B+-+Hydrogen+Power+and+its+Feasibility

= Hydrogen Power and its Feasibility in Today's World = By: Arthur Chung (Wednesday December 8th, 2010)


 * Hydrogen as an Energy Carrier **

o Many people are insisting of changing the current energy economy, which is based off of burning fossil carbons in coal, oil and natural gas, into a hydrogen economy. A hydrogen economy is an economy where the primary energy carrier is hydrogen which is produced and converted using a fuel cell without having any by-products that contribute to pollution. o Combining with oxygen, producing electricity o Being involved in a flame or explosions, producing heat
 * Research into finding more efficient and improved energy sources have caused researches to find interest in using hydrogen as an energy store. It would be stored in the form of a liquid and combusted when the energy is needed.
 * Hydrogen can be used to release energy and the only by-product is H2O. Some examples to produce energy include:


 * Production of Hydrogen **

o Reacting dilute HCl(aq) and H2SO4(aq) with metals that have higher electrode potential than hydrogen will produce hydrogen o Electrolysis of H2O: decomposing water into its elements by flowing an electric current through the acidified water by using platinum or carbon electrode. Reaction: H2O + electricity -> H2 + O 2 o 40 million tonnes of hydrogen are manufactured through the steam-methane reform method: CH4 + H2O -> CO + H2. By  producing hydrogen and combining it with oxygen, there will be more energy extracted from the original methane than combusting CH4 directly. The condition at which this takes place at is greater than 850 and between 2.5 to 5 MPa. Since CH4 is also a fossil fuel, it will be used up eventually.
 * Although hydrogen is the most plentiful element available on Earth and the universe, the natural free hydrogen is very rare on Earth and must be produced. Hydrogen exists in forms of H2 because the element itself is so reactive. It is expensive and requires a lot of energy to extract and purify hydrogen from its molecules.
 * Some methods of producing hydrogen include:




 * Storage of Hydrogen **

o // 40% // of the energy of hydrogen is used up just to liquefy it for storage. o // 50% // of the energy of hydrogen will be used up just to transport and store it
 * A fuel cell car that runs on pure hydrogen requires an efficient way to store the hydrogen, but hydrogen actually takes up 3000 times more room than gasoline at room temperature to supply the same energy.
 * The most developed storage options are liquefied hydrogen and compressed hydrogen gas. However, the storage option of liquid hydrogen is not very feasible because it only changes state at a few degrees above absolute zero (-273 o C ).
 * A more effective way to store hydrogen is to solidify it, but it requires more advanced technology in order to do so.
 * Pipelines that transport hydrogen cost more than 1 million USD per mile


 * Costs of Hydrogen **


 * It currently costs 600 billion USD to provide hydrogen fuel for only //40//% of the cars on the road.
 * The price goal for the transportation of fuel cells is $30 (USD)/kW, but currently the price is approximately 100 times larger than that price.
 * Hydrogen generated from renewable electricity is more expensive and would not be available in today’s society


 * Safety and Environment Hazards of Hydrogen Power **

o Cell phones or thunderstorms just miles away can trigger a the hydrogen to burn
 * Hydrogen is highly flammable (more flammable than natural gas and gasoline).
 * Producing 1kg of gasoline generates about //20 lbs// of CO2, but hydrogen formed through electrolysis forms about //70 lbs// of CO2. In order to prevent CO2 emissions, an underground reservoir must be built to trap the CO2 and CO from the reaction. This prevents pollutions.

**Advantages of Hydrogen Power**


 * If hydrogen economy is achieved, then powering cities and cars by the means of hydrogen would decrease the amount of pollutions in the air. It will help by eliminating the greenhouse gas emissions.
 * Hydrogen leaks will cause hydrogen to escape into the atmosphere as a non-concentrated gas and the gas is also non-toxic.


 * Modern Application of Hydrogen Power **


 * Hydrogen-fuel-cell powered bus had begun its operation in April 2007 in Hartford Connecticut. Other fuel cell vehicles include: space shuttles, cars, ships, airplanes, etc.

The Open Source Hydrogen Powered Car (UK 2010) media type="youtube" key="vkgoNnKCA4s?fs=1" height="268" width="448" align="center"


 * Effectiveness of Hydrogen in Today’s World **


 * It is highly unlikely for an affordable and pollution-free source of hydrogen to appear for decades
 * In today’s world, with the unavailable resources to produce an effective storage, an effective transportation method, and an effective production method, hydrogen power is not an effective energy store. It is estimated that hydrogen power will be put to use by 2050.


 * Works Cited**


 * Gilman, Larry. (2008). "Hydrogen Economy." Retrieved Web. December 7 2010, from GREENR database [] **

Kerr, J. A. (2010). Hydrogen. // Grolier Multimedia Encyclopedia. // Retrieved December 7, 2010, from Grolier Online []

Romm, J, J. (2004, April 01). The Hype about Hydrogen. //Issues in Science and Technology //, (3), 74, Retrieved December 7, 2010, from [|http://elibrary.bigchalk.com]

Verfondern, K. (2007). // Nuclear energy for hydrogen production //. Jülich: Forschungszentrum, Zentralbibliothek. Etext. Retrieved December 7, 2010, from []