REG - AFC Energy Plc - Ammonia Cracker Technology Milestone Achieved

AFC EnergyAnnouncement

23/10/2023 07:15

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RNS Number : 8825Q  AFC Energy Plc  23 October 2023

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23 October 2023

 

 

AFC Energy PLC

("AFC Energy" or the "Company")

 

Ammonia Cracker Technology Milestone Achieved

 

UK's National Physical Laboratory Independently Tests Hydrogen Generated by
AFC Energy's Ammonia Cracker Technology - Successfully Achieves 99.99%
Hydrogen

 

AFC Energy (AIM: AFC), a leading provider of hydrogen power generation
technologies, is pleased to announce the latest milestone in the accelerated
development of its modular, scalable ammonia cracker technology.

 

Highlights

 

·      AFC Energy's next generation ammonia cracker technology
successfully achieves 99.99% hydrogen from single reactor testing

 

·      Results independently tested by the UK's National Physical
Laboratory ("NPL")

 

·      Testing confirmed ammonia levels in hydrogen stream were
materially less than the limits required to meet ISO 14687:2019 standards for
vehicular and stationary fuel cells

 

·      Results highlight the ability of AFC Energy's new ammonia
cracking technology to deliver fuel cell grade hydrogen on a modular, scalable
basis

 

·      Ammonia cracker technology complimentary to AFC Energy's growing
H-Power fuel cell generator offering

 

AFC Energy's ammonia cracker enables ammonia, a compound of hydrogen and
nitrogen (NH(3)), to be "cracked" into discreet hydrogen and nitrogen
molecules.  The hydrogen can then be consumed as a fuel in fuel cells or
combustion with the nitrogen emitted to atmosphere (which comprises c. 78%
nitrogen) with zero carbon emissions.  However, the presence in the hydrogen
of uncracked trace ammonia has the potential to damage fuel cells.

 

In 2019, the International Organisation for Standardisation ("ISO") published
ISO 14687:2019 which governs the international standard for minimum quality
characteristics of hydrogen as a fuel for utilisation in vehicular and
stationary fuel cell applications and which stipulated the maximum level of
residual ammonia permitted.

 

It is therefore an important achievement that AFC Energy's ammonia cracker
reactor has been able to meet the ISO standard for residual ammonia ("parts
per billion" or "PPB") in hydrogen fuel.

 

Ammonia is forecast to play a growing role in delivering on decarbonisation
targets for industry and maritime due to its high energy density (relative to
hydrogen gas) and potential to displace conventional fossil fuels and carbon
emissions.  Ammonia is also seen as an enabler to the international trade of
hydrogen where hydrogen is transported by ship in the form of ammonia, and
cracked back into hydrogen at its target import destination.

 

Test Details

 

The UK's NPL was engaged to independently analyse the composition of hydrogen
gas derived from AFC Energy's new ammonia cracking reactor and downstream
purification technology.  NPL's analysis was conducted on the basis of
individual ammonia cracker reactors.

 

NPL's analysis confirmed the hydrogen derived from AFC Energy's cracker and
purifier successfully achieved the ammonia PPB standard for fuel cell grade
hydrogen, a key milestone in demonstrating the technology's potential to
support the growing "ammonia to power" market in stationary and maritime
applications.

 

Achieving the ISO 14687:2019 standard of hydrogen purity as it relates to
ammonia PPB highlights a milestone in the cracker technology's ability to
support not only "ammonia to power" applications, whether stationary or
maritime, but also the potential for cracked ammonia to be used in refuelling
heavy duty fuel cell trucks and buses as an alternative to a distributed
network of high electricity use small scale electrolysers.

 

Adam Bond, Chief Executive of AFC Energy, said:

"Achieving the ISO grade for ammonia PPB in hydrogen from AFC Energy's
proprietary ammonia cracker is a significant milestone for the Company.
Achieving the ISO standard is key for the global adoption of ammonia as a
sustainable clean fuel.  Modular ammonia crackers have a range of
applications and with the progress we've made to date, not just in cracker
technology, but also in the integration of purification technologies, opens
the way for adoption of ammonia fuel across both combustion and fuel cell
energy applications in stationary and maritime applications."

 

For further information, please contact:

 

 AFC Energy plc                                                 +44 (0) 14 8327 6726

 Adam Bond (Chief Executive Officer)                            investors@afcenergy.com (mailto:investors@afcenergy.com)

 Peel Hunt LLP - Nominated Adviser and Joint Broker             +44 (0) 207 418 8900

 Richard Crichton / Tom Ballard / Georgia Langoulant
 Zeus - Joint Broker                                            +44 (0) 203 829 5000

 David Foreman / James Hornigold (Investment Banking)

 Dominic King (Corporate Broking) / Rupert Woolfenden (Sales)

 FTI Consulting - Financial PR Advisors                         +44 (0) 203 727 1000

 Ben Brewerton / Nick Hennis / Dhruv Soni                       afcenergy@fticonsulting.com (mailto:afcenergy@fticonsulting.com)

 

 

About AFC Energy

 

AFC Energy plc is commercialising scalable "flex fuel" fuel cell systems, to
provide clean electricity for on and off grid applications. The technology,
pioneered over the past twelve years in the UK, is now deployable in electric
vehicle chargers, off-grid decentralised power systems and data centre
applications with emerging opportunities across maritime and rail as part of a
portfolio approach to the decarbonisation of local electricity needs.

 

 

 

 

 

 

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