides additional information specifically about this project is embedded below:
USHP Catalytic
Carbon Hydrogen on Demand Evaluation White Paper without watermark.pdf
CC-HOD White Paper