[cdn-nucl-l] Cheap hydrogen?

["Brown, Morgan" <brownmj@aecl.ca>]

Interesting coffee time discussion about Xogen (pron. ex-o-jen) and their
prototype hydrogen producing system.  Apparently their stocks have shot up.
It sonds like Xogen are saying that for a certain amount of energy you can
split water into hydrogen and oxygen, and then recombine it and get more
energy out than the input(!!)  i.e. a contravention of the second law of
thermodynamics.  Either that, or they've simply repackaged basic
electrolysis - maybe they've improved the efficiency of the process.  No one
at coffee was impressed ...


Technology Update: Xogen unveils hydrogen generator via webcast
For Immediate Release
Date: September 14, 2000
CALGARY, ALBERTA, Canada - Tathacus Resources Ltd. (TTC:CDNX) is pleased to
advise that Xogen Power's beta prototype hydrogen generator is fully
functional. The generator can now be seen in action producing commercial
volumes of clean burning hydrogen gas from nothing but tap water by visiting
www.xogen.com or www.tathacus.ca. The prototype generator consumes very
little electrical current, requires no chemical additions to the water and
produces the hydrogen immediately, on site and on demand. 
Tathacus currently owns 20 percent of Xogen Power Inc., a private advanced
fuel technology company. The two companies are also partners in a joint
venture to commercialize the technology's home and commercial heating
applications. With development of the beta prototype complete, Xogen will
continue refining the technology as it drives forward to commercialization
through strategic alliances. In a parallel process, the two companies are
building a self-contained hydrogen burning home furnace which they expect to
have completed by the first quarter of 2001.
"Unlike generating hydrogen by electrolyzing water or steam reforming
natural gas, the Xogen process is very cost-effective. It fundamentally
shifts the economics of producing clean burning hydrogen," says Leigh
Clarke, vice president and spokesperson, Tathacus Resources. "We know these
are bold claims, but it works with tap water or salt water, uses only modest
amounts of electricity and can be made portable. Because you can generate
commercial volumes on site, there's no need to move or store hydrogen. You
just move water and generate hydrogen where and when you need it." 
Hydrogen, the most abundant element in the Universe, is increasingly being
hailed as the fuel for the future. It is clean burning and adaptable enough
for use in applications in which other fuels are currently being used.
Hydrogen is also a key ingredient in the electrochemical process that
generates electricity in fuel cells. 
The Xogen beta prototype separates the oxygen and hydrogen atoms found in
water and delivers them in a suspended state, two-thirds hydrogen and
one-third oxygen. The gasses do not recombine to form water molecules. No
chemicals or other substances are added to the water before it is separated.
The prototype has no moving parts and produces commercial quantities of gas
while drawing current from a single 24 Volt battery system. The battery
system can be kept energized at no cost using solar panels, wind power or an
alternator. 
"Xogen has developed a scalable hydrogen production system that runs on free
power. If the volume of gas being produced by one tank of water and battery
unit isn't sufficient, a second tank and battery can be added to double the
volume of gas being produced onsite," adds Clarke. "Operating costs are
expected to be very low." 
Patent protection for the Xogen technology has been applied for with United
States Patent and Trademark Office and internationally by way of the Patent
Cooperation Treaty.
About Tathacus
Tathacus is a Calgary-based energy company. Through its wholly owned
subsidiary, Crucero Resources, Tathacus is positioned to optimize and grow
its oil and gas assets that currently provide the company with a solid
revenue stream. Through its recent acquisition of twenty percent of Xogen,
and an existing home and commercial heating joint venture between the
companies, Tathacus is the only publicly traded company with an ownership
interest in Xogen's exciting new hydrogen generation technology.
The Canadian Venture Exchange Inc. has not reviewed and does not accept
responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION PLEASE CONTACT: 
Tathacus Resources Ltd. 
Mr. Leigh Clarke Vice President 
Phone: (403) 251-9233
Fax: (403) 251-9244 


And from their FAQ page:

Question:	Does this technology break the known laws of Physics?	
Answer:	No, certainly not. The Physics that is used in the Xogen technology,
has been around for years. "No law's of physics are violated within the
Xogen Technology".

[But the laws of English grammar are broken]
	
Question:	I've heard it said you are trying to sell perpetual motion,
is this true?	
Answer:	No, this is not true. Perpetual motion, as we all know, cannot be
achieved. Not even in a zero gravity vacuum environment! There is always an
energy loss, the Xogen technology is no exception to this law.	
Question:	Are you claiming that you get more energy out, than is put
in?	
Answer:	No this is impossible. Xogen is making no claims whatsoever, we are
not trying to promote any form of fusion, hot, cold or even something in
between.	
Question:	If your technology was applied to a vehicle, would we be
able to attach the exhaust pipe to the Xogen technology, and run forever?

Answer:	No, definitely not. In all applications there is an energy loss.

Question:	Does Xogen's technology exploit stored energy in water?	
Answer:	Yes...... It is often said that you cannot get more energy output
than input. In it's standard form, this is absolutely true. But lets take a
closer look. If we examine one gallon of gasoline, the stored energy is
huge. The power needed to release this energy is merely that of a spark, and
as we all know, the energy contained in a spark is tiny. This example can be
said by some to violate the laws of Physics. The energy of a spark input
equals vast energy output . Therefore, it can be said that we violate
natures laws every time we turn the ignition key, but as we know, this is
not true, as we are releasing the stored energy within the gasoline. The
ignition system in a car engine is the energy release mechanism. If we
examine one gallon of water, the energy stored is even higher than that of
gasoline. Xogen doesn't release the stored energy with a spark, but with
well known scientific principals which have stood the test of time.	

[But water is at a low energy state - it has no potential energy]

Question:	Is this a scientific dream come true?	
Answer:	Xogen is not in dreamland. The research team at Xogen, has examined
the laws of Hydrogen extraction closely and have developed a more efficient
process.	

[No, it sounds like Xogen is hoping people are in dreamland and that demand
will push their stock even higher]


http://www.canoe.ca/MoneyGrowthNews/sept18_tathacusstock.html
Tathacus stock climbs as space program engineer hired
CALGARY (Reuters) - Tathacus Resources Ltd. (TTC.V) stock was another 50
percent higher Monday afternoon after rising sixfold Friday on hopes for its
hydrogen generation technology, which could power fuel cell engines.
The shares were up C$4.10 at C$12.10 in midafternoon trading on the Canadian
Venture Exchange after climbing as high as C$14.25 earlier in the session.
Tathacus, which has a 20 percent stake in closely held fuel cell technology
firm Xogen Power Inc., said Monday it had hired an engineer who has worked
with the NASA space shuttle program.
Angella Hughes, of Boeing Co.'s Rocketdyne Propulsion and Power division,
has been appointed vice president of research and development for Xogen and
manager of joint-venture development for Tathacus.
Xogen claims to have developed technology for on-site generation of hydrogen
gas from tap water. If successful, the generator would overcome one of the
main obstacles to the widespread adoption of fuel cell technology in the
automotive and home heating sectors.
Currently, methanol or natural gas are converted into the hydrogen fuel
needed to create the electrochemical reaction in fuel cell engines.
The conversion of these fuels is done at processing plants, but for them to
be available for automotive consumption it had been thought that an entire
hydrogen infrastructure to replace gasoline service stations would have have
had to have been financed.
On-site hydrogen generation would make that unnecessary.
"The hydrogen generator is incredibly efficient and I feel privileged to be
working on it," Hughes said in a statement. "I'm also very keen to manage
the production of its first practical application, a hydrogen burning home
furnace."

[They keep stressing a home heating furnace - you can't get more energy out
than your input energy, so why bother witht he hydrogen step, huh?  Very
fishy.]


- Morgan Brown