New energy technologies….hydrogen - finally?

MaxPete

MaxPete

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Howdy all!

If you are looking for a truly fine read about what is happening now and why, how the world really works and what may happen in the future in fields ranging from politics, to investing to technologies, it is hard to beat the UK publication: The Economist. I have found this publication to be fair and factual and that it omits the usual partisan “twist” that most other media sources simply cannot resist.

An online subscription isn’t too costly and your local public library may have a print copy for free, plus they often put out excellent YouTube videos on key topics.

Further to the discussion elsewhere on batteries and fuel cells for EVs, I found an excellent Economist video on hydrogen this morning….enjoy!

 
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My bike is greener than my car. But for all round transportation? Yes, yes, but we were younger and stupid. Now were older and, well.
"Here boy, give me that backhoe. Take this shovel, it's Greener" That shovel will get you a hole or ditch but look at the cost to you. Jobs easy if you don't have to do it and I don't have to because, $$$$$$$$$$.

Cool vid, but Mechanix Illustrated beat him to Hydrogen over 40 years ago. Wouldn't work then for the same reasons it won't now, unless the government makes it so, and on our dime.
I know, but Green has a tendency to make me see Red.
 
MaxPete said:
Further to the discussion elsewhere on batteries and fuel cells for EVs, I found an excellent Economist video on hydrogen this morning….enjoy!

Click to expand...

I can't say I was impressed by that eejit's assertion that hydrogen wasn't all that dangerous regarding the Hindenburg.
It kind of undermined everything else he had to say.
 
True Thuban - but I’m not sure we’re going to have a lot of choices and there has been A LOT of progress in 40 years.

I founded and ran a big national automotive R&D program for 14 years. When we started in 2001, batteries were no where and fuels cells were a science fair project - but by the end in 2015, we were funding a lot of battery work and fuel cells were a major activity.

Now, you can actually buy a fuel cell car at a retail dealership (the Toyota Mirai) and THAT is the clearest signal that fuel cells are becoming commercially viable.

Pete
 
Grimly said:
I can't say I was impressed by that eejit's assertion that hydrogen wasn't all that dangerous regarding the Hindenburg.
It kind of undermined everything else he had to say.
Click to expand...

Sorry Grimly - but your assessment is faulty.
 
Grimly said:
I can't say I was impressed by that eejit's assertion that hydrogen wasn't all that dangerous regarding the Hindenburg.
It kind of undermined everything else he had to say.
Click to expand...
Don't recall the exact details... but the dope used to coat the fabric was a faulty mix. Someone can look up the details if they wish, but the dope actually turned out to be the equivalent of solid propellent rocket fuel. :yikes:
Which is why the fabric disappeared almost instantaneously.
 
Max, I've come a long way since i was hatched in the 40's! Cell phones, computers, fiber optic communication, Lead acid batteries in cars.... How inexpensive is that fuel cell?
Max said: "...but I’m not sure we’re going to have a lot of choices and there has been A LOT of progress in 40 years." I couldn't agree more.

To my mind, at this point in time, the only way green energy works to meet the demand is if the consumption of energy is reduced 'or controlled.' There was no need for the deaths and property damage experienced by Texans last winter. But unbeknownst to people, oil, natural gas and nuclear power plants were off line or idled, directed, as it were, by men controlling levers of power. Was it a (costly) test or just mismanagement? Texas is the one of the most energy rich places in the US and for us to freeze, is down right suspect. I lose my warm fuzzy feeling when I see farm land being converted into solar farms. The loss of my warm fuzzy feeling isn't for me, but city dwellers. Food is not produced in the cities.
 
About 20 yrs ago my son came home from school and wanted to experiment with hydrogen. We made 4 or 5 stainless plates alternately hooked to a battery charger. Poured salt in the water until it was drawing about 5 amps and held a clear container over it to catch the outgassing. Sumbich if it didn't work. Every 30 sec or so it would build up enough gas that we could light it off with a match. From what I've read, it wasn't pure hydrogen... it was called brown gas.
But yeah, generating hydrogen is a dead simple proposition. Throw enough technology (cost lowering) at it and it'll be a viable fuel.
 
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Yup - Jim is correct on both the Hindenburg and the technology thing.

Pete
 
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Yeah - it is pretty heavy-going.

It was really written for government policy wonks whose job it is to stay on top of things of which they have no knowledge at all.
 
Near as I can tell it's more of an energy storage system, than an energy source.
So some sort of "reasonable pressure" vessel using chemical absorption release rather than trying to compress a gas into transportation realistic size/weight?
 
There are a whole bunch of storage mechanisms being studied - but I’d guess that a carbon-fibre filament wound pressure vessel at about 10K psi is the most likely to be commonly used for the near future.

….and yes, hydrogen is usually considered an energy carrier rather than an energy source (in fact, there is no such thing as an energy sojurce as energy cannot be created or destroyed).
 
MaxPete said:
There are a whole bunch of storage mechanisms being studied - but I’d guess that a carbon-fibre filament wound pressure vessel at about 10K psi is the most likely to be commonly used for the near future.

….and yes, hydrogen is usually considered an energy carrier rather than an energy source (in fact, there is no such thing as an energy sojurce as energy cannot be created or destroyed).
Click to expand...
Are (high) pressure vessels in use now?
 
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