THE
NITRO-HYDROGEN
ECONOMY
(N-H Eco)
Food and Fuel for Developing Countries
- 1. To even out the electricity supply, making it continuous.
- 2. As a vehicle fuel, either used directly or blended with gasoline or diesel.
- 3. As fertilizer, either directly or preferably as liquid Ammonium Nitrate solution.
The Modules used for the Nitro-Hydrogen Economy have very significant uses in developing countries.
Fertilizer is critical to providing adequate agriculture and food supplies. Presently fertilizer is not available in many locations and even where it could be available the delivered cost is unaffordable. The cost of fertilizer (and consequently food) is presently linked to oil prices. Together this gives rise to the "Fertilizer barrier" in developing countries. The Nitro-Hydrogen Modules can be used to provide low cost, flexible, on-site sources of drinking water, fuel, fertilizer and a stable electricity supply.
The Modules take power from local mini-Hydro, Wind, Solar, and relocatable wood chip or other biomass fueled or geothermal power units and make this into Ammonia and, optionally, into Ammonium Nitrate solution. The Modules also use Air and Water (non-potable or potable) while also providing some potable water and 24 hour continuity of electricity supply from wind or solar which are essentially not continuously available sources. Seasonal storage is provided by processing some of the Ammonia into Ammonium Nitrate solution which is readily stored in reservoir tanks.
The Nitro-Hydrogen Modules are inherently scaleable to suit the available local electric power resources and range from an 8 ft cube up to 40 ft shipping container sized Modules.
The Modules take non-potable water and degas and distill it for use in the Modules with some surplus water available as drinking water. The internal Electrogen modules run at approximately 70% efficiency. Thus 30% of the input energy is available as waste heat which is used to distill the water. The Electrogen modules produce Hydrogen and Oxygen. These modules are electrically connected together in series and parallel to provide the maximum load that the available electricity is able to supply. The Hydrogen produced is then combined with Nitrogen extracted from the air by internal pressure swing absorption modules to make liquid Ammonia which is stored on site.
The Ammonia may be used in three ways:
Since the capital cost of the Nitro-Hydrogen Modules is low, the cost of the fuel/fertilizer produced is dependent almost exclusively on the cost of the electricity provided. For example, with 5c/kWh electricity, Ammonia is produced at $0.80/gallon which is $346/metric ton. This is far lower than existing on-site fuel or fertilizer costs in developing countries.
These Modules are readily transportable by air, land and sea. They provide economic long term solutions for local populations in remote areas: They provide the continuously available long term resources for local populations to become self sufficient and independent of outside aid with regard to food, fuel and energy supplies, and they uncouple the cost of fuel, food and fertilizer from the price of oil or gas.
