CHESTER TOWNSHIP, PA – September 21, 2011 – Alloy Surfaces Company, Inc. (ASC), a subsidiary of Chemring Group, PLC, is pleased to announce the successful completion of a project to develop a system capable of demand-driven hydrogen fuel production.  The project was a collaborative development effort by ASC and The Pennsylvania State University (Penn State).  Today, ASC and Penn State successfully demonstrated the system, integrated with a modified 2010 Ford F-150 light-duty pickup truck, to Pennsylvania’s Department of Environmental Protection, which funded a portion of the project through its Alternative Fuels Incentive Grant Program.

“We are excited to work closely with Penn State on this technology”, said Lawrence D’Andrea, ASC’s president.  “This unique on-demand hydrogen generation system has commercial and military applications and will add new capabilities to current and future alternative energy systems.” 

ASC’s system utilizes aluminum with water to produce hydrogen in a chemical reaction.  The system is unique in that it utilizes complex process control algorithms developed by ASC and Penn State collaboratively.  This system is the first to employ an aluminum-water reaction to produce hydrogen in a safe and controlled manner.

ASC’s system has applications as a safe, non-polluting, and cost-effective fuel system for fleet vehicles, unmanned underwater vehicles, auxiliary power units, and other potential system platforms that utilize hydrogen.  ASC’s next development step is to integrate its system with one or more platforms, and to distribute the integrated system(s) to platform end users for field testing.

“Today, our system demonstrated full functionality, integrated into a modified 2010 Ford F-150 light-duty pickup truck,” said Dr. Joel Anstrom, senior research associate at Penn State’s Larson Institute and a collaborator on this project.  “We believe there are many other platforms that are applicable to the system, specifically heavy-duty transit buses.”

Chemring Group is an international leader in energetic material products and defensive countermeasures, with more than 4,000 employees and twenty-three facilities in eight countries.   A subsidiary of Chemring Group, ASC is the world’s only manufacturer of Special Material Decoys.  ASC decoys are on the leading edge of infrared countermeasure technology and are currently being used to protect a wide variety of U.S. and allied military aircraft.

If you need more information on this release or the Demand-Driven Hydrogen Fuel Production System please contact: John Fleitz Vice President Sales and Marketing 1 484 467 3791 Jfleitz@alloysurfaces.com