|
|
| The Hydrogen News # 21 |
| 10.24.04 (9:45 pm) |
The Hydrogen News # 21
Free Hydrogen
Why Hydrogen Is NOT Just An Energy Carrier
By Mike Johnston
Copyright 2004
It sounds good, doesn't it? Free Hydrogen fuel from water which will never run out. Fuel that can be produced by anyone. Sure it does, at least to the consumer. The average Citizen of the World who depends more and more every day on the availability of various types of energy just to be able to participate in modern society in a meaningful way. Is free hydrogen possible though? Not if you ask most of the “experts” who are constantly being quoted in the popular media. The same experts who say that the only way we can have hydrogen energy is to have them extract it from hydrocarbons for us. That way we will have to pay them for it as handsomely for it as we do for gasoline now. Even if they have to create these hydrocarbons themselves from Carbon and Water and then split (reform) these artificially created hydrocarbons, again using water, in order to end up with the hydrogen that they sell us. No matter that the hydrogen they are using in those processes comes from water. They still tell us that getting more energy out of hydrogen fuel than is required to produce it is impossible.
Step #1: 2H2O + C ----- 2H2(g) + CO2 This reaction requires that 1000 degree steam be added.
Step #2: 2H2 + C ------- CH4 This reaction requires the addition of 1000 degree steam and increased pressure. The product ( CH4 ) is called Syngas.
Step #3: CH4 + 2H2O ------- 4H2 + CO2 This reaction requires the addition of 1000 degree steam and is the reformer process used in cars.
Step #4: 4H2 + 2O2 ---------- 4H2O This reaction burns at 6000 degrees.
There are three specific points that are usually made by those who wish to be critical of the potential of hydrogen energy ( who are at the same time planning on selling us hydrogen energy). These are; 1) That it takes just as much energy to produce hydrogen as is released when hydrogen is combined with oxygen, 2) that hydrogen is therefore an energy carrier and not a fuel and 3) that any other interpretation would violate The Second Law of Thermodynamics (which says that you can't get any more energy out of a heat engine than you put into it).
Those statements are accurate in one specific situation, that being when water is separated ( 2H2O ---- 2H2 + O2 ) and then recombined ( 2H2 + O2 ------ 2H2O ) in a manner wherein hydrogen and oxygen are the only reactants on both sides of the reaction. In this situation exactly the same amount of energy is required to produce hydrogen as is released when hydrogen and oxygen are combined. This is an example of the Conservation of Energy Rule.
Is this the case in every situation though? No. If another element is added to the reaction on either side and it also participates in the reaction it can change the amount of “outside” energy required by the reaction. As an example look at Step #1 above. If carbon is combined with water in the form of 1000 degree steam, the reaction 2H2O + C ----- 2H2 + CO2 will occur with the result being that hydrogen is released from the water. The amount of energy that has to be contributed to the reaction to achieve the splitting of the water molecule is 1000 degrees of heat (which is an awfully “loose” way of saying it but I am trying to keep it simple). According to the “hydrogen is merely an energy carrier” principle the amount of energy that can be recovered from this hydrogen should be equal to the amount of energy that was “invested” to cause the separation reaction.
But look at step #4, there we see that combining the H2 that was liberated in Step #1 with oxygen in the reaction 2H2 + O2 ----- 2H2O liberates 6000 degrees of heat energy. That is fully 600% more energy than was invested to produce the H2! How is that possible?!? Doesn't that violate the Second Law of Thermodynamics AND the Conservation of Energy Rule? No, it doesn't. It is perfectly acceptable and easily understood by anyone with a reasonably good understanding of chemistry and physics. This can only mean that the previously mentioned “experts” who make claims to the contrary either a) have only a rudimentary understanding of chemistry and physics themselves or b) they are deliberately lying and counting on their intended audience (the general public) to have only a rudimentary understanding of chemistry and physics. Take your pick. I suppose that, at this point, it falls to me to make a case to prove my assertion in a way that can be easily understood by the same people who are currently being taken in so easily by these “experts”. I will try my best to do so.
First let's look at the reaction in Step #1 ( 2H2O + C --- 2H2 + CO2) and do a little bit of analysis. We have in this reaction three elements; Hydrogen, Carbon and Oxygen. The hydrogen and oxygen are in the form of the compound H2O (water). This compound is the result of the chemical reaction 2H2 + O2 --- H2O which is an oxidation/reduction reaction. It is an exothermic reaction (releases energy) so the resulting compound (H2O) can accurately be called the “ash” of the reaction in the same way that what is left after burning wood (another oxidation reaction) is called ash. The reaction in step #2 ( C + 2H2 --- CH4) is also an oxidation/reduction reaction and the CH4 (Syngas) that is produced by it can also rightfully be called the “ash” of this reaction. So when you react these two “ashes” with each other (Step #3) you end up with H2 gas. Step #3 requires that energy be added and again in the form of 1000 degree steam. When you combine this hydrogen with oxygen though you again create a 6000 degree flame.
This is the discrepancy in energy applied vs. energy produced that is being taken advantage of in the on-board reformers that are now being successfully produced that create hydrogen gas from gasoline in cars using the electrical energy produced by the vehicle to heat the gasoline and water in order to achieve separation. This same principle could produce H2 from carbon and water on-board a car and allow you to run your car on coal by the formula in Step #1. There is a method that I have yet to see be discussed by car manufacturers. I wonder why? Does that make hydrogen energy seem too cheap? After all a ton of coal is only around $60 and, since all of the hydrogen produced to run the car would be coming from the water, the hydrogen source (water) can still be gotten for free in many areas, there would be a serious profit reduction for the petrochem people. Remember too that the watergas reaction (Step# 1) has been around since before natural gas or gasoline. It is true that methods of spot heating the coal and water have improved greatly in recent years but the fact remains that we could have been running our cars on hydrogen from water, by this method, since cars were invented. So anyone who says a car can't produce it's own fuel from water, using nothing more than the energy produced by the car to produce said fuel, is simply wrong.
If we look at the watergas reaction H2O + C ---- H2(g) + CO(g) which liberates the hydrogen from the water molecule we realize that this is actually a reaction between the oxygen atom from the water molecule and the carbon atom ( C + O --- CO ) and that they hydrogen that is released from the water molecule does not take part in this reaction and is therefore simply a by-product of the main reaction. Why does this happen in this way? To answer this question we have to look at the properties of the elements involved. Most elements are assigned a number called their Oxidation number. What this number expresses is the force with which the element holds onto an electron in oxidation/reduction reactions. The oxidation numbers of the elements involved are Carbon .1v, Hydrogen .43v and Oxygen 1.23v. Of the three carbon has the weakest hold and oxygen the strongest.
When hydrogen and oxygen are combined hydrogen breaks it's covalent bond with another hydrogen atom and gives up it's lone electron to an oxygen atom forming an ionic bond with that atom. The transfer of that electron is what releases the heat and light energy that is observed in a combustion reaction or produces the voltage (force) that pushes the electron through a wire in a fuel cell. The voltage in a fuel cell is 1.23 volts no load or .8 volts ( 1.23 -.43 ) under load. Also note here that the energy that causes the transfer of the electron from the hydrogen atom to the oxygen atom comes from the oxygen, not the hydrogen.
Now look at Step #2 where carbon is combined with hydrogen. Carbon has an attraction for electrons of only .1 volt while hydrogen has a hold of .43 volts on it's electron. Therefore these two elements cannot combine spontaneously and energy has to be added. When we add heat energy the hydrogen atom reacts by becoming excited and the result is that it's lone electron moves into a higher energy shell. This lessens the force with which the hydrogen proton can hold the electron. It also puts the electron into the second shell and from there is can form a sort of covalent bond with the carbon atom as the carbon atoms has four “holes” in it's own second shell into which electrons can fit. This produces Syngas.
If we then react that hydrocarbon with water (steam) we see that both the water molecule and the hydrocarbon release their respective hydrogen atoms and bond with each other. This happens because both the carbon and oxygen atoms are already holding hydrogen atoms in ionic bonds to them and so neither can react with hydrogen. The heating of the molecules excites them though and reduces their hold on the electrons which were originally owned by the hydrogen atoms. This allow the hydrogen atoms to take back their electrons and form more stable covalent bonds with each other. Meanwhile the oxygen and carbon atoms are them able to also form more stable covalent bonds with each other. A covalent bond is the equal sharing of electrons which are in the same valence shell of two atoms as opposed to an ionic bond which involves one atom taking an electron away from another atom entirely, often by moving it to a higher energy shell.
