Production of Hydrogen Gas from Water via Electrolysis for Community Power Generation to Reduce Fossil Fuel Consumption and Decrease Pollution Emissions

Abstract

This study aims to design and develop a hydrogen gas generation and supply system designed for internal combustion engines used to produce electricity. The engine has a capacity of 5,871 cc and a power output of 60 kW/h. The system is specifically developed to reduce carbon emissions in the energy sector by reducing dependence on fossil fuels known as a significant cause of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. The innovative hydrogen gas separation unit utilizes SUS 316L metal plates arranged into five compartments, each of which contains 13 plates: seven cathodes and six anodes, totaling 65 plates.  Each plate is designed with accurate dimensions of 105 mm in length, 80 mm in width, and 1.3 mm in thickness. Performance examinations of the system were conducted at load conditions of 0%, 25%, 50%, 75%, and 100%. Results revealed that fuel consumption was optimized at a 50% load by obtaining a 24.9% reduction in diesel usage.  In addition, black smoke emissions displayed the most important reduction at a 50% load, indicating that emissions of black smoke, PM2.5, and PM10 were significantly lower compared to a common diesel fuel. This specially designed system clearly showed cost-efficiency and environmental advantages with an average reduction of electricity production cost of 24.9 % and by a 14.1% reduction in CO2 emissions (23.4 kgCO2-e/hr) at a 50% load. Thus, this novel system can provide an alternative for decreasing reliance on conventional diesel fuel and for power generator and promoting sustainability.