NOTE: Free essay sample provided on this page should be used for references or sample purposes only. The sample essay is available to anyone, so any direct quoting without mentioning the source will be considered plagiarism by schools, colleges and universities that use plagiarism detection software. To get a completely brand-new, plagiarism-free essay, please use our essay writing service.
One click instant price quote
Hard to believe that the simplest atom in the universe is used in the making of the most destructive weapon known to man isnt it? Well so is the fact that it will soon (we hope) become the replacement for petroleum-based fuels, and just about every other form of fuel too. One electron orbiting one proton is all that hydrogen is, and it is mankind's future. It is easy to manufacture, (although the government says otherwise, ) safe and easy to store, and has only one by-product water. The way that most hydrogen is made today is by electrolysis. Electrolysis is the reaction to an electrical current being sent through water from one electrode to the other.
To do this, the electrical current must be at least 1. 23 volts. When the current interacts with the water it splits the molecules into their base atoms, which are hydrogen and oxygen. There are several ways to collect the gas, but that is not important. Now you have hydrogen gas! Well, YOU probably dont have hydrogen gas, but thats how its made. There are many ways to extract hydrogen, but only a few are economically efficient.
Solar panels, wind power, hydroelectric, geothermal, and several other sources are economically more efficient than burning petroleum or coal to extract hydrogen. By burning coal or petroleum to extract hydrogen, you create hydrogen as a storage medium, NOT an energy source. Only by using renewable sources such as solar and hydroelectric power, can hydrogen be considered an energy source. In all extraction techniques, energy is required to make the hydrogen. If the government allotted more funding, then we could be driving cars that produce water instead of carbon monoxide. Most electrolysis devices using solar power convert water into hydrogen and oxygen with an efficiency of 4 - 6 percent, which isnt very efficient.
The devices would convert approximately 4 - 6 percent of the sunlight into hydrogen. But in 2000, a team of German, Israeli, and Japanese scientists finished work on a device that boosted efficiency to 18. 3 %. Theoretically, 40 % or higher efficiency CAN be achieved. But the current estimates for maximum efficiency are staying around 31 %. With the 18. 3 % efficiency, commercial production is feasible. This efficiency is only concerned with the extraction procedure.
Hydrogen gas efficiency with internal combustion engines is near 90 % while gasoline is coughing along at 25 %. Hydrogen already has petroleum beat and its only in its infancy. Unfortunately there are those who would (secretly) put a stop to all of this. Number 1 on the list is, of course, OAPEC, the Organization of Arab Petroleum Exporting Countries.
Guess who donated loads of money to the 2000 and 2004 Bush campaigns? (From a Middle-Eastern News Paper) By Ahmed Nasser While most Muslim and Arab American organizations have so far stayed away from openly endorsing a presidential candidate, many wealthy individuals in the community have already stepped up to the plate to donate hundreds of thousands to the 2004 Bush Campaign War Chest. The same George W. Bush who has shot down every major production request for hydrogen. Oddly enough, the roster for the AMPCC, MPAC, and CAIR, look identical to the OAPEC roster. Hmmm Bush keeps gas prices high, OAPEC stays rich, and hydrogen research is put on the back burner and ignored. Hydrogen is competition to OAPEC.
Its competition that makes petroleum obsolete. Thats all Im going to say about the political aspects of hydrogen power. Now back to the technical side. Many people believe hydrogen to be deadly and explosive.
Well, in a rare circumstance, and in the wrong place, it can be flammable, but hydrogen is only flammable if it is mixed 1 part hydrogen to 7 parts oxygen. Many people (most of them the same people as above) believe that an errant cigarette near the hydrogen compartments caused the Hindenburg disaster. Experiments have proven that there was not enough oxygen in the hydrogen balloons to cause an explosion. What brought the Hindenburg down was static electricity jumping from the docking tower to the extremely flammable paint used to coat the airships cotton covered exterior. A single spark destroyed one of the largest airships ever built and took hydrogen's public view down with it. With the internal combustion engines in use today, only minor alterations are required to convert gasoline engines to hydrogen power.
With older engines, it may be a bit more difficult. The reason why is simple, the on-board computers installed in todays vehicles are set to determine how much gasoline (or diesel, or kerosene) to inject into the combustion cylinder, when to ignite the spark plugs, etc. This programming can be easily changed. Racers and street drag cars are being reprogrammed already to get more horsepower or more acceleration.
The older vehicles would require manual tuning of the timing and fuel pills (metal inserts that control fuel flow) which, if you have ever had to re-time your engine, you know its a pain in the |EXPLETIVE DELETED|. But it can be done. The gas tanks could be removed and two high-pressure gas storage tanks would have to be installed. One tank would be installed for the hydrogen, one for the oxygen. The oxygen tank would hold seven times more gas than the hydrogen tank due to the mix ratios. Together, the tanks would weigh approximately 50 lbs and have the dimensions of SCUBA tanks.
The tanks that are currently being tested in Fords Alternate Fuel laboratories can stand crashes without being damaged or ruptured. The accidents that were tested were designed with the storage tanks in mind, not the occupants. In almost all of the simulations, the crash dummy was destroyed by the crash. None of the storage tanks were ruptured due to their placement and safety systems. What this means is that even if you wanted to, you probably couldnt blow anything up without using a plasma cutter.
By changing the programming and the storage tanks, almost every vehicle on the road today could still be on the road in 50 years.
Free research essays on topics related to: internal combustion, combustion engines, storage tanks, hydrogen and oxygen, hydrogen gas
Research essay sample on Hydrogen And Oxygen Combustion Engines