Here is where is gets interesting. If we look at all of the the hydrogen atoms that were produced in the various Steps in the beginning of this paper we see several different energy paths being taken to liberate hydrogen from water or from a hydrocarbon which was built from hydrogen which came from water. In the case of the hydrogen that was derived from the CH4 molecule we see that it needed to be heated twice. Once when the hydrogen was separated from water and again when it was joined to the carbon. Remember that the hydrogen had released whatever energy that may have been imparted to it previously when it joined with the oxygen to form the water molecule that is being separated so all of the energy that it should have (according to the H2 is an energy carrier theory) is the energy that was supplied to first release it from the water molecule by bonding the oxygen from the water molecule to carbon and second when it was again heated to get it to bond with carbon. So it was heated to 1000 degrees twice and we could say then it should only release enough energy to heat itself to 2000 degrees. The same can be said of the hydrogen that was produced in Step #1 by reacting steam with coal. In that instance it was only heated to 1000 degrees one time and so should only be “carrying” enough energy to heat itself to 1000 degrees.
So let's combine this hydrogen from different sources and see how much energy it is indeed carrying. Ok, here goes; 2H2 + O2---- 2H2O @ 6000 degrees. Huh? Once again we see the release of more energy from these two different sources of hydrogen than was used to produce the hydrogen. In fact, we see the same amount of energy being released from the hydrogen from both sources even though different amounts of energy were used to produce them. How is this possible!?!?!? it is not only possible but is exactly as predicted by long established scientific principles as explained in this paper.
Our conclusion then must be that hydrogen is NOT an energy carrier as it is commonly described in the popular press. It does not stand up to scientific scrutiny. In fact the opposite seems to be true, hydrogen can be produced from a variety of sources using a variety of methods with the energy involved depending entirely on the properties of the reactants involved. So the energy that is required to produce the hydrogen can be equal to, less than or even greater than the amount of energy that is released by combining the hydrogen with oxygen. Once this principle is widely understood and accepted we will be able to make more rapid progress toward the Hydrogen Economy.
But what about the separation of water in other ways? Can you still get back more energy than you invest from any of these methods. Yes, you can. The steam/carbon reactions are, after all, electrical in nature and combustion reactions too are electrical and so then these reactions aren't really that different from other types of electrochemical reactions. This makes it easier to understand the following points.
Let's look at the simplest of these other reactions. The first half of the electrolytic water separation reaction is usually written like this; 2H2O ------ 2H2 + O2. In this reaction the water “ash” is separated into it's original components. This reaction is usually much more involved than it appears in this simplified formula but for the purposes of this story I will accept it as it is written above. It is said that it requires 135kcal of energy to separate water and that 135kcal of energy is released when the same quantity (one mole) of hydrogen and oxygen are recombined.
That leads to the statement that “it takes just as much energy to separate hydrogen from water as is released when the two are recombined”. That statement is true for the situation as described above but does not limit our ability to get more energy out of combining H2 and O2 than we use to produce the H2. The key is to have another element participate in the reaction which contributes to the reaction and thereby changes either the amount of energy required for the separation or the amount of energy released by the combining of the two elements. For that matter it even depends on the form which the two elements take upon combining. If the reaction leads to water vapor the energy released is only 116kcal whereas if the result is liquid water the energy released is 135kcal.
As another example consider the following method by which we can increase the amount of energy that is produced by the hydrogen/oxygen combination reaction. If we invest the energy needed to separate water by electrolysis is invested we must maintain a potential difference of 1.23 volts between the electrodes of the cell while current flows through it (more on that later as that too can be modified). When the resulting H2 and O2 gasses are recombined in a fuel cell a voltage of 1.23 volts is produced no-load and only .8 volts is maintained when current flows. The amount of H2 produced being determined by how much current flows.
What if you use oxygen in a different form though? Take Ozone for example, if we combine hydrogen with ozone the reaction looks like this; 3H2 + O3---- 3H2O. Simple enough and very similar to to the reaction in which we combine hydrogen and the more familiar type of oxygen (O2); 2H2 + O2--- 2H2O. There is an important difference however. The oxidation potentials for these elements are hydrogen .43 volts, oxygen 1.23 volts and ozone 2.07 volts. If you were to combine hydrogen and ozone in a fuel cell the reaction would see a no load voltage of 2.07 volts and a voltage under load of 1.63 volts.
This is obviously a significant increase in the energy produced by the hydrogen and oxygen combination reaction. In fact, if you look at the amount of energy that is required to to separate hydrogen and oxygen from water you see that it must be enough energy to maintain a voltage of 1.23 volts across the electrolysis cell under load. An H2/O2 fuel cell can only produce .8 volts under load and so obviously could not produce it's own fuel. On the other hand our H2/O3 fuel cell would maintain a voltage of 1.63 volts under load and so could produce it's own hydrogen fuel by electrolysis with energy to spare. This “extra” energy could then be used for some other purpose.
In order to induce oxygen to convert to ozone the oxygen must be exposed to some high voltage source or an electrical spark such as a welding arc. A common way to produce ozone is to pass air between two plates on which a high voltage charge is created. This process is not a direct transfer of energy though in the same way that electrolysis is and so has the potential to produce a significant amount of ozone with a comparatively small energy investment.
Ozone is the second most powerful oxidizing agent and because of this it might be difficult to construct an ozone fuel cell. There are however elements and materials which are not reactive with ozone and so the possibility of creating such a cell does exist. That isn't the point though. My point is that it is possible to create such a cell because the chemical reactions involved are possible and to illustrate that, by using this method, it would be possible to produce hydrogen and oxygen from water by using the energy released by combining hydrogen with oxygen (in the form of ozone). Obviously then if we used the steam/carbon reaction to produce our hydrogen and then reacted that hydrogen with ozone the gap between the energy required and the energy released would be significantly greater.
Finally I would like to give one more example in which less energy is required to produce H2 and O2 from water than is released by the combining of the two. This example is in the form of an experiment that I conducted myself and involves choosing the proper electrolyte to add to the water in the electrolysis cell. This is similar to using carbon to reduce the amount of energy needed to separate water in the steam/carbon example.
In the experiment I used a 6 volt dry cell battery as my power source. My electrolysis cells were glass containers each holding a quart of liquid. In these cells I placed a mixture of water, sulfuric acid (H2SO4) and Sodium Bicarbonate ( NaHCO3). My electrodes were made of flat, 316 stainless and were about 1” wide and 3” long.
When I connected my power source to 6 of these cells, wired in series, gas was produced at all of the electrodes. The measured potential difference between the electrodes of the electrolysis cells was, on average, .93 volts per cell. This is significantly less than the 1.23 volts that is often said to be required or the 1.46 volts that other people claim is required. The reason for this is that the electrolyte used determines the potential difference that must be maintained in the cell, not the water (unless there is no other electrolyte present).
Another interesting thing to consider is that a 6 volt battery consists of four 1.5 volt dry cells and so I had 4 batteries powering 6 electrolysis cells. Also consider that dry cell batteries would produce hydrogen themselves if it weren't for the fact that a depolarizer is added to the electrolyte paste within them.
The conclusion is that hydrogen is the by-product of the transfer of electrons through an electrolysis cell and has the same amount of potential energy no matter what source it is produced from or how much energy is used to produce it. This was Michael Faraday's conclusion as well back in the 1800's when he was experimenting with the electrolysis process.
----------Advertisement-- ------------------------- ------------------------- --------------
E! Magazine is your source for cutting edge environmental news.
Click this link for a free trial:
https://www.kable.com/pub/enmg/subTrial.asp?src=QSA136
------------------------- ------------------------- ------------------------- ----------------------
Hydrogen News Links:
(1) Hydrogen Hummer unveiled Schwarzenegger hails it, but questions remain
LOS ANGELES - Gov. Arnold Schwarz-enegger introduced an environmentally friendly Hummer yesterday - but not exactly the hydrogen-powered car he promised
voters he would build when he campaigned for office.
http://www.marinij.com/Storie...,1413,234~26642~2487496,0 0.html
(2) Ford seeks takers to test its hydrogen-fueled bus fleet
DETROIT - Ford Motor Co. is accelerating its development of hydrogen-powered vehicles as consumers become more concerned about fuel economy and the
environmental impact of their actions, said Bill Ford, chairman and CEO.
http://www.detnews.com/2004/a...
