Burned or used in fuel cells, hydrogen is an attractive option for the needs of future automobiles. This nontoxic gas could serve as a pollution-free energy carrier for machines of many kinds. If it burns, it does not make carbon. Carbon dioxide, a potent greenhouse gas.
And how similar hydrogen in a fuel cell stack, a battery device that can generate electricity from hydrogen and oxygen to move an electric car or truck with only heat and water, and products. Fuel cell vehicles offer more than double the efficiency of cars today. Hydrogen can be used to alleviate environmental problems including air pollution and its dangers.
Weight, hydrogen contains three times the energy of gasoline (petrol), but it is impossible to store hydrogen gas as compactly as conventional liquid fuel. One of the most difficult technical questions is how efficiently and safely store enough hydrogen can be on board to demand the driving range and performance of drivers. Feasible storage devices today have enough hydrogen to a minimum acceptable travel (driving range - almost 500 km) - with a fuel tank, which support any compromise in hand luggage. These tanks should be filled or recharged in a couple of minutes. Many devote many researchers in the U8 Internal Energy Agency considerable efforts made to overcome these limitations. In fact, improving to its 17 governments hydrogen and fuel cell technology. to fund in 2005 to the U.S. Department of Energy provide4 $ 30,000,000 of the 80 research projects.
A 500 km. Minimum driving range is one of the main operational objectives of the automotive industry. Engineers believe that a ~ Allon of gasoline equivalent, on the basis of the energy to one kilogram of hydrogen. The current car (One U.S. gallon is almost 8 liters 3rd) drive takes about 20 liters of gasoline per 500 km., The typical fuel cell vehicle would need only 8 kg of hydrogen. Several automakers have tested about 60 hydrogen prototypes and demonstrated driving ranges in 200 to 300 km.
In 2010, a number of car companies expect the first production fuel cell car goes on tour. Storage of hydrogen must be enough fuel for at least a 500 km journey lead and light enough to tow a car. For a system with a weight of 600 kilograms (a reasonable ~ size of a vehicle), six pounds. would be stored hydrogen. Liquid hydrogen storage can be saved on energy and can be used in automobiles, but despite the drawbacks. The dairy less, a world-renowned car manufacturer BMW is pushing this technology on the road. The vehicle, called Hydrogen 7 will have one, the internal combustion engine capable of on both petrol for 500 km. or liquid hydrogen for 250 km.
have benefited to increase energy density scientists from the chemistry of hydrogen itself: Chemical compaction. ~ In the liquid phase hydrogen molecules contain two bound atoms each. But when hydrogen molecules are chemically bound to certain other elements, they can even closer together than in liquid hydrogen are packed.
Some researchers in a class of substances called reversible metal hydrides, which were discovered by accident in 1969 at the Philips laboratories in the Netherlands focus. Researchers found that a samarium-cobalt alloy, if it were under pressure hydrogen gas absorb hydrogen exposed a bit like a sponge absorbs water. The press was removed, the hydrogen in the alloy Russian immigration was again reversed in other words, the process.
In the U.S., scientists like Jame Reilly pioneer and Gary Sandrock, the development of hydride alloys. This work formed the basis for today's most common nickel metal hydride batteries. The density of hydrogen in these alloys is 150% more than liquid hydrogen! Such properties of metal hydrides are well suited for cars. Although current metal hydrides have limitations, many automakers see as the most viable low pressure approaching the near future. Toyota and Honda automotive engineers, are planning a hybrid approach in a system that can be a solid metal hydride with moderate pressure (less than 10, 000 psi), they predict to reach an audience of over 500 km combined.
Designer materials: New developments in nanotechnology have led to a variety of new high-surface-area materials, partly out of more than ~ 5 000 square meters. the surface area per gram of material. Carbon based materials are usually easy and inexpensive. Over the centuries, the fundamental promise and challenge-of using hydrogen for transportatiQ1has essentially remained unchanged. But finding a suitable container for hydrogen cars will soon be possible to save people around the world in the next decade totravel of pollution or contamination of the air without us.