Iowa Company Turns to Ammonia to Solve the Hydrogen Storage Problem


ALGONA, Iowa, Sept. 19 /-- Hydrogen Engine Center, Inc. ("HEC") (BULLETIN BOARD: HYEG) announced today that HEC and Sawtelle & Rosprim, Inc. ("Sawtelle") will work together to design and build the world's first Ammonia Fueled Irrigation Pump System for the purpose of meeting California's new emissions requirements scheduled to go into effect in 2010.

Plans include integrating HEC's ammonia-powered engines with Sawtelle's pump technologies and expertise to complete a prototype system for testing and evaluation. The prototype system is being designed to run 24 hours a day and is expected to be tested in California during the 2007 irrigation season. HEC intends to begin selling the finalized system into California during 2008.

"We believe that the demonstration of this engine will complete years of development work and will allow the sale of our systems worldwide without concerns about hydrogen storage, cost, availability or permitting," says Ted Hollinger, HEC President. "With the success of this project, we hope to move ammonia-fueled engines into the genset market." By having a broad range of products, along with the ability to work with "both hydrogens", HEC plans to provide engines with substantial power ranges that are environmentally friendly.

Ammonia (NH3), also known as anhydrous ammonia, which the agricultural industry has relied on as a fertilizer for many years, contains no carbon, stores like propane and is the second most prevalent chemical in the world. Ammonia contains more hydrogen per cubic foot than liquid H2. Hollinger considers ammonia the "other hydrogen."

An infrastructure for ammonia is already in place, as transporting and storing the fuel is much like that of propane. Usage and safety regulations for ammonia are already in place, therefore, the process of obtaining a permit to use ammonia is usually relatively simple. Ammonia pipelines can be found in many areas of the United States, including Iowa, and distribution of the fuel is already established.

HEC has established an Oxx Power(TM) engine line-up capable of running on a multitude of fuels, including hydrogen, making the decision to design ammonia-fueled engines the next logical step.

About Hydrogen Engine Center, Inc.

Hydrogen Engine Center, Inc. designs, manufactures and distributes flex and alternative fuel internal combustion engines and power generation equipment for distributed power, agricultural, industrial, airport ground support, vehicular, business and home applications. All HEC engines and generators are capable of running on a multitude of fuels, including but not limited to hydrogen, gasoline, propane, natural gas, ethanol and now ammonia. HEC trades on the Bulletin Board under the symbol "HYEG.OB." Its principal offices are located at 2502 E Poplar St., Algona, Iowa 50511. Visit www.hydrogenenginecenter.com/ or call 515-295-3178 for more information.

About Sawtelle & Rosprim, Inc.

Sawtelle & Rosprim, Inc. is located in Corcoran, California. Visit www.sawtellerosprim.com/ or call 559-992-2117 for more information.

Source: Hydrogen Engine Center, Inc.

CONTACT: Travis Whittington of Hanser & Associates (for Hydrogen Engine Center, Inc.), +1-800-340-6434, travis@hanser.com

All Topics