BACKGROUND/SUMMARY

Investigators at Ohio University are working on the development of a new technology that can produce hydrogen on demand through the electrolysis of ammonia (ammonia electrolytic cell—AEC), and its implementation to generate power for residential housing. A 36-month program sponsored by the National Science Foundation had started to provide the fundamental information required for designing, constructing, optimizing, and scaling up an AEC that will significantly contribute to the energy requirements of residential houses. The other objective of the team is to develop a teaching curriculum designed to educate engineering students and community members (users) on the fundamental principles of fuel cell technology and house energy efficiency.
The figure below shows the different operating modes of the AEC in residential houses combined with solar energy. The energy balances are based on the thermodynamics potentials at 25^oC: (a) When the sun power is great enough, the house can be powered through solar panels. (b) When the sun power is poor, the efficiency of the system can be increased by operating the solar panel in combination with the AEC and the PEM fuel cell. (c) When sun power is not available, the AEC can operate by stealing some energy from the PEM fuel cell.

Different operating modes to design a self sustainable powerhouse

SIGNIFICANCE

The primary motivations for this project center on the benefits to be derived by addressing current house energy issues: high operating costs, dependence on nonrenewable energy sources, and high potential for greenhouse gas production and global warming. Currently, several new threats underlie two other factors that can be added to this list of motivations: potential security crises resulting from intentional attacks that could force power plant shutdowns and the inflexibility of fuel supply and costs due to global political unrest and international oil market volatility. All these issues could be addressed by constructing self-sustainable houses (independent of the grid) powered by renewable energy sources (e.g., solar panels) in combination with an ammonia electrolytic cell (new technology to produce hydrogen on demand) and hydrogen fuel cells (e.g., proton exchange membrane fuel cells). The significance of this project is quite far-reaching. In the educational field, the project will engage the housing-community in learning about the use of sustainable energy and fuel cell technologies. If the feasibility of the new technology proves successful for residential housing, the national, environmental, and security implications will be enormous. First, CO₂ emissions from the housing sector to the environment will be reduced by up to 42%. Second, national security will be enhanced through a reliable power source for American homes, making them less susceptible to intentional attacks. In a larger perspective, the technology could be extended to use fertilizer run-offs, farm run-offs, and waste water—all of which contain ammonia as fuels—to provide power for America’s homes.

PEOPLE

Investigators

PI: Gerardine G. Botte, PhD
Associate Professor
Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering
Ohio University

Co-PI: Scott Miller
Senior Environmental Project Manager
George V. Voinovich Center for Leadership and Public Affairs
Ohio University

Co-PI: Daniel Castro
Assistant Professor
Building Construction Program
Georgia Institute of Technology

Graduate Students

1. Ramasamy Palaniappan. Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering PhD Student at Ohio University.
2. Angelica Ospina. Civil Engineering MS Student at Georgia Institute of Technology

Undergraduate Students

Zach Bender. Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering Undergraduate Student at Ohio University


 

Some members of the team working on the design of the surveys
Angelica and Samy administering a field survey conducted at Nelsonville on the people's views on alternative energies. The survey was conducted at an event called "The Fossil Fools" at the Athens International Film and Video Festival.

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