The technology bypasses all the obstacles attributed to hydrogen: the questions of safety, storage, transport, installation and storage in vehicles are not at all on the agenda since the production of hydrogen is local and its utilization is immediate.
Ingenuity Research and Development from Ashkelon has developed a unique technology for producing hydrogen in vehicles (ON-BOARD) as an alternative fuel.
The technology bypasses all the obstacles attributed to hydrogen: the questions of safety, storage, transport, installation and storage in vehicles are not at all on the agenda since the production of hydrogen is local and its utilization is immediate.
Through the use of a light metal wire (aluminum or magnesium), water and a special production unit, the company was able to produce hydrogen and steam continuously while monitoring and controlling the pressure, temperature and power.
The hydrogen and steam are fed to an internal combustion engine, which is adapted to use the technology.
Besides supplying the fuel to an internal combustion engine, the production unit can also supply hydrogen to the hydrogen-based fuel cells as well as to other uses that require hydrogen and/or steam.
The technology provides an immediate answer to two worldwide problems:
One, the problem of security of supply, which stems from the depletion of hydrocarbon fuel sources and the increase in demand, and the other, which calls for an immediate solution, is the problem of the "greenhouse effect".
In the production process, a metal oxide is formed which is separated and then sent for recycling using electrical energy. Therefore, there is no change in the metal reserves and there is a guarantee of continuous supply. In addition, using the company's technology ensures the absence of carbon dioxide emissions into the atmosphere.
These days, after proving the technology, the integration between the production unit and the internal combustion engine is being carried out. Once the integration is complete and the prototype is built, the technology will be available. The engine integrated in this technology is a standard internal combustion engine that has been adapted to the technology through only a few changes. The converted engine can be produced in the production infrastructures that exist today and there is no need for new infrastructures estimated at billions of dollars. In addition, the light metal industry is available and enables the realization of the technology.
The refueling method is simple. The end of a metal coil will be fed to the vehicle which will wind on an internal drum and also, a nozzle will be attached which will suck the oxide powder received during the trip. The performance of the engine will be the same as the performance existing today in an engine based on regular fuel. The volume required to store the metal coil is similar to the volume required to store conventional fuel, but its weight will only be three times greater. These figures are much better than other alternative fuel solutions. Economically, this solution is competitive with current fuel prices.
Ingenuity Research and Development is a start-up company that operates as part of the Chief Scientist's incubator program and is located in the technology incubator Ashkelon Industries Yeda.
The entrepreneurs and founders of the company are: Prof. Amnon Yogev who recently retired from the Weizmann Institute of Science after a career of about 40 years in which, among other things, he managed the energy center at the institute, held various positions in the defense system and served as a member of European committees concerned with development plans in the field of energy as part of the "Sixth Plan" ".
Col. (Retd.) Eli Gamzon, aeronautics and computer engineer, served 20 years as a development engineer in the Air Force and in various positions in the defense system. In the 80s, Mr. Gamson founded and managed the Silver Arrow company until its purchase by Elbit Systems in 1997.
The development of the technology was done in collaboration with Alovin Research and Development, Opontia Ltd. under the management of Prof. Eran Sher and the Technion Institute.
Ingenuity raised an investment from Ormat Industries Ltd. and these days, is in the phase of raising additional capital for the purpose of building a prototype. Later, the technology required to solve the hydrocarbon fuel problem will be offered to the automotive industry.
