1) Why hydrogen?
Hydrogen has the potential to permanently displace oil and other fossil fuels on a worldwide basis, and its use can increase national security by ending the U.S.’ reliance on imported oil. It produces no greenhouse gasses and can be produced using clean, renewable sources of electricity to positively impact national security, the environment, and public health.
2) What is hydrogen?
Hydrogen, the first element in the periodic table, is the simplest, lightest, and most abundant element in the known universe. Hydrogen has one proton and one electron. All other atoms are made from combining additional numbers of hydrogen nuclei.
3) What about other alternative fuels?
Methanol, ethanol, natural gas, propane, and butane are some of the other common alternative fuels, but, with the exception of ethanol, none of these alternatives are renewable. Even in the case of ethanol, which comes from renewable crops like corn, it is much more efficient in terms of land use, fertilizers, water, and labor-hours to use renewable energy (wind, solar, geothermal, and/or hydropower) to extract hydrogen from water via electrolysis.
4) Isn’t hydrogen especially dangerous?
No. On the contrary, because hydrogen is the lightest element in the universe, it is much safer than gasoline or any other hydrocarbon fuel in the event of a leak or accident involving a vehicle’s fuel storage and delivery system. Leaking hydrogen rapidly disperses up and away from its source. If ignited, hydrogen burns rapidly with a nonluminous flame that cannot readily scorch a person at a distance. It emits only one-tenth the radiant heat of a hydrocarbon fire and burns 7% cooler than gasoline. Victims are not generally burned by hydrogen unless they are actually in the flame, nor are they choked by smoke.
5) What about the Hindenburg and the H-Bomb?
The Hindenburg did not explode, but rather caught fire. The reason it ignited so quickly was because it was coated with highly combustible aluminum paint (more or less equivalent to rocket fuel) that was intended to protect it from the sun’s ultraviolet radiation and not because it was filled with hydrogen. Actually, none of the 97 passengers of the Hindenburg was burned to death by the enormous quantities of hydrogen fuel onboard the airship. The hydrogen actually burned harmlessly above the heads of 65% of the passengers who survived the disaster by riding the flaming airship to the ground. Of the 35 victims, 33 died because they jumped from the airship while it was still more than 100 feet from the ground, and the two who were actually burned to death were burned by the diesel fuel used to power the Hindenburg’s engines and not by hydrogen.
What about the hydrogen bomb?
The hydrogen bomb involves a nuclear reaction, whereas the process of electrolyzing water involves a simple transfer of electrons, which also occurs when one makes a cup of coffee or metabolizes the food they eat. A hydrogen bomb cannot be made with ordinary hydrogen, nor can the conditions that trigger nuclear fusion in a hydrogen bomb occur in a hydrogen accident; they are achieved, with difficulty, only by using an atomic bomb.
6) Where does hydrogen come from?
Hydrogen is the most abundant element in the universe. The hydrogen atom has one positively charged proton and one negatively charged electron. All other atoms are made up of increasing numbers of hydrogen protons, neutrons, and electrons. Hydrogen is typically chemically attached to other atoms, such as carbon or oxygen, and, as such, energy must be expended to separate these elements.
7) Can any engine be modified to use hydrogen fuel?
Internal combustion engines have been modified to use hydrogen since the 1930s. Roger Billings modified a Model A Ford to use hydrogen in the 1970s when he was a high school student in Provo, Utah. A number of automotive vehicles have been modified to use hydrogen in the U.S. in recent years by Los Alamos investigators and other individuals and university teams. Indeed, high school auto shop students have modified dozens of engines to use hydrogen over the past 20 years. The Hydrogen Car Company is the first to offer commercially available H2ICE vehicles. The engine modifications are minimal, and have to do mainly with the fuel injectors and the electronic timing for combustion.
8) What about exhaust emissions?
Hydrogen is the only vehicle fuel that contains no Carbon atoms, and thus combusting it as a fuel results in no Carbon emissions. The primary emission of hydrogen combustion is pure water vapor. During combustion, oxides of Nitrogen can be formed from the Nitrogen in the air, but the Hydrogen Car Company has minimized the formation of Nitrous Oxide (NOX) by lowering the temperature of combustion. HCC’s vehicles use oil as a lubricant, but only one quart for every 30,000 miles. HCC’s vehicles are the only pick-ups and SUVs that meet ultra-low-emissions vehicle (ULEV) emissions standards.
9) Where do I get hydrogen fuel?
The hydrogen fueling infrastructure is growing quickly. Both California and Illinois have launched “Hydrogen Highway” initiatives that will ultimately result in a network of fueling stations along major highways and interstates. Currently there are 13 stations in California, mainly clustered around the San Francisco Bay and the South Coast areas; an additional 17 stations are anticipated in the next year or so. The California “Hydrogen Highway” is envisioned to have 170 stations operating by 2010. The option of generating hydrogen at home is also becoming increasingly available. Stuart Energy Systems has developed a Personal Energy Station (PES), which is about the size of a washer/dryer and uses existing electricity and water supplies to generate hydrogen fuel that can then be used for vehicle fuel or as stationary power.
10) What is the cost of hydrogen fuel?
The cost of hydrogen depends on a number of factors, such as how the hydrogen is manufactured, but generally speaking, the cost of generating hydrogen fuel from clean, renewable electricity is initially in the range of $4.00-5.00 per equivalent gallon of gasoline. However, as volume increases and the technology is refined, the cost of hydrogen will be reduced over time. In contrast, oil and other fossil fuels are increasing in cost as global supplies are impacted by geopolitical events and are exponentially consumed.