(3) Arnold Schwarzenegger Unveils First BP-Branded Retail-Designed Hydrogen Site In US
LOS ANGELES, Oct. 22 -- Arnold Schwarzenegger, the Governor of California, today officially dedicated the state's first retail- designed hydrogen demonstration
refueling station, at a BP-branded site at Los Angeles International Airport.
http://www.theautochannel.com...
(4) Breaking free from energy dependence
Ray Kopp enjoyed tooling around in a hydrogen- powered Honda prototype vehicle so much that, for a moment, he pictured driving one home. Then Mr. Kopp, an
economist at Resources for the Future, remembered the car's price tag — $1.5 million — and his hopes were dashed.
http://www.usatoday.com/tech/...
(5) China Automakers Showcase Fuel-Saving Cars
The Habo No. 1 looks like any one of the legions of Volkswagen sedans in China. But a peek under the hood reveals an array of chrome canisters instead of the usual
engine — the Habo is fueled not by gas but hydrogen peroxide.
http://news.yahoo.com/news?tm...
(6) The Other Gas Crunch
Prices at the pump have gotten a lot of attention lately, but it's time to focus on another gas price crunch. The price of natural gas has more than doubled in the last four
years. This presents a prime opportunity to make widespread use of a long-overlooked technology: producing gas from coal.
http://news.yahoo.com/news?tm...
( Here we go, Syngas. Of course Forbes doesn't mention that the first step in producing Syngas is to produce hydrogen, or that twice the CO2 is created...ED)
(7) UK scientists use nanoporous metal-organic material for hydrogen storage
Researchers at Newcastle and Liverpool universities have published a paper in Science magazine on technology that could point a way to extending the range of
hydrogen vehicles.
http://www.autoindustry.co.uk...
(8) QuestAir to supply hydrogen purification technology to Asia's largest liquid hydrogen plant
QuestAir Technologies Inc. announced today that two of its HyQuestor hydrogen purifiers have been chosen for inclusion in the largest liquid hydrogen plant in Asia to
be constructed in Osaka, Japan.
http://biz.yahoo.com/cnw/0410...
(9) Environmental issues lose political clout
President Bush has received an "F" rating from the Sierra Club, and the comparatively conservative National Parks Conservation Association has declared his
administration an official threat to the parks. Other groups have declared Bush the worst president regarding the environment in recent history.
http://news.yahoo.com/news?tm...
( "As long as I have a case of cold beer, a high def TV and Pizza Hut what do I care about the rest of the world" Said Mr. Average....ED)
(10) Fueling an industry: Hydrogen coalition forms to promote energy developers
I magine a plug-in cartridge that can charge a cell phone for 100 hours of talk time, or an implantable diabetic monitor powered by the energy of the body's blood.
http://www.metrowestdailynews...
(11) Ford reveals plans for ultra-clean hydrogen engine and stepped-up China strategy
SHANGHAI, China - With the announcement of the world's cleanest internal combustion engine here, Ford Motor Co. underpinned its environmental vision for a 'better
world.'
http://www.detnews.com/2004/a...
( Not too long ago Henry Ford was just another guy building something weird in his garage...ED)
(12) Virent gets grant to work on hydrogen-powered autos
Put your car on a high-carb diet. That's almost literally what technology developed by Virent Energy Systems, 3591 Anderson St., would do.
http://www.madison.com/wsj/ho...
(13) Toledo tech firm granted $2.9M to work on hydrogen production
Midwest Optoelectronics LLC, a technology firm in Toledo, yesterday joined the ranks of research and development companies determined to make hydrogen powered
cars a reality, thanks to a $2.9 million grant from the U.S. Department of Energy.
http://www.toledoblade.com/ap...
(14) FORD ENGINEER DECLARES: 'BRING ON THE HYDROGEN'
Despite the higher fuel economy and lower emissions of hybrid electric vehicles, the use of hydrogen, either in fuel cells or internal combustion engines, offers even
greater benefits, said Dr. Arun Jaura, Technical Leader, Vehicle Engineering, for the Escape Hybrid, at the Challenge Bibendum being held in Asia this year for the first
time.
http://www.theautochannel.com...
(15) VW Brings Diesel Mild-Hybrid Concept to Shanghai
The Golf ECO.Power, which is equipped with a stop-start function, consumes an average of only 3.8 liters of diesel fuel per 100 kilometres (62 mpg).
http://www.greencarcongress.c...
(16) ELVAS Reduces Fuel Consumption and Lowers Emissions
A European Union-funded research project has successfully designed, produced and tested an improved electromagnetic valve actuation system (ELVAS) for car
engines, increasing fuel efficiency and reducing CO2 emissions.
http://www.greencarcongress.c...
(17) International and Eaton Team on Diesel Hybrid Truck Pilot for Utilities
International Truck and Engine and Eaton are teaming up to manufacture diesel hybrid trucks for a national program serving the utility industry. This reportedly is the
largest diesel hybrid pilot program to date, testing a minimum of 20 trucks using an integrated powertrain developed jointly by the two companies.
http://www.greencarcongress.c...
(What?! Energy companies get the first energy saving vehicles? Can't the utilities afford their own product? ED.)
(18) Greenspan on Oil
in a speech on Friday, Alan Greenspan, chairman of the Federal Reserve, gave qualified reassurance on the adequacy of future global oil supplies to meet rising
demand—at least through a mid-century transition to a new primary energy source.
http://www.greencarcongress.c...
(19) Comprehensive Survey of Research on Environmental Impact of Biofuels
Institute for Energy and Environmental Research Heidelberg—recently concluded a comprehensive survey and analysis of the studies (Life-Cycle Analysis—LCA) that
have been conducted to examine the cost, potential and environmental impact of biofuels for transportation.
http://www.greencarcongress.c...
(20) UK Study: Drivers Slow to Go Green Without Aid
Research commissioned by the Energy Savings Trust (EST) in the UK indicates that while 40% of respondents were aware of the damaging contribution that transport
makes to climate change, only 12% would consider the environmental impact of a vehicle when buying a new car. Of this figure, women were 3% more likely than men
to buy a cleaner, low carbon vehicle.
http://www.greencarcongress.c...
(21) Biodiesel Deal
Biodiesel Industries (Santa Barbara, CA) will begin construction on a 3,000,000 gallon biodiesel plant based at the landfill of the city of Denton, Tx. The $700,000 plant
will be powered in large part by methane gas from the landfill.
http://www.greencarcongress.c...
( Here would be somethng for the guy's at h2eco to think about in regard to their own quarry/landfill project. ED.)
(22) Volvo Bi-Fuel S80
The Volvo S80 Bi-Fuel shown in Shanghai has a five cylinder, 2.4-liter bi-fuel engine powered by compressed natural gas (CNG) or biogas with gasoline as a back-up.
The engine uses separate fuel systems.
http://www.greencarcongress.c...
(23) Ethanol Airplane
Brazilian aircraft company Embraer has received type certification for its ethanol-fueled Ipanema cropdusting aircraft from Brazilian aviation regulating agency Centro
Técnico Aeroespacial (CTA). The Ipanema is the first series production aircraft in the world coming out of the factory certified for flying with ethanol.
http://www.greencarcongress.c...
(24) The Other, Bigger Growing Deficit
The World Wildlife Fund (WWF) has released Living Planet Report 2004—the current edition of an annual index that tracks global species abundance and human use
of natural resources. This edition concludes that people are consuming the earth’s natural resources 20% faster than nature can renew them.
http://www.greencarcongress.c...
( No worries. Live every day like its your last and let tomorrow take care of itself. Besides, if we die young we won't have to see our kids suffer. :-) ED.)
(25) Hoku Scientific to move to Kapolei
The Hawaii hydrogen fuel cell development company Hoku Scientific Inc. has bought 2.2 acres on West Oahu for construction of its global headquarters and
manufacturing facility.
http://www.pacific.bizjournal...
( Let's see, owning a hydrogen R&D company in Hawaii...does life get any better than that? ED.)
(26) Hydrogen Micro-Turbine Update
Since we first reported on hydrogen burning micro-turbines back 2001, not much has changed. They're still one-of-kind research and development items. But, with
continued delays in small fuel cells, it's still possible micro-turbines could be available first. A new TechnologyReview.com article brings things up to date with news of
a dime-sized, 1M RPM, micro-turbine on a chip developed by Alan H. Epstein and other researchers at the MIT Gas Turbine Lab that can produce either 10-50 watts of
electrical power (much more than fuel cells of equivalent size), or 10-30 grams of thrust (handy for making tiny, jet-powered MAVs). Like previous micro-turbine designs,
MIT's uses pure hydrogen for fuel. For more details on MIT's approach and photos of the turbine itself, see Epstein's 2003 paper, Millimeter-Scale, MEMS Gast Turbine
Engines (PDF format).
http://robots.net/article/131...
