Hydrogen Gas Fuel - Alternative To Gasoline
Hydrogen is the most abundant chemical element on the planet. It is found in water and almost every other natural material and in every living thing. Algae, plants, and composting material are all rich sources of hydrogen. The abundance of hydrogen means that it is viewed as a potential source of fuel for many man-made machines. For instance, hydrogen gas fuel can theoretically replace fossil fuels in most of their uses without being concerned with depleting the resource considerably. Separating hydrogen from its chemical bond to these elements produces hydrogen gas fuel. Heat and water are the only emissions produced when mixing this purest form of hydrogen gas fuel with pure oxygen and igniting it, which is as environmentally friendly as you can get.
Each method of distilling the hydrogen to it purest form has its own unique set of pros and cons, from emissions generated by the refining process to finding the most cost effective method of producing hydrogen gas fuel. Currently, steam methane reforming is the most popular method in the United States. This method separates hydrogen from natural gas by heating the natural gas at various temperatures.
Producing enough hydrogen gas fuel to support mainstream use would likely require new infrastructure, making start-up costs an expensive proposition. Current technology such as electrolysis (passing of electrical current through water in an ionic transfer device) can be adapted on a larger scale by using electricity generated through methods such as windmills or solar panels. In addition, geographic concerns will play a major role in location choices for any hydrogen production facility as ideally any such facility requires a large expanse of open space and should be located away from densely populated areas. However, zero greenhouse gas emissions in the electrolysis method make this a worthwhile, long-term venture.
Hydrogen is very flexible and suitable as fuel since it can be stored and easily transported in the form of gas or liquid. Hydrogen fuel can be transported in vapor form from its refinery site to up to a distance of 200 miles. For longer distances up to 1000 miles, hydrogen is transported in super-insulated tanks in liquid form.
Hydrogen will produce more energy per unit weight than any other fuel known. Hydrogen gas fuel gives more than triple the energy of the equivalent amount of gasoline, and does not produce any of gasoline’s undesirable emissions like sulfur and carbon dioxide. Hydrogen gas fuel yields energy at a rate of six times more than an equal amount of coal.
Hydrogen gas has much better and more efficient combustion through a larger range of air fuel mixtures than gasoline. Hydrogen gas fuel has an octane rating of 130 and this is higher than the highest octane gasoline available at present at the gas station.
Hydrogen gas fuel could help us power nearly anything - from large cities to cellular phones, moped to rocket ships while still being eco-friendly. Transport vehicles can be designed to run on hydrogen gas fuel or retrofitted to be able to use it. As gasoline prices continue to rise, we will soon see if hydrogen gas fuel will be a workable replacement for gasoline. Provided the right structures can be set in place and continued research continues apace, it may be the solution to creating an abundant and environmentally fuel.
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Tags: alternate fuel, biodiesel, hydrogen, water to gas
