|
FYI
Planning to "run your vehicle on Water"?
It’s Simple!
But unfortunately you will need to put your brain in gear before you
put your hands in motion, because you will be dealing with an
element that is lighter than air, harder to compress and store it
and with an explosion speed 10 times faster than gasoline.
The good news, is that this gas called "HHO" or "Brown Gas",
dissipates very rapidly into the atmosphere and turns into water
molecules, that is great for our environment!!! and a lot healthier
for all human life.
So, please get yourself well informed about HHO and start working on
your project, so we can start from the "roots level" changing the
way we are so "dependent" (slaves) on foreign oil, because if you
wait for the government to do it, you will wait forever.
Remember that all the great inventions started, not in magnificent
buildings but in small basements, garages and small work shops, by
people like you and me and thanks to them we are able to enjoy the
life style we are so used to it and take for granted.
Who knows, maybe you will be the person that will take our
generation and our planet into the next frontier: The Hydrogen
Energy revolution.
We wish the best of luck in your project and keep us informed about
your project, if you send us pictures and testimonials, we will try
to publish them here, so we all can learn from your experiences.
What is Hydrogen?
Hydrogen is the simplest, lightest element in the
universe. It is made up of one proton and one electron. Because of
its simplicity, it is believed by some that hydrogen is the root of
all elements.
It’s Light! When hydrogen escapes into the atmosphere, it is so
light that it scatters immediately upward in the air (it’s 14 times
lighter than air) This means that a hydrogen spill won’t pool on the
ground, pollute groundwater, or soak into clothing—it removes
itself!
It’s Everywhere! Hydrogen is the most abundant element in the
universe, making up more that 90% of all matter. On Earth, it is the
third most abundant element in the Earth’s surface, found in water
and all organic matter.
What’s Its Nature? In its normal gaseous state, hydrogen is
colorless, odorless, tasteless, and is nontoxic, which makes it
different from every other common fuel we use.
What Happens When Hydrogen Burns? Hydrogen burns readily with
oxygen, releasing considerable energy as heat and producing only
water as exhaust. When hydrogen burns in air (which is mostly
nitrogen), some oxides of nitrogen (NOx, contributors to smog and
acid rain) can be formed, but much fewer pollutants are formed than
when normal hydrocarbon fuels such as gasoline and diesel are
burned. Because no carbon is involved, using hydrogen fuel
eliminates carbon monoxide, carbon dioxide, and does not contribute
to global warming.
A Brief History of Hydrogen
1766 – Renowned English chemist and physicist Henry
Cavendish is the first to recognize hydrogen gas as a distinct
substance. He also described the composition of water as a
combination of hydrogen and oxygen.
Early 1800’s to mid 1900’s – Town gas, a gaseous product
manufactured from coal, supplies lighting and heating for America
and Europe. Town gas is 50% hydrogen, with the rest comprised of
mostly methane and carbon dioxide, with 3% to 6% carbon monoxide.
Town gas is celebrated as a wonder, bringing light and heat to the
civilized world. Then, large natural gas fields are discovered, and
networks of natural gas pipelines displace town gas. (Town gas is
still found in limited use today in Europe and Asia.)
1911 – Chemist Carl Bosch directs the development for ammonia
and fertilizer to be manufactured from hydrogen and nitrogen gases.
This innovation leads eventually to synthetic fertilizers, making it
possible for agriculture to feed a rapidly increasing world
population.
1937 – After several years of safe and elegant passenger
travel by many airships, the zeppelin Hindenburg, landing at
Lakehurst, New Jersey, is ignited by electrical discharge after its
flight across the Atlantic from Germany. Within seconds, the airship
burns and crashes to the ground, with a death toll of 35 of the 97
people on board and one on the ground. Although the Hindenburg was
filled with seven million cubic feet of hydrogen for buoyancy, the
fire spread because of the coating, which contained rocket
propellant components. Thirty-four of the deaths were attributed to
people jumping or falling from the airship, and two from burns from
the flammable skin and on-board diesel. Even though the hydrogen
burned safely above the passengers and didn’t cause a single death,
hydrogen was stigmatized by association with the Hindenburg disaster
for decades afterward.
1959 – Francis Bacon, engineer and descendent of the famous
scientist, produced a 5-kW fuel cell system. Later that year, Harry
Karl Ihrig demonstrated the first fuel cell-powered vehicle, a
20-horsepower tractor.
20th Century – Hydrogen is used extensively as a key component in
the manufacture of ammonia, methanol, gasoline, and heating oil. It
is also used to make fertilizers, glass, refined metals, vitamins,
cosmetics, semiconductor circuits, soaps, lubricants, cleaners,
margarine, peanut butter and rocket fuel.
1958 to Present – The National Aeronautics and Space
Administration (NASA) is formed, continuing work by the National
Advisory Committee for Aeronautics (NACA) and several universities
and businesses on using hydrogen as a rocket fuel and electricity
source via fuel cells. NASA becomes the worldwide largest user of
liquid hydrogen and is renowned for its safe handling of hydrogen.
Late 20th Century/Dawn of 21st Century – Many industries
worldwide begin producing hydrogen, hydrogen-powered vehicles,
hydrogen fuel cells, and other hydrogen products. From Japan’s
hydrogen delivery trucks to BMW’s liquid hydrogen passenger cars, to
Ballard’s fuel cell transit buses in Chicago and Vancouver, BC, to
Palm Desert’s Renewable Transportation Project, to Iceland’s
commitment to be the first hydrogen economy by 2030, to the
forward-thinking work of many hydrogen organizations worldwide, to
Hydrogen Now!’s public education work, the dynamic progress in
Germany, Europe, Japan, Canada, the US, Australia, Iceland, and
several other countries launch hydrogen onto the main stage of the
world’s energy scene.
The Nature of Hydrogen:
Hydrogen is less flammable than gasoline. The
self-ignition temperature of hydrogen is 550 degrees Celsius.
Gasoline varies from 228-501 degrees Celsius, depending on the
grade. When the Hindenburg burned, it took some time before the
hydrogen bags were ignited.
Hydrogen disperses quickly. Being the lightest element (fourteen
times lighter than air), hydrogen rises and spreads out quickly in
the atmosphere. So when a leak occurs, the hydrogen gas quickly
becomes so sparse that it cannot burn. Even when ignited, hydrogen
burns upward, and is quickly consumed, as shown in the Hindenburg
picture. By contrast, materials such as gasoline and diesel vapors
are heavier than air, and will not disperse, remaining a flammable