(27) The Environmental Panacea of the Hydrogen Economy Recedes Further
Both presidential candidates offer lip service to the environmental panacea of the 21st century: the hydrogen economy. "My plan calls for a hydrogen-based energy
economy by 2020," said John Kerry in a speech to the League of Conservation Voters. In his 2003 State of the Union speech, even failed Texas oilman, President
George W. Bush promised, "Tonight I'm proposing $1.2 billion in research funding so that America can lead the world in developing clean, hydrogen-powered
automobiles." However, British economist Andrew Oswald shows just how much of a mirage the hydrogen economy is.
http://www.reason.com/hitandr...
(28) New research may be key to hydrogen cars
http://www.abc.net.au/pm/cont...
( Gotta say I agree with that concept although the "coal cars" idea isn't exactly new tech nology. ED.)
(29) UK Government: O'Brien launches scholarships for world beating hydrogen research
http://www.energycentral.com/...
Notice: For information on advertising rates or to make suggestions email me at: enki@chilitech.net All original material in this newsletter is copyrighted by the source from which it originates. My story's are also copyrighted from the date they are published.
|
|
5 Comments
|
| |
| The Hydrogen News # 20 |
| 10.18.04 (9:32 pm) |
What Is Clean Coal Technology And How Clean Is It?
In the last issue of the Hydrogen News I promised to re-write some of my earlier papers on hydrogen energy which had somehow degraded or disappeared from my website over time. I am in the process of doing that and while I was doing it I was looking for something in current technology which was similar to the process I described in those papers. I found Clean Coal technology. Up to this point I hadn't read up on what was involved in this process which has been mentioned quite frequently by the Bush Administration as a cornerstone of their environmental record. I had assumed that it was probably just another, better filter to scrub pollution from the smokestacks of coal fired electricity plants. I was wrong.
What would you say if I told you that the "Clean Coal" technology that is being promoted by the Bush Administration is is something of a misnomer at best and perhaps an attempt at deliberate misdirection at worst. You see, if you go to the following website: http://www.netl.doe.gov/cctc/... (The Clean Coal Compendium from the DOE ) you will learn that Clean Coal is another name for Syngas ( Synthetic Natural Gas) and, as we learned in a previous edition of this newsletter, Syngas is produced by reacting hydrogen and carbon under heat and pressure. Where does this H2 come from though? The cheapest way to make it is to pass steam over carbon (coal). The byproducts of this reaction are H2 and CO, then if you run the CO through the reaction again you get CO2. Just as much CO2 is produced by releasing hydrogen from water by this method as would be produced by burning the coal in air. Take not here that the hydrogen used to "build" the Syngas is coming from water. ;-)
No doubt this fuel will burn cleaner than plain coal as the sulfur and mercury compounds can be removed but in the end it will actually produce MORE CO2 than burning coal alone! I say this because the creation of syngas requires the creation of CO2 as a byproduct (as in the above reaction). So there is the first CO2 release. Next we have the combustion of the CH4 (syngas) which again produces CO2 ( CH4 + 3O2 ---- 2H2O + CO2 ). In fact the creation of syngas creates just as much CO2 as is created by the burning of syngas and so you are creating DOUBLE the amount of CO2 as you would if you just burned the coal itself! So in effect, to achieve the clean coal system we must create twice as much CO2 as just burning coal alone. Doesn't seem so clean anymore, does it? Now I see why they are pushing the sequestration of CO2 under the ground. They will have to justify the creation of all of that extra CO2 somehow and they see burying it as a way to avoid environmental problems or, more precisely, problems with environmentally conscious voters. And this is something that is good for the environment? This is the foundation of the Republican environmental policy? The entire viability of the "black" hydrogen from hydrocarbons plan now lies with codeveloping a plan to pump all of this resulting CO2 into the ground or under the sea floor and I have also previously expressed my hesitation to embrace that concept as well.
Let me consider that again though, recently there have been stories in the media regarding a theory that says crude oil is actually formed spontaneously deep in the Earth under tremendous heat and pressure from water reacting with carbon. Is this possible? Sure, it isn't much different from how a reformer works or the process above. But that doesn't really matter, the question to ask is; If this does work can it replenish itself fast enough to keep us from running out of oil? I think the answer is no. We are tapping reserves of oil which have potentially been building up since the beginning of the planet and if it could replenish itself spontaneously then oil wells would never run dry. But they do. I think some oil is formed in this way and other oil is from plant matter. I say this because the oil from North America is largely paraffin (wax) based and such complex hydrocarbons point to a vegetable origin while Mideast oil is much deeper and is tar based which points to the other type of origin. And what will happen when we pump millions or trillions of tons of CO2 under the Earth? Will it just lie there, or will some other chemical reactions occur under the heat and pressure down there this time involving the CO2? And what will be the byproducts of such reactions? Have there been any studies to this effect? I haven't seen any. So once again someone has had a "brilliant" idea and is planning on jumping right in without thoroughly considering the possible consequences.
----------Advertisement-- ------------------------- ------------------------- --------------
E! Magazine is your source for cutting edge environmental news.
https://www.kable.com/pub/enmg/subTrial.asp?src=QSA136
------------------------- ------------------------- ------------------------- ----------------------
Hydrogen News Links:
(1) BOC to construct hydrogen, utilities complex in Toledo Ohio to supply BP and Sunoco
The facility will be located at the Sunoco refinery, which also will receive steam from the complex. LindeBOC Process Plants, Tulsa, will provide engineering and
construction services. Construction is scheduled to start next month and to complete in fourth quarter 2005.
http://ogj.pennnet.com/articl...
(Strangely enough, hydrogen from hydrocarbons technology is moving along quite rapidly despite the doom and gloom predictions in the popular media about the viability
of H2 fuel.)
(2) New Massachusetts Hydrogen Coalition Goes Public at Hydrogen and Fuel Summit October 20, 2004
"Massachusetts, famous around the world for its contributions to technology, has the highest concentration of hydrogen and fuel cell companies in the nation, and is
uniquely poised to lead in the development and deployment of practical solutions to today's many energy challenges," said Brad Bradshaw, President of the
Massachusetts Hydrogen Coalition.
http://home.businesswire.com/...
(3) Wisconsin Firm to be Awarded 2 Million for Hydrogen Research
Acting Under Secretary of Energy David K. Garman will visit Madison, Wisconsin on Thursday, October 14, 2004 to announce a major hydrogen fuel research grant to be
awarded to a Wisconsin company.
http://news.yahoo.com/news?tm...
(4) Energy Dept. Awards Ohio 5 Million in Hydrogen Research Grants
At the ground breaking for a multi-million dollar state-of-the-art fuel cell center to be located at Stark State Technical College in Canton, OH, Secretary of Energy
Spencer Abraham today announced over $5 million in hydrogen research grants to Ohio companies and universities. These grants will help fund hydrogen research
projects as part of the Bush Administration's effort to....
http://news.yahoo.com/news?tm...
_million_in_hydrogen_rese arch_grants__secretary_ab raham_breaks_ground_for_n ew_fuel_cell_research_cen
(5) Michelin, Swiss researchers test new car fuel-cell technology
The French industrial group Michelin and a Swiss technical institute said that they had built an experimental pollution-beating electric car that uses a fuel cell combining
oxygen and hydrogen.
http://news.yahoo.com/news?tm...
(6) Ford reveals ultra-clean hydrogen engine
The Detroit News Autos Insider reports that Ford has revealed development of a hydrogen-fuelled engine that meets the world's toughest emissions standards. It was
revealed at the advanced vehicle technology-focused Michelin Challenge Bibendum event taking place in Shanghai.
http://www.just-auto.com/news...
(7) Sapporo Breweries, Shimadzu, Hiroshima University Jointly Develop Hydrogen Generation Technology Using Discarded Breads
Tokyo (JCNN) - Sapporo Breweries (TSE: 2501), Shimadzu Corporation (TSE: 7701) and Hiroshima University announced that their joint research group has developed
an innovative hydrogen generation technology.
http://www.japancorp.net/Arti...
(8) Australia's Eden Resources Promotes Hythane Fuel
Energy technology company Eden Resources Ltd said today some of the most polluted cities on the planet have shown interest in using its mixture of hydrogen and
methane to power their bus fleets.
http://au.news.yahoo.com/0410...
