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Please
tell us about the merits of ENEOS ECOBOY. |
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The key point is its high energy efficiency—81%,
which is far higher than the approximately 40% figure for conventional electricity
generation. Of this, 35% is due to efficiency in the electricity generation, and
46% is heat recovery efficiency. ENEOS ECOBOY produces hydrogen from kerosene
and generates electricity and heat through an electrochemical reaction with hydrogen
and oxygen. As fuel cells generate electricity at home, there is no energy loss
due to transmission. The heat generated during power generation can be used for
water and space heating. This means that families using ECOBOY can make savings
on their total energy bills, although naturally the kerosene usage will rise.
In addition, as it produces electricity through an electrochemical reaction of
hydrogen and oxygen, there are very few emissions of nitrogen oxides (NOX)
and sulfur oxides (SOX). Its CO2
emissions per unit of energy supplied are also 30–40% lower compared with
conventional thermal power generation in power plants. |
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What
challenges did you face in developing ENEOS ECOBOY? |
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ENEOS ECOBOY is a product
sprung from 20 years of accumulated technology and fuel cell expertise. Still,
producing hydrogen from kerosene is technically very challenging.
Hydrogen for fuel cells is usually produced from methane, LP gas, naphtha or kerosene.
These fuels have different carbon numbers, with 1 for methane and up to 12 for
kerosene. The higher the number, the more difficult it becomes to produce hydrogen,
a process known as reformulation. Moreover, producing hydrogen from a liquid like
kerosene is much more difficult than from gases like methane—it requires
very advanced technology. The process we developed uses a water vapor reformulation
method, which generates hydrogen by converting kerosene to gas form and mixing
it with steam, then causing a reaction by using a catalyst at a high temperature.
Another challenge is that the sulfur in the fuel causes the reformulation catalyst
to deactivate. For this reason, ENEOS has been developing highly advanced desulphurization
technology.
ENEOS ECOBOY was developed jointly with Ebara Ballard Corporation and Ebara Corporation.
The verification tests at the Central Technical Research Laboratory began in April
2004, and field validation, carried out at detached houses, began in August 2005.
The tests were very extensive, and we finally announced the product to the media
on November 30, 2005. |
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Please
give us an overview of your ENEOS ECOBOY installations to date. |
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| In 2006, after recruiting installation candidates
through our website and other means, we made 75 installations of ENEOS ECOBOY
in the Greater Tokyo Area, as well as in major cities in Hokkaido, and the Tohoku
and Hokuriku regions in north Japan. The response from these customers has been
very positive. |
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What
are your future plans for the ENEOS ECOBOY and its technology? |
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ENEOS ECOBOY is a very important product. Installations
of our ENEOS ECO LP-1, our other fuel cell product, have so far been concentrated
to the Kanto region, and we plan to expand this to the entire country—except
for the cold regions, where this unit cannot function. ECOBOY, on the other hand,
can operate at temperatures down to -10°C. This means that we can install
our fuel cell products throughout Japan.
To develop fuel cells for very cold regions, we launched a joint research project
with the Hokkaido Northern Regional Building Research Institute in February 2006.
When completed, this will be the first fuel cell system that can operate in temperatures
below -10°C.
Since June 2005, we have been trialing a kerosene-powered 10 kW fuel cell system
at a business hotel in Hiroshima, and at a convenience store in Tokyo’s
Shinagawa district since September 2005. If widely used at business facilities,
fuel cells can make a large contribution to preserving the environment. |
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| The ENEOS ECOBOY consists of two hardware units: an electricity
generator (right) and a hot water tank (left) |
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