World Hydrogen Energy Conference 2012

Hydrogen Oxygen Steam Generator Integrating with Renewable Energy

Source for Electricity Generator
Saif A. Alabbadi*
Coventry University. Amman, 2280 sweileh 11910, Jordan

Renewable hydrogen energy system produces oxygen as by product from water

electrolysis process, the produced oxygen is vented out to the surrounding and not
utilized. Hydrogen combustion with a stoichiometric ratio of pure oxygen produces steam
at a very high temperature, Steam temperature can be controlled by injection of liquid
water into the combustion chamber. The main objectives of this study are to utilize the
oxygen and hydrogen produced from water electrolysis using renewable energy resource
in H2/O2 steam generator to supply steam for a turbine drive an electric generator, and
to study the feasibility of using H2/O2 steam generator with a steam turbine unit to
provide electric power as a primary or a secondary source of energy

1.A.1 Schematic Diagram (Steam generator)

The working principle of H2/O2 steam generator is taken from the H2/O2 rocket
combustion technology. The combustion of pure hydrogen and pure oxygen in a stoichiometric
mixture produce superheated steam (H2O) with a temperature reach in flame zone around 3000
degrees Celsius, as shown in the chemical equation below, for every two moles of hydrogen react
with one mole of oxygen in
combustion chamber produce
steam at high temperature in
range 1000-1500 degrees Celsius.

2H2 + O2 2H2O + heat

Figure 1 Hydrogen Steam Generator

 This reaction is highly exothermic therefore, liquid water is added to the reaction
to reduce the steam temperature, so it can be utilized in a steam turbine. Steam generator
is a device to burn stoichiometric mixture of hydrogen and oxygen in combustion
chamber to produce high temperature superheated steam Figure 1 shows hydrogen
oxygen steam generator device. The mixture of hydrogen and oxygen are ignited in the
ignition chamber, then the combustion takes place in the combustion chamber, the
temperature controlled in the combustion chamber by liquid water injection, after that
the steam compose atevaporation chamber. The steam generator efficiency is 100% since
no emissions and no thermal losses. Table 1 shows some steam characteristics produced
by the hydrogen oxygen steam generator and steam from the conventional method.

1.A.2 Schematic Diagram (Steam generator)

Figure 2: Schematic Diagram of H2/02 steam turbine

 From figure 2 the components are renewable energy resource (solar or wind or
combination of both), electrolyser (alkaline or PEM), including electrolyser auxiliary unit
(water pumps, gas drier, and deoxidizer), hydrogen compressor, oxygen compressor,
hydrogen storage system, oxygen storage system, hydrogen and oxygen supply system,
hydrogen oxygen steam generator, steam turbine, electric generator, condenser, and the
water reservoir. The renewable energy resource provides electric power for the hydrogen
and oxygen production unit (electrolyser, auxiliary unit, compressors, and the storage
system) then the hydrogen and oxygen are supplied to the H2/O2 steam generator for
steam production. Turbine is fed by steam to produce work for electricity generation. The
exhaust steam is passed through condenser then to the main water reservoir. The oxygen
production is equal to half of the hydrogen production and the oxygen mass flow rate
supplied to the steam generator is equal to half of the hydrogen mass flow rate. The water
mass flow rate supplied to the reservoir from the condenser is bigger than the mass flow
rate needed to control the temperature in the combustion chamber consequently water
is fed to the electrolyser to produce hydrogen and oxygen again. The system operates as
a closed cycle.

Journal of ELECTRONIC MATERIALS, Vol. 42, No. 7, 2013

Thermoelectric Generator incorporated in a multifunction wood stove

A.M. Goudarzi and P. Mazandarani
Babol Noshiravani University of Technology, Babol, Iran. 2

Traditional fire stoves are characterized by low efficiency. In this experimental

study, the combustion chamber of the stove is augmented by two devices. An electric fan
can increase the air-to-fuel ratio in order to increase the systems efficiency and decrease
air pollution by providing complete combustion of wood. In addition, thermoelectric
generators (TEGs) produce power that can be used to satisfy all basic needs. In this study,
a water-based cooling system is designed to increase the efficiency of the TEGs and also
produce hot water for residential use. Through a range of tests, an average of 7.9 W was
achieved by a commercial TEG with substrate area of 56 mm 9 56 mm, which can produce
14.7 W output power at the maximum matched load. The total power generated by the
stove is 166 W. Also, in this study a reasonable ratio of fuel to time is described for
residential use. The presented prototype is designed to fulfill the basic needs of domestic
electricity, hot water, and essential heat for warming the room and cooking.

See-Back Effect
In 1821, the Estonian physicist Thomas Johann See beck discovered that an
electromotive force (emf) was
produced by a closed loop formed by
two metals joined in two places with a
temperature difference between the
junctions. As shown in Fig. 1, a voltage
VAB is established between the two
junctions of two different metalsA
and Bif there is a temperature
difference DT between the two
junctions. This is the so-called See beck
effect, which can be characterized by
the Seebeck coefficient a, which can be defined as

Employing this effect, a diversity of thermal to electrical convertors have been

developed, among which TEGs can be mentioned. The efficiency of such convertors
depends not only on the See beck coefficient but also on the thermal and electrical
conductivities of the convertor components. This can be evaluated by the figure of merit
ZT, measured in an identified thermal condition. For technical reasons, to be more
efficient, TEGs that are used to convert heat directly to electricity should be composed of
several thermoelectric couples connected thermally in parallel and electrically in series.
Several combinations of such composite thermoelectric devices have been
commercialized as TEG modules. In this study, the designed wood stove is equipped with
21 commercial thermoelectric modules (TEP1- 12656-0.6) that are placed around the
walls of the stove at the hottest spots. Each module has 126 couples and size of 56 mm 9
56 mm. The module is bismuth telluride (Bi-Te) based, and can work at heat source
temperatures as high as 330C continuously and up to 400C intermittently. However, the
cold-side temperature of the module cannot go above 200C. This difference is due to the
bonding process, which uses materials with different melting points for each side of the
module.

UK All Energy Conference 2012

Hydrogen Boiler System

Elizabeth Johnson*
United Kingdom, Pure Energy Center

The Hydrogen Boiler is the first boiler of its type to be established for heating a
building from renewable hydrogen (H2). The renewable hydrogen will be produced at
the H2Office site. The Boiler will demonstrate how excess energy from renewable
sources can be stored as hydrogen fuel and then used to heat Scottish houses and
buildings.

Senior Engineer, Mr. Vincenzo Ortisi said that the Hydrogen Boiler is a condensing
gas boiler fueled by Pure Hydrogen. Like any other natural gas boiler, this device is
designed for radiant heating such as under-floor and space heating. The combustion
inside the Boiler is achieved without a flame and no dangerous emissions thanks to special
catalysts that operate at low temperatures. In fact, there are no carbon dioxide (CO2)
emissions as both the reaction and the fuel are carbon free. The only by-product of the
H2 Boiler is water; in vapor and liquid forms. The recovery of the waste heat present in
the exhaust of the boiler is used to pre-heat the cold water entering the boiler. This
maximizes the efficiency of the system (typically greater than 90%).