(9) Fiat develops fuel cell vehicle
Fiat has launched a prototype fuel cell Panda, with a hydrogen-powered fuel cell stack which can propel the car quite satisfactorily on its own, although the car is also
fitted with a small battery pack to boost acceleration and allow for some regenerative braking.
http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailyn...*http%3A//www.carkeys.co.uk/news/2004_october/12/4 745.asp
(10) Fuel Cell Technology: Still Pricey Experiment Despite Gov't Support
When a car salesman pitches a customer 20 years from now, he might point out features such as the vehicle's lack of an engine. Or maybe that it runs on clean
hydrogen fuel, with the only byproduct being water vapor.
http://news.yahoo.com/news?tm...
( Two things need doing NOW to accelerate the introduction of H2 fuel. Reduce the cost of fuel cells and increase the efficiency with which H2 is produced from water)
(11) Colorado Amendment 37: Renewable energy requirement
What the question asks: Shall there be an amendment to the Colorado Revised Statutes concerning renewable energy standards for large providers of retail electric
service, and, in connection therewith, defining eligible renewable energy resources to include solar, wind, geothermal, biomass, small hydroelectricity, and hydrogen
fuel cells; requiring that a percentage of retail electricity sales be...
http://www.dailycamera.com/bd...,1713,BDC_16316_3240434,0 0.html
(12) Valri Lightner, U.S. Department of Energy Keynotes President Bush's Hydrogen Fuel Initiative at Advanced Energy & Fuel
Valri Lightner, director, Fuel Cell Department of Research and Development, Office of Hydrogen, Fuel Cells and Infrastructure Technologies, U.S. Department of
Energy, will present an overview of President Bush's Hydrogen Fuel Initiative at the Society of Manufacturing Engineers (SME) "Advanced Energy & Fuel Cell
Technologies: Manufacturing Challenges &
http://www.prnewswire.com/cgi...
(13) Cheaper, more efficient fuel cells on the way
Hybrid cars like the popular Toyota Prius are facing greater competition after a Silicon Valley-based company developed cheaper, more efficient fuel cells.
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/6...
(14) GM Showcases Hydrogen and Hybrid Technologies at China's Initial Michelin Challenge Bibendum
General Motors China today announced the first joint hybrid bus program with Shanghai Automotive Industry Corporation Group (SAIC) for the China market in
conjunction with its participation in the Michelin Challenge Bibendum.
http://www.theautochannel.com...
(15) Nissan enters hydrogen vehicle in China environmental car contest
BEIJING October 9, 2004; Japan Today reported that Nissan Motor Co said Friday it will enter a hydrogen-powered fuel cell vehicle in an international eco-friendly car
contest next week in Shanghai as the vehicle's China debut.
http://www.theautochannel.com...
(16) Millennium receives DoD contract for hydrogen fuel cells
Millennium Cell Inc. (Eatontown, N.J.) has been awarded a subcontract to develop hydrogen storage systems for the U.S. Department of Defense (DoD).
http://www.planetanalog.com/n...
(17) Energy department awards $9.4 million in grants to Pennsylvania companies
The Department of Energy has awarded more than nine (M) million dollars to two Pittsburgh universities and two Pennsylvania companies to research hydrogen and
(from? ED.) fossil energy.
http://www.wnep.com/Global/st...
(18) Nine world records tumble!
BMW has heralded the age of the hydrogen-powered production car by setting nine world records with its groundbreaking H R Record Car.
http://icwales.icnetwork.co.u...%26method=full%26siteid=5 0082%26headline=nine%2dwo rld%2drecords%2dtumble-na me_page.html
(19) Prediction of hydrogen-powered vehicles
If you're paying $1.15 to fill up the four-wheel drive, you may like to consider one that runs on hydrogen . Car manufacturer Hyundai is predicting it'll have a hydrogen
four-wheel drive on the market by 2010 .
http://www.abc.net.au/rural/n...
(20) The Solar-Hydrogen Vehicle Has Arrived
High School students in Arizona have modified a pickup truck to run on hydrogen produced by solar power.
http://www.extremetech.com/ar...,1558,1668412,00.asp?kc=ETRSS02129TX1K0000 532
( Remember that I featured a link to the site about this vehicle, before anyone else paid attention to it, in an earlier H2 news? Nice to know the media reads my
newsletter. :- )
(21) Global Hydrogen Infrastructure Pioneers Stuart Energy to Help Sponsor Central Coast Clean Cities Coalition's Oct. 21
LOS ANGELES, Oct. 7 -- Stuart Energy, the pioneering global leader in the development, manufacture and integration of hydrogen infrastructure products, is the title
sponsor for the San Luis Obispo, CA-based Central Coast Clean Cities Coalition's (C5) major October 21 forum focusing on clean vehicle technologies.
http://www.theautochannel.com...
(22) Hydrogen economy looks out of reach
Mark Peplow US vehicles would require a million wind turbines, economists claim. Converting every vehicle in the United States to hydrogen power would demand so
much electricity that the country would need enough wind turbines to cover half of California or 1,000 extra nuclear power stations.
http://www.nature.com/news/20...
(Another negative H2 from water article and in Nature no less. That is why Bush is pushing H2 from hydrocarbons and why my research [and that of others] into
improving the efficiency of the hydrogen from water process is so important. And also why people being able to produce their own H2 fuel with their OWN solar panels
or windmill is important. ED.)
(23) Novel Melt Curve Of Hydrogen Points At Possible Existence Of New Superfluid State
Scientists at the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory have discovered a new melt curve of hydrogen, resulting in the possible existence of a novel superfluid - a
brand new state of matter.
http://www.spacedaily.com/new...
(The Fifth Element? Wasn't that a movie?)
(24) Coalition to encourage hydrogen fuel cell usage
The Coalition has pledged $67 million over three years to encourage the use of hydrogen fuel cell technology. Federal Environment Minister Ian Campbell says the
money will help transport companies to introduce buses powered by hydrogen.
http://www.abc.net.au/news/ne...
(25) Fill 'er Up, With Microbes
Researchers are goading tiny organisms like bacteria and algae into producing fuels like hydrogen and methane. The process is not useful yet, but the technology
could be a solution to the energy problem. By Amit Asaravala.
http://www.wired.com/news/tec...,1282,65161,00.html
(26) EPA 2005 Fuel Economy Guide Leaders
The EPA has released its 2005 Fuel Economy Guide. Hybrids and diesels are not surprisingly the most efficient—and with its Escape Hybrid, Ford now offers the most
fuel-efficient SUV.
http://www.fueleconomy.gov/fe...
(27) Molecular Bioengineering for Biofuels
PhysOrg points to the addition of a seventh research theme to the agenda of the new Institute for Genomic Biology at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign:
Molecular Bioengineering for Biomass Conversion. The multi-disciplinary research team will tackle using bioengineering as an approach to improving the efficient
conversion of biofuels on five primary tracks.
http://www.igb.uiuc.edu/resea...
(28) Hybrid Fuel Diesel Retrofit System
Hybrid Fuel Systems is a small company with a product by the same name that converts medium- and heavy-duty diesel engines to a “dual fuel” mode that replaces
about 80% of the diesel fuel with Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) or Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG).HFS systems start the engine with diesel fuel and then inject an
increasing amount of natural gas, cutting back on the diesel, as the engine speed and load increases. Engine modifications are not required, and the company claims
that vehicles retain the diesel engine qualities of performance, torque, power, and efficiency. When operating with natural gas, Hybrid’s system reduces NOx emissions
by at least 30% and PM emissions by 80–90%.
http://www.hybridfuelsystems....
(I'm going to have to contact these guys and get some more info on their system. ED.)
(29) Sudden Unexplained Acceleration of Atmospheric CO2 Accumulation
The Independent reports that the rate at which CO2 is accumulating in the atmosphere is accelerating. Atmospheric levels of carbon dioxide (CO2), the principal
greenhouse gas, have made a sudden jump that cannot be explained by any corresponding jump in terrestrial emissions of CO2 from power stations and motor
vehicles—because there has been none.Some scientists think instead that the abrupt speed-up may be evidence of the long-feared climate change “feedback”
mechanism, by which global warming causes alterations to the earth’s natural systems and then, in turn, causes the warming to increase even more rapidly than
before.
http://www.greencarcongress.c...
