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- Navy powers model plane using fuel made from sea water
Posted by : Unknown
April 10, 2014
Navy powers model plane using fuel made from sea water
The mini Mustang, ready to take to the air
The fuel was obtained using NRL's gas-to-liquid technology. This involved running sea water through the group's E-CEM (electrolytic cation exchange module) Carbon Capture Skid, which removed carbon dioxide from the water at 92 percent efficiency while simultaneously producing hydrogen as part of the process. Using a metal catalyst in a separate reactor system, the CO2 and hydrogen gases were then converted into a liquid hydrocarbon fuel.
NRL's E-CEM Carbon Capture Skid
In a proof-of-concept test performed last September at Blossom Point,
Maryland, that fuel was used to power an RC model P-51 Mustang's
unmodified two-stroke engine. It marked the first time that the fuel had
been used in a conventional combustion engine, and was made public this
Monday.The researchers are now working on upscaling the system to a commercial scale. NRL notes that apart from its use in fuel production, the CO2 could also have applications in the fields of horticulture or aquaculture.