From:
http://www.h2carco.com
Hydrogen has the potential to permanently displace oil and other fossil fuels on a worldwide basis, and its use can increase national security by ending the U.S.’ reliance on imported oil. It produces no greenhouse gasses and can be produced using clean, renewable sources of electricity to positively impact national security, the environment, and public health.
2) What is hydrogen?
Hydrogen, the first element in the periodic table, is the simplest, lightest, and most abundant element in the known universe. Hydrogen has one proton and one electron. All other atoms are made from combining additional numbers of hydrogen nuclei.
3) What about other alternative fuels?
Methanol, ethanol, natural gas, propane, and butane are some of the other common alternative fuels, but, with the exception of ethanol, none of these alternatives are renewable. Even in the case of ethanol, which comes from renewable crops like corn, it is much more efficient in terms of land use, fertilizers, water, and labor-hours to use renewable energy (wind, solar, geothermal, and/or hydropower) to extract hydrogen from water via electrolysis.
4) Isn’t hydrogen especially dangerous?
No. On the contrary, because hydrogen is the lightest element in the universe, it is much safer than gasoline or any other hydrocarbon fuel in the event of a leak or accident involving a vehicle’s fuel storage and delivery system. Leaking hydrogen rapidly disperses up and away from its source. If ignited, hydrogen burns rapidly with a nonluminous flame that cannot readily scorch a person at a distance. It emits only one-tenth the radiant heat of a hydrocarbon fire and burns 7% cooler than gasoline. Victims are not generally burned by hydrogen unless they are actually in the flame, nor are they choked by smoke.
5) What about the Hindenburg and the H-Bomb?
The Hindenburg did not explode, but rather caught fire. The reason it ignited so quickly was because it was coated with highly combustible aluminum paint (more or less equivalent to rocket fuel) that was intended to protect it from the sun’s ultraviolet radiation and not because it was filled with hydrogen. Actually, none of the 97 passengers of the Hindenburg was burned to death by the enormous quantities of hydrogen fuel onboard the airship. The hydrogen actually burned harmlessly above the heads of 65% of the passengers who survived the disaster by riding the flaming airship to the ground. Of the 35 victims, 33 died because they jumped from the airship while it was still more than 100 feet from the ground, and the two who were actually burned to death were burned by the diesel fuel used to power the Hindenburg’s engines and not by hydrogen.
What about the hydrogen bomb?
The hydrogen bomb involves a nuclear reaction, whereas the process of electrolyzing water involves a simple transfer of electrons, which also occurs when one makes a cup of coffee or metabolizes the food they eat. A hydrogen bomb cannot be made with ordinary hydrogen, nor can the conditions that trigger nuclear fusion in a hydrogen bomb occur in a hydrogen accident; they are achieved, with difficulty, only by using an atomic bomb.
6) Where does hydrogen come from?
Hydrogen is the most abundant element in the universe. The hydrogen atom has one positively charged proton and one negatively charged electron. All other atoms are made up of increasing numbers of hydrogen protons, neutrons, and electrons. Hydrogen is typically chemically attached to other atoms, such as carbon or oxygen, and, as such, energy must be expended to separate these elements.
7) Can any engine be modified to use hydrogen fuel?
Internal combustion engines have been modified to use hydrogen since the 1930s. Roger Billings modified a Model A Ford to use hydrogen in the 1970s when he was a high school student in Provo, Utah. A number of automotive vehicles have been modified to use hydrogen in the U.S. in recent years by Los Alamos investigators and other individuals and university teams. Indeed, high school auto shop students have modified dozens of engines to use hydrogen over the past 20 years. The Hydrogen Car Company is the first to offer commercially available H2ICE vehicles. The engine modifications are minimal, and have to do mainly with the fuel injectors and the electronic timing for combustion.
8) What about exhaust emissions?
Hydrogen is the only vehicle fuel that contains no Carbon atoms, and thus combusting it as a fuel results in no Carbon emissions. The primary emission of hydrogen combustion is pure water vapor. During combustion, oxides of Nitrogen can be formed from the Nitrogen in the air, but the Hydrogen Car Company has minimized the formation of Nitrous Oxide (NOX) by lowering the temperature of combustion. HCC’s vehicles use oil as a lubricant, but only one quart for every 30,000 miles. HCC’s vehicles are the only pick-ups and SUVs that meet ultra-low-emissions vehicle (ULEV) emissions standards.
9) Where do I get hydrogen fuel?
The hydrogen fueling infrastructure is growing quickly. Both California and Illinois have launched “Hydrogen Highway” initiatives that will ultimately result in a network of fueling stations along major highways and interstates. Currently there are 13 stations in California, mainly clustered around the San Francisco Bay and the South Coast areas; an additional 17 stations are anticipated in the next year or so. The California “Hydrogen Highway” is envisioned to have 170 stations operating by 2010. The option of generating hydrogen at home is also becoming increasingly available. Stuart Energy Systems has developed a Personal Energy Station (PES), which is about the size of a washer/dryer and uses existing electricity and water supplies to generate hydrogen fuel that can then be used for vehicle fuel or as stationary power.
10) What is the cost of hydrogen fuel?
The cost of hydrogen depends on a number of factors, such as how the hydrogen is manufactured, but generally speaking, the cost of generating hydrogen fuel from clean, renewable electricity is initially in the range of $4.00-5.00 per equivalent gallon of gasoline. However, as volume increases and the technology is refined, the cost of hydrogen will be reduced over time. In contrast, oil and other fossil fuels are increasing in cost as global supplies are impacted by geopolitical events and are exponentially consumed.
From:
http://www.h2carco.com
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