(30) Challenge Bibendum 2004: Representation by Powertrain
This year, 106 companies, 40% from China, are participating with some 140 vehicles, including passenger cars, electric two-wheels and buses. All the participating
vehicles are listed on the Challenge Bibendum website here. From this list, I plotted the different models represented in each type of powertrain. The resulting chart is
to the right. I only counted model types, not the actual numbers of those types, so the summary of the numbers plotted is less than the total number of vehicles
participating.
http://www.greencarcongress.c...
(31) Tax Breaks for Green Vehicles and Fuels in Massive Bill
Congress passed the JOBS (Jumpstart Our Business Strength) bill, an amalgam of $136 billion in corporate and some individual tax breaks officially known as HR
4520, the American Jobs Creation Act of 2004. This bill incorporates numerous amendments to the tax code, to the benefit of businesses in many sectors, including
energy, transportation and tobacco. The AP provides a good background on the bill, including its history and the supposed economics of it. Among the provisions
relevant (to us) are:
http://www.greencarcongress.c...
(32) IEA: Oil Demand Growth Resumes
The International Energy Agency’s (IEA) Oil Market Report for September shows resumed demand growth with the onset of the winter heating season, although the
agency has trimmed its projection of demand in 2005 down to 83.9 million barrels per day. As shown in the chart below left (click to enlarge), global demand rose by
204,000 barrels per day to 82.4 mb/d. Global supply rose by 640,000 barrels to 84.0 mb/d. The chart below right plots the cushion: the margin between supply and
demand for the last 11 months.
http://www.greencarcongress.c...
(33) Nashville's Rising Use of Biofuels
The Tennessean. Nashville has increased its use of biofuels by 50% over the past year, leading it to be named a Clean City by the DOE.
http://www.greencarcongress.c...
(Isn't that somehow fitting, at least in a stereotypical sort of way? The "Hill Folk" down in Tennessee have a long, proud history of perfecting methods for the small scale
production of ethanol/biofuel, mostly from corn...."hic".... ED.)
(34) Energy Jobs
For those who want to make a career out of their interest in alternative energy; here are some links to get you started.
http://www.greenenergyjobs.co...
http://cmgr.netcontentinc.net...
(35) RPI Forms Fuel Cell and Hydrogen Research Center
Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI, Troy, NY), the nation s oldest technological university, has formed a new Center for Fuel Cell and Hydrogen Research.
http://www.powerpulse.net=2Fc...
(36) For a Week's Worth of Gas...
The Bush energy plan has opened some of the West's last best places to oil and gas drilling. The wildlife of Wyoming's Upper Green River Valley will never be the
same.
http://www.dogwoodinitiative....
(37) Survey Respondents Favor Biofuels Over Hydrogen as Future Automotive Fuel
Ever since the 2003 State of the Union address, political momentum has been building for a shift away from America's dependence on petroleum to hydrogen.
http://www.topix.net/redir/lo...
(Shows the need for more public education as to the potential value of hydrogen energy. ED.)
(38) Investing: Blue chips going green
With oil prices soaring, investors may be wondering what options there are among renewable energy stocks. . The short answer is, not many. Fuel cell companies are
floundering, solar startups are far from solid bets, and only a handful of companies are turning a profit in wind power.
http://newstrove.com/cgi-bin/...://www.iht.com/articles/2004/10/08/m oneyreport/minvest09.html
(39) Not Many Alternatives for Energy Investors
With oil prices soaring, investors may be wondering what options there are among renewable energy stocks. The answer is, not many. Fuel cell companies are
floundering, solar startups are far from solid bets and only a handful of companies are turning a profit in wind power. For small investors who think climbing oil prices are
bound to spark greater interest in other sources of power eventually, some of the most interesting plays could be among traditional companies that are exploring
alternative energies -- General Electric Co., FPL Group Inc. and BP PLC.
http://www.dailypress.com/bus...%5fbusiness13oct02,0,6179 252.story?coll=sns-business-h eadlines
(40) UK Government: O'Brien launches scholarships for world beating hydrogen research
http://www.energycentral.com/...
Notice: For information on advertising rates or to make suggestions email me at: enki@chilitech.net All original material in this newsletter is
copyrighted by the source from which it originates. My story's are also copyrighted from the date they are published.
|
|
0 Comments
|
| |
| Hydrogen News "Extra" |
| 10.04.04 (10:53 pm) |
In the last Hydrogen News (# 19) I speculated on the potential advantages of adding small amounts of O2 gas into the intake of commercial diesel engines. I stated in the story that I had sent notes to the big 3 commercial diesel engine makers in regard to this idea. Today I received a response from Cummins. Although the answer really has noting to do with my question and was probably auto generated from their information database in response to a key word ( NOx ) in my question it does bring up another rather interesting technology which deserves a story of it's own but since it is not really about hydrogen energy I probably won't be writing about it in the "News". For that reason I decided to put out this "extra" edition.
The technology is the PuriNOx fuel from Lubrizol. It is essentially a mix of water and diesel fuel which is held together in a homogenous mix by the use of a small amount of surficant. This is the same technology that was developed and patented several years ago by a gentleman named Rudolph Gunnerman. That patent was subsequently sold to Caterpillar (one of the other big 3 diesel engine makers). More information on both versions of this fuel is available on the web by googling either PuriNOx or Gunnerman Patent.
What is sad is that so few people even know about this method of producing viable watered down fuel. After all the watering down concept works in bars to stretch their alcohol supply and so why won't it work to stretch the world's oil supply. Of course if no one knows then no one can care.
Below is the response I received from Cummins along with a copy of my question to them.
Cummins response:
Subject: Re: RQST00000345338 water injection MPG
Summary: water injection MPG
Solution:
Thanks for your Email message.
Field Announcement - August 30, 2001
Subject: Cummins Position on the use of PuriNOx
Diesel Water blend Fuel
Background
PuriNOx is the trademark for water - diesel fuel blend produced by Lubrizol. The PuriNOx Performance System includes the additive, blending unit and the blended fuel. The fuel is made up of 1.24 to 2% additive, needed as an emulsion enabler, corrosion inhibitor and lubricity improver, ~18% water, ~80% #2 diesel. There may also be seasonal changes, such as the addition of methanol during the winter months. Extensive testing of this blend has taken place mostly with non-Cummins engines. There is little information available in terms of long term experience with Cummins engines. Initially, Lubrizol plans to market PuriNOx in centrally fueled fleets, on and off highway.
Fuel Characteristics
Pour point and cloud point are not stated in the literature but it is expected that they can be tailored to the requirements of specific locations. Flash point can vary from 174 degrees F in the summer to 104 degrees F in the winter with 5.6% methanol (#2 diesel is 126 degrees F min). The lower winter fuel flash point of 104 degrees F can present fuel handling and storage concerns compared to #2 diesel fuel. Otherwise, the fuel can be handled, stored and dispensed in a similar manner to diesel fuel. The health effects tests are on-going. Cost is the same per gallon to diesel, but higher operating cost based on thermal energy consumption.
Emissions
Emissions results with PuriNOx show a reduction in particulates of 20-50%, a reduction of NOx from 5-30% and Hydrocarbon (HC) by 25%. Carbon Monoxide (CO) tends to increase by 5%.
Performance and Durability Results
Due to the lower energy content (~80% of #2 diesel), at least a 15% power reduction is to be expected, together with a 15% increase in fuel usage for the same duty cycle. The reduced energy content may also require an idle governor change to prevent stalling. The fuel has been tested in various engine makes for performance and emissions, but long term durability information with Cummins engines is not available.
In terms of the fuel system testing, PuriNOx has passed the 500 hr Stanadyne bench test without any lubricity impact compared to diesel, and has also passed the Cummins L10 injector deposits test. Currently, Cummins is not involved in any test work, except has agreed to stay abreast of testing Lubrizol is conducting in some fleets. An ISB engine is being used as part of the long term health effects testing and Lubrizol will be sharing the results with Cummins periodically.
Until the long term durability effects on Cummins engines are understood and the health effects testing is completed, Cummins cannot encourage the use of PuriNOx and users need to be aware of potential issues as discussed above. Successful operation with PuirNOx will be very dependent on the duty cycle requirements, due to the substantial power loss.
Fuel System Vehicle Issues and Storage
It should be noted that since water is in an emulsified state with diesel fuel, the conductivity sensors used to detect water in fuel as the one offered by Fleetguard, will not function. The addition of methanol in winter has the potential to strip the fuel tank and lines of existing deposits causing fuel filter plugging. The fuel cannot remain static for more than a month in storage or vehicle tanks. Engines operating on PuriNOx need to be operated at least 15 minutes every 30 days and the storage tanks need circulation pumps for daily or weekly agitation.
