Don Lancaster's Its a Gas: Hydrogen

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This library page holds a collection of hydrogen energy resources. It is strongly negative because the hydrogen economy is not even wrong!

Please do NOT call Hydrogen a fuel! Hydrogen is only an energy transport media. It is incapable of delivering net on-the-books BTU's of energy. Just as with a flywheel or lead acid, you'll first have to fill hydrogen with energy before you can empty it.

Naturally, no non-nuclear means is known to make terrestrial hydrogen that does not consume considerably more energy than it delivers. Thus, terrestrial hydrogen is a "pollution amplifier" that INCREASES the pollution of the underlying fundamental energy source.

It is utterly ludicrous to claim that terrestrial hydrogen is in any way, shape, or form "nonpolluting". Note that commercial hydrogen is nearly always produced through the reformation of methane. But the methane really has to want to reform.

Please also note that there is more hydrogen in a gallon of gasoline than there is in a gallon of liquid hydrogen. Caused by mole fractions and such. By 11 percent or so, depending on octane.

But even after all these years, hydrogen is still number one on the charts.

Hydrogen Absurdities
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1. Terrestrial hydrogen is ONLY an energy carrier or transfer media and NOT a substance capable of delivering net NEW BTU's to the on-the-books economy.

 2. Terrestrial hydrogen creation is inefficient as considerably more energy of usually much higher quality has to be input than is eventually returnable.

3. No large terrestrial source of hydrogen gas is known. Water, of course, is a hydrogen sink and, by fundamental chemical energetics, is the worst possible possible feedstock.

4.The CONTAINED energy density of terrestrial hydrogen by weight is a lot LESS than gasoline. And drops dramatically as the tank is emptied. The energy density of hydrogen gas by volume is a ludicrous joke.

5. Virtually all bulk hydrogen is produced by methane reformation. And thus is EXTREMELY hydrocarbon dependent.

6. Hydrogen has one of the widest explosive ranges known, the least spark energy required for ignition, and has no known colorants or odorants. Its flame is often invisible or nearly so.

7.There is more hydrogen in a gallon of gasoline than there is in a gallon of liquid hydrogen.

8. No effective vehicle compatible means of hydrogen storage is known that is remotely as cheap, safe, dense, and convenient as carbon bonded hydrides.

9. No infrastructure exists for gaseous hydrogen distribution. Pipelines in particular raise major density and embrittlement issues.

10. Electrolysis from high value sources such as grid, wind, or pv is totally useless as a hydrogen source because of the staggering loss of exergy. There ALWAYS will be more intelligent things to do with the electricity.

11. Improper burning of hydrogen in air produces highly polluting nitrous oxides.

12. Terrestrial hydrogen is a POLLUTION AMPLIFIER that INCREASES the pollution of its underlying sources. It is utterly ludicrous to claim that hydrogen is in any manner, way, shape, or form "nonpolluting".

13. Hydrogen rots most metals through embrittlement.

14. "Carbon Neutral" solutions would appear better than "Carbon Free" because (A) A significant measure of the energy of most fuels is in its carbon fraction, (B) Carbon appears to be essential for convenient and safe room temperature liquids, and (C) Reformation is not required or else is simpler, cheaper, and wastes less energy.

15. An optimal hydrogen storage solution exists by carbon bonding as in heptane or iso-octane. Both of these room temperature liquids ain't broke.

16. Often renewed platinized platinum seems to be required for efficient electrolysis. Stainless steel makes an exceptionally poor substitute because of its passive surface and its hydrogen overvoltage of iron..

The  Bottom  Line:
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If you do not understand exergy, you should not be pissing around with hydrogen.

If you do understand exergy, you will not be pissing around with hydrogen.

A  Few  Resources:
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