Hydrogen Power Blog

Nick Tart


Whenever you hear a conversation or read an article about hydrogen fuel cells, you tend not to listen because you do not want your mind to be boggled. But the truth is, hydrogen fuel cells are a lot simpler than most other technology.

 

Simply put, a fuel cell is a device that generates electricity through chemical reactions. In a hydrogen fuel cell, the primary reactant is, obviously, hydrogen. As hydrogen is being pumped into the fuel cells, an electrode strips the atom of its electrons and the hydrogen becomes ionized. The stripped electrons then create an electrical current. At the same time, oxygen filters into the fuel cell. Combining with the hydrogen, the two create a chemical reaction which in turn forms water.

 

The greatest appeal of hydrogen fuel cells i that they generate electricity while causing esentially no pollution. So why not generate all electricity through hydrogen fuel cells? There are two main reasons.

 



One fuel cell does not generate very much electricity. In order for fuel cells to be useful there must be several of them working together to generate a significant amount of energy. Typically hydrogen fuel cells are assembled into a stack.

Fuel cells are relatively expensive. Compared to other sources of producing energy, fuel cells are financially impractical. Costing about $1000 per kilowatt of electric power output, not many businesses can justify using this technology.



 

However, scientists are continually working on ways to improve the efficiencies and lessen the costs associated with hydrogen fuel cells. If they are successful, hydrogen fuel cell technology will undoubtedly be the primary energy source throughout the world!

st0ckman

http://st0ckman.blogspot.com/2008/05/home-made-electric-car.html
David Murray may drive the quietest car in North Texas, powered only by a small electric motor, and not creating any emissions.

“The most common question I get is, ‘Is this an electric car?’ and then they’re like, “Is it a hybrid?’ Nope, it’s a real electric (car),” Murray said.

When his car is low on fuel, Murray simply plugs the power cord into the nearest outlet.

“Yeah, just plug it in here. Just a regular old extension cord,” Murray said.

The self-described computer geek from Kennedale bought the 1993 Eagle Talon from a junkyard for just $750.

“First thing I did when I got the car home was pull the engine out,” Murray said.

He then spent about $4,000 more to convert the gas-guzzler to run on electricity alone, doing all the work himself in his garage at home.

“I bought the electric motor and I was like well, I gotta figure out a way to couple it together with the original transmission,” he said.

The car can hit 55 mph, driving right past the high prices at gas stations.

“I hear people complain about them at work all the time. I just grin,” he said.

Murray spends just $7 per month on electricity to charge the batteries — enough to go about 300 miles.

“I don’t even look at the gas prices,” Murray said.

jim h asked:


Let’s say one uses 100 kilowatt generating capacity to produce hydrogen from water using electrolysis, and runs the process for one hour. If he then turns around and uses the hydrogen to generate electricity, how much can he generate? Can he then produce 25 kilowatts for one hour? 50 kw? In other words, is the return from electrolysis 25%? Is it 50%? I am interested in the storage capacity from hydrogen produced with renewable energy. Thanks.

Jack Stone asked:


The round trip is a net loss isn’t it? We use electricity to convert H2O into H and O.

Then in a hydrogen fuel cell car, we RE-convert the H and O back into H2O again.

So it is a round trip.

But since every mechanical device LOSES energy through friction and heat and waste, the round trip from H2O to H & O and back to H2O LOSES energy.

Isn’t this right? So how will a hydrogen economy run the country or replace oil-burning cars?

Craig E asked:


Can you pull the hydrogen and oxygen out of water with a electrolyzer and then burn hydrogen and oxygen in a generator to make electric that would then run the electrolyzer? In doing this could you generate more electric than you need to run the electrolyzer? Making power from water alone. Please before you say that you can’t make more energy than you put in. Please think about what you are doing. The energy you are putting in is only to brake the hydrogen and oxygen out of the water. If hydrogen can be ran in a generator that would use propane and run at the same cu ft/hr as propane you can generate more power than it takes to run the electrolyzer. The oxygen is not even being used at this point and if you could use a generator that could use both the hydrogen and oxygen you could make even more power.
A little bit of info to help 9000w of electricity can produce 70 cu ft/hr of hydrogen. 64 cu ft/hr hydrogen can produce 12500w of power in a normal 4 cyl generator.

ninebadthings asked:


Is it possible to extract a quantity of hydrogen from water with a greater potential energy than that of the amount of energy in the electricity used to produce it?

Seems to me conservation of energy is always going to be the spoiler.