Warranty and the use of PuriNOx diesel in Cummins Engines
Cummins neither approves nor disapproves of the use of PuriNOx diesel fuel. Cummins is not in a position to evaluate the many variations in fuels or other additives, and their long-term effects on performance, durability or emissions compliance of Cummins products. The use of PuriNOx diesel fuel does not affect Cummins materials and workmanship warranty. Failures caused by the use of PuriNOx diesel or other fuel additives are NOT defects of workmanship and/or material as supplied by Cummins, Inc and can NOT be compensated under the Cummins' warranty.
We thank you for your interest in Cummins products. Please let us know if you need assistance in locating the nearest Cummins-authorized Dealer or Distributor Service Provider. For assistance in locating a Service Provider, feel free to use Cummins North America Dealer Locator, which can be found on Cummins website:
http://www.cummins.com/servic...
Please let us know if you have other questions and if away from your computer or have a time-critical request that needs more urgent attention, feel free to call us toll-free (from North America) at 1-800-DIESELS (343-7357).
Email direct: powermaster@cummins.com
Regards,
--
Powermaster
Customer Assistance Center
Cummins, Inc.
Columbus, Indiana, USA
Free QuickServe Online for Consumers http://quickserve.cummins.com...
Details:
Hi,
perhaps you can help me with a question. I was reading about using nitrous oxide on a turbocharged diesel and was thinking of what the effect of simply enriching the intake air with additional O2 instead might be. Would the computer reduce the fuel being fed into the motor to compensate for the additional O2 and thereby achieve the same energy from less fuel due to the catalytic properties of the extra O2 being there? It seems reasonable as lower O2 density at high altitudes result in more fuel being used. Obviously too much O2 would be bad but there might be a range within which sea level air can be enriched to achieve fuel savings without making the reaction too hot.
Any thoughts on the matter would be appreciated.
Thank you,
Mike Johnston
|
|
0 Comments
|
| |
| The Hydrogen News #19 |
| 10.03.04 (4:06 pm) |
The Hydrogen News # 19
I have noticed that my material seems to be more readily accepted among chemists than people in other disciplines such as electricity or electronics with electronics people more accepting than electricians. Two or three different chemistry oriented blogs have added links to my site on their pages right alongside sites like chemdex and other "serious" chemistry sites. So that is kind of cool on the one hand but makes me cringe a bit when I go back and read some of the material on my site. I am so far behind in writing things up that the material there, especially the early stuff, is somewhat embarassing and is not a good representation of what I am trying to do or the progress I have made.
But all in good time, I guess.
At any rate, in looking at my early stuff I realized that some of my better material from that period has disappeared from the site. The three things are; the solution to the "water uphill" series, the explination of how to get more energy back from a system based on the H2O + C reaction than what you put into it and finally the best design and description of the H2 boiler (the gas fired one not the AC electrolysis one). All three of those worked and it is kind of funny that they are the only ones that have gone missing. But no matter, I am going to re-write them and feature them in an upcoming H2 news.
I had a good idea for a trucking oriented system this week and am slowly pricing out the parts at the moment. What you would need is (ideally) a regenerative fuel cell of between 2kw and 10kw. The fuel cell would run as an electrolyzer while the truck was moving (10 -14 hours a day) and then as a auxillary power source when the truck (and driver) were in "rest" mode. That would again be at least 10 hours a day.
The power pack would have to run various appliances such as a fridge, microwave, TV, stereo and more importantly climate control for the interior which would be both heat and AC. I thought small heat and AC units inside the cab would be best instead of trying to use the vehicle's own system. Other uses could be as an engine block heater in cold weather.
If you could put together such a system and have it sell for 8,000$ or less you could get rich very fast as many states are outlawing the idling of the main truck engine during rest periods and drivers need climate control. Such a device would pay for itself in about 2 years or less in fuel savings. Also a unit to replace the small diesel motor on refrigerated trailers would also be good to make and around $3,000 or less would be good there.
In these devices you get financial savings which is an incentive to purchase them and you get enviornmental benefits from all of the diesel fuel you save by not idling the main engine(s).
Another variation on this would be to have a separate electrolyzer and fuel cell pack (as described above). In this instance the electrolyzed produces the H2 for the fuel cells as the truck runs but the O2 is diverted into the intake of the vehicle. The desired effect would be to "enrich" the inducted air and make the combustion reaction hotter and more complete thereby reducing the amount of fuel needed to get the same "burn" as without the extra O2. This again could save fuel and reduce emissions and so have both economic and enviornmental value. It seems to have enough potential to at least do some research on it and I plan to do that soon. There are some questions regarding the merit of the idea when a turbocharger is used but I think more O2 in the mix should still lower the amount of fuel required whether a turbo or supercharger is used or not. After all, that is what Nitrous Oxide does (puts more O2 into the engine) and this method would just put less O2 in and do it continuously rather than in a sudden burst.
There are so many companies out there right now trying to do similar things but none of them seem to be able to produce a system that is either reliable enough or priced at a level that will encourage the kind of sales levels that are needed in order to make these systems viable. I sent a note to all three of the big diesel engine manufacturers asking them their opinion on the effect of adding small amounts of O2 to the airflow and am awaiting their responses.
In the next edition I hope to have done some more experiments on what I call "the Dead End Cell". I did some preliminary stuff with it that was successful but still have to put together a better version of the setup and do some more testing. It evolved from the Rectifier Cell experiments and many of my readers will remember that as the one with the glowing electrodes. Remember, the key to how fast and how well the Hydrogen Economy comes into being revolves around being able to produce the hydrogen more efficiently and on making the systems that utilize H2 fuel more affordable. Solve those two problems and everything changes.
----------Advertisement-- ------------------------- ------------------------- --------------
E! Magazine is your source for cutting edge environmental news.
https://www.kable.com/pub/enmg/subTrial.asp?src=QSA136
------------------------- ------------------------- ------------------------- ----------------------
Hydrogen News Links:
(1) PALCAN Receives Order for Fuel Cell Scooter
The scooter will employ a 1 kW PalPac fuel cell power source and super capacitors for energy storage while also incorporating different on-board hydrogen storage
devices like ...
http://www.fuelcelltoday.com/...,1602,5042,00.html
( "Born to be wiiiillld......" Gotta break out my leathers and engineer boots. Wow, there's an idea. How about a fuel cell Harley? ED.)
(2) Hydrogen Day: Research on hydrogen production, storage and use
Hydrogen Day at Penn State, Monday, Oct. 25, will feature more than 30 poster presentations offering details on the latest research results on hydrogen production,
storage and use as well as related topics.
http://www.eurekalert.org/pub...
( I am going to TRY to attend this. ED.)
(3) 12-passenger shuttle altered to run on hydrogen
Ford Motor Co. on Wednesday unveiled a 12-passenger shuttle bus with an internal combustion engine modified to run on hydrogen rather than gasoline. The automaker
is using the buses to demonstrate the viability of the technology.
http://www.aiada.org/article....
( You can build a fuel cell stack that will produce enough energy to run a bus but not one to power a small house!? Something is wrong here... ED.)
(4) California Hydrogen Highway completes the California Fuel Cell Partnership
Governor Schwarzenegger’s words in his State of the State address on January 6, 2004, "I intend to show the world that economic growth and the environment can
coexist. And if you want to see it, then come to California.
http://www.carlist.com/autone...
( Just not you "economic girly-men, eh? ED.)
(5) Ford Motor Company celebrates Job One production of its hydrogen fuel cell hybrid electric Focus
Ford is building an evaluation fleet of advanced hydrogen fuel cell, hybrid electric Focus sedans using Ballard Power Systems' fuel cell.
http://www.theautochannel.com...
( So which will it be, "Fix Or Repair Daily" or "First On Race Day" [get it? F. O. R. D.]? Only time will tell. ED.)
(6) National Hydrogen Association Student Design Contest
The National Hydrogen Association (NHA) has opened registration for its annual Student Design Contest. This year's theme is Hydrogen Power
Parks.
http://www.solaraccess.com/ne...
(Nice idea. ED.)
(7) Nice Ride: The Hydrogen Gremlin
Long before President Bush ever put 'hydrogen' and 'economy' together in a sentence, a group of students at the University of California, Los Angeles, were revving the
engine on their hydrogen-powered Gremlin.
http://www.wired.com/news/aut...,2554,65080,00.html
( Hydrogen fueled vehicles have never been the problem, the problem is how to produce and store the H2 fuel economically. ED.)
