ITM Power Plc (ITMPF)

[Gerry321]

HEC Irrigation Pump Engine Trialled with ITM Electrolyzer

Californian law requires that approximately 50,000 irrigation pumps in the state need to be converted to non-polluting fuels by 2010
HEC therefore see irrigation pumps as a key market for their emission free ammonia engine
They commenced a field trial of their ammonia engine on an irrigation pump under the control of TG West in the San Luis Obispo area of California.
A brief update on the project was given by HEC to the 2007 Ammonia conference in San Francisco in Oct 2007
A further update is imminent at the 5th Annual Ammonia Fuel Conference McNamara Alumni Center • Mpls.,
MN Sept. 29 - 30, 2008
Programme
10 am Review of Field Data on Ammonia Irrigation Pump Engine and New Ammonia Engine Development – Ted Hollinger, Hydrogen Engine Center


From an ITM perspective the following is relevant
The HEC pump engines require 5% hydrogen to burn ammonia
Two hydrogen sources are being trialled at San Luis Obispo

1 Direct injection of CNG (compressed natural gas) which requires the irrigation pump to be on the gas grid or have access to a compressed gas storage tank
And
2 An onboard electrolyzer driven off the alternator presumably supplied by HEC`s English partner ITM Power
Last year HEC presented some calculations showing that at the energy cost rates applicable in Oct 2007
……..The lowest running cost for these engines will be when they operate with an onboard electrolyzer

These pumps operate intermittently and may not have run more than 2000 to 3000 hrs pa since Sept 2007

So given that the trial has been ongoing for 12 months the HEC presentation will give an indication as to the reliability of the ITM OB

However

What is most significant of all is that this will be the first ITM product field trial that has been completed
If it has been successfull HEC will open up an OB market for ITM