Video: Will your hydrogen car explode?
Until now, using electricity to make hydrogen fuel used more energy than what you got back from it. But a breakthrough by Stanford University scientists could save hydrogen producers billions in energy costs and make hydrogen fuel cheaper than gasoline. Read more...
Video: Hydrogen is Everywhere
Link: Fortune magazine article
Hydrogen Cars Just Got A Lot More Feasible, Despite Obama’s Best Efforts
In late June, Swedish scientists announced a major breakthrough that could make producing hydrogen from water much cheaper.
www.dailycaller.com
Overcoming the Challenges of Traditional Hydrogen Production
Low-cost, plentiful hydrogen. Ready for use as a clean energy source. By everyone. Everywhere. Welcome to the Hydrogen 2.0 era.
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Scientists at Stanford University have developed a low-cost, emissions-free device that uses an ordinary AAA battery to produce hydrogen by water electrolysis. Unlike other water splitters that use precious-metal catalysts, the electrodes in the Stanford device are made of inexpensive and abundant nickel and iron. The nickel/nickel-oxide catalyst significantly lowers the voltage required to split water, which could eventually save hydrogen producers billions of dollars in electricity costs.
Ummm, nobody sees any problem with a recreation of the Hindenburg disaster with a fender-bender?
ReplyDeleteIf a regular car's fuel tank is punctured, liquid gasoline leaks out and pools beneath the vehicle, creating a ready source of fuel for a prolonged burn. Hydrogen is in a gaseous state, 16 times lighter than air, so if a tank of it small enough to fit in a car were punctured or otherwise compromised, the hydrogen gas would most likely just instantaneously dissipate into the atmosphere.
ReplyDeleteA spark at just the right moment could ignite the hydrogen as it escaped but the gas burns off so quickly that less combustible materials like tires and car upholstery don't come in contact with the flames anywhere long enough to ignite.
In the case of the hydrogen-filled Hindenburg, the intitial quick burst of a massive amount of flaming hydrogen was enough to ignite a flammable lacquer coating on the outside of the dirigible. Also, the ship was powered by four 1400 hp engines requiring fuel tanks on board with a total capacity of 19,360 gallons of highly flammable diesel fuel.
According to the National Fire Protection Association, hydrogen gas can "autoignite...with as little as 4% normal air," and has the maximum rating for flammability. Doesn't sound too safe to me!
DeleteCheck out the images in this Department of Energy Hydrogen Program Review document showing two cars side-by-side with fuel leaks that were ignited simultaneously. The flames from the car with a hydrogen fuel tank shoots rapidly straight up because the element is 14 times lighter than air.
Deleteenergy.gov/hydrogenandfuelcells
It's apples and oranges. The fuel leak from the gasoline powered car occurs under the middle of the vehicle. The hydrogen car's leak occurs at the tank. In an accident, there is no way to predict WHERE the leak will be. Not a real world simulation at all. If the hydrogen gas leaked INTO the car you would have a fireball inside, not a straight shot upward. Since, as you point out, hydrogen is 14 times lighter than air, the possibility of it filling the passenger compartment, and not simply running off onto the ground, is highly likely.
DeleteYeah, and I remember when cold fusion was going to save the world. We'll see.
ReplyDeleteHarumph. It is obvious to anyone who investigates scientifically that cold fusion R&D is being smothered by Big Oil and the Guiding Lights of the 1%. Hydrogen power in small doses is a chimera.
DeleteI "scientifically investigated" cold fusion for decades, after my father invested in KMS Fusion in the '70's. He lost every penny, not because of Big Oil, but because IT IS IMPOSSIBLE! I just wonder if this isn't more technological snake oil. Investors beware!
DeleteThe other interesting aspect is the amount of energy it takes to produce, store, transport and install the hydrogen in the car. If that requires more energy than the hydrogen produces, it's a net loss.
ReplyDeleteAll very interesting, but in case of an accident what about your smartphone, other than people, it is the most important thing. Save the smartphone. But remember to buckle up.
ReplyDeleteSounds to me you could have a hydrogen bomb here. Remember the videos of those tests in the south pacific.
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