(8) Hydrogen-based economy highlighted at conference
Less dependency on fossil fuels, efficient energy systems and all around less greenhouse gases is the promise of hydrogen. The world of tomorrow came to Toronto
over the weekend as delegates from 30 different countries met to highlight Canada's contribution to the hydrogen economy.
http://www.insidetoronto.ca/t...
(9) BMW Shows Off World's Fastest Hydrogen Car
According to Reuters and others BMW unveiled the world's fastest hydrogen-powered car at the Paris auto show on Wednesday, dubbed the H2R, capable of exceeding
300 kilometers (185 miles) per hour. The are also working with Shell on hydrogen dispensing stations. '"Our drive toward the future is called hydrogen," BMW
management board member Burkhard Goeschel said before the tarp slowly slipped off the teardrop-shaped body of the sleek race car.
http://slashdot.org/article.p...
(10) 2004 California Cruisin Hydrogen road rally
From California s newest hydrogen fueling station in Diamond Bar the California Fuel Cell Partnership (CaFCP) kicked off its third annual road rally, Crusin Southern Cal.
http://www.carlist.com/autone...
(11) UK company way ahead of the market in creating green hydrogen
British company Hydrogen Solar has doubled the performance of its technology, which converts light and water directly into hydrogen fuel. Dr. David Auty, Hydrogen
Solar's chief executive said, " the key to Hydrogen Solar's breakthrough is nanotechnology.
http://www.eurekalert.org/pub...
(12) RPI forms fuel cell and hydrogen research center
Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute has formed a new Center for Fuel Cell and Hydrogen Research. The new center will be led by Glenn Eisman, the former chief
technology officer at Latham-based Plug Power Inc.
http://albany.bizjournals.com...
(13) BOC Showcases Hydrogen Fuel Cell Capabilities at Toronto Exposition
BOC, one of the world's largest industrial gases suppliers, and an expert in supplying hydrogen to customers safely and efficiently, will display a full range of supply,
safety and other fuel cell technology support services during the Hydrogen and Fuel Cells 2004 Conference and Trade Show at the Sheraton Center, Toronto, Ontario,
Canada, September 25-27. BOC, in booth, # 27, will feature the BOC Gh2ost, BOC's hydrogen fuel cell-powered endurance vehicle.
http://new.stockwatch.com/swn...:BOX-20040922symbol=BOX&n ews_region=U&name=THE+Boc +Group+Plc&title=BOC
(14) Hydrogain plans awareness campaign
Pompano Beach-based Hydrogain Technologies said it is establishing a National Hydrogen Awareness Campaign to teach America's youth about the importance of
transitioning to alternative and renewable energy sources such as hydrogen.
http://southflorida.bizjourna...
(15) Hydrogen Power Source for Warehouse Traffic
Murray Hill, New Jersey/Vancouver, Canada - September 21, 2004 [SolarAccess.com] Industrial vehicles may not drive on the hydrogen highway, per se, but that
doesn't preclude them from joining the fuel cell frenzy.
http://www.solaraccess.com/ne...
(16) AIST Develops Organic Hydrogen Synthesis Technique Using Supercritical CO2
The National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology (AIST) announced September 17 that it has developed a new technique to synthesize organic
hydrogen for fuel cells.
http://www.japancorp.net/Arti...
(17) Hydrogen Distribution Partnership
Hydrogen infrastructure company Stuart Energy Systems and electrolyzer developer Purification Equipment Research Institute of CSIC (PERIC) of China have
partnered for a master supply and distribution agreement.
http://www.solaraccess.com/ne...
(18) North Dakota Wind Power, Hydrogen Consortium
Common methods of producing hydrogen usually rely on the use of natural gas, but North Dakota is helping to prove that wind energy can do the trick too.
http://www.solaraccess.com/ne...
(19) Saving Energy Without Derision
George Maschke writes "Saving Energy Without Derision (5 mb PDF) is a new (and free) e-book by former Sandia National Laboratories senior scientist Dr. Alan P.
Zelicoff. This book is intended to be a real-world, no-nonsense, thoroughly documented collection of easy-to-implement recommendations to help the average thoughtful
person to pick the 'low-hanging fruit' of conservation and renewable energy. The author is after the easy 75% of actions we can all take (but almost uniformly ignore).
http://slashdot.org/article.p...
(20) Use of Clean Coal Technologies Will Help Utilities Take the Lead in Hydrogen Economy Race, Says Thinking Energy
Soaring prices and tight supplies of natural gas will force electric utilities in the United States to radically reconsider their fuel choices, says a new study.
http://home.businesswire.com/...
(21) Hydrogen fuel on fast track
New Delhi Sept. 15: The government has drawn up a Rs 250-crore plan to develop hydrogen as a fuel.
http://www.telegraphindia.com...
(22) 2nd Gen Honda H2 Good to Go
Both the EPA and CARB (California Air Resource Board) have certified the 2005 Honda FCX fuel cell vehicle as ready for commercial use. The second generation of the
model, the 2005 FCX is the first to be powered by a Honda designed and manufactured fuel cell stack, and offers some performance improvements over the first model.
http://www.greencarcongress.c...
(23) Hydrogenics and Deere for Commercial H2
Hydrogenics entered into a five-year agreement with Deere & Company for continued R&D into hydrogen fuel cells in commercial vehicles. The agreement comes
following earlier joint projects involving the integration of Hydrogenics’ fuel cell power module technology into Deere ePower vehicles.
http://www.greencarcongress.c...
(24) Shell Production Dropping, Reserve Replacement Low
http://www.greencarcongress.c...
(25) ExxonMobil: Record Revenue, Production Up
http://www.greencarcongress.c...
(26) ConocoPhillips: Profits Up, Production Down
http://www.greencarcongress.c...
(27) ChevronTexaco: Profits Up, Production Down
http://www.greencarcongress.c...
(28) Iraqi Oil Stocks Dwindling?
India News Online reports that Iraqi oil stocks in Basra—from which the country is partly maintaining its current export rate of 800,000 to 1 million barrels per day—is
dwindling and close to exhaustion.
http://www.greencarcongress.c...
( What a shame, all those young American soldiers and all those Iraqi women and children dead or maimed. And for what, a nearly empty barrel of oil? ED.)
(29) Heading Toward the Hydrogen Economy
Fuel Cell Today, UK -... efficient and economical collection of solar energy which can then be used for heating, distillation, air ... As system temperatures decrease,
the energy lost as ...::
http://heating.tradeworlds.co...
(30) New Educational Website on Canada's Fuel Cell and Hydrogen Future Unveiled
Today at the public day of the Hydrogen and Fuel Cells 2004 Conference in downtown Toronto a new Government of Canada website - Our Hydrogen and Fuel Cell
Future - was unveiled.
http://www.topix.net/redir/lo...
(31) Electric utility turns to hydrogen fuel cells for backup
http://www.machinedesign.com/...
(32) Ebara To Extract Hydrogen From Ethylene Byproduct
http://www.nni.nikkei.co.jp/A...
(33) A Ray of Light for Investors
Tim Harper will be talking energy at this year Energy Venture Fair in Zurich alongside Konarka board memeber Donald Fitzmaurice and dye solar cell pioneer Michael
Graetzel.
http://www.cientifica.com/arc...
(34) Hydrogen to fuel China's automobiles in the future
http://www.wbcsd.org/includes...
(35) Ocean windmill plans generating ill winds
A New York company that has plans for nearly 100 windmills several miles off the Monmouth County coast between Long Branch and Manasquan and more than 900
off Cape May County is actively seeking permits.
http://newstrove.com/cgi-bin/...://www.app.com/app/story/0,21625,106 2021,00.html
(36) Black Country Housing builds first hydrogen-powered home
http://www.fuelcellsworks.com...
(37) Looking to the hydrogen horizon
http://article.wn.com/link/WN...
(38) A green tank Can hydrogen really replace petrol in our cars?
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/sc...
(39) Low-Cost Method Developed To Store Hydrogen As Decalene
http://www.nni.nikkei.co.jp/A...
(40) Analyst lowers outlook for hydrogen cars
Hydrogen-powered fuel cell cars may face a longer, rockier road to acceptance than originally thought, a research firm studying the vehicles said this week.
http://www.mcall.com/business...,0,1283355.story?coll=all-businesslo cal-hed
Notice: For information on advertising rates or to make suggestions email me at: enki@chilitech.net All original material in this newsletter is
copyrighted by the source from which it originates. My story's are also copyrighted from the date they are published.
|
|
0 Comments
|
| |
|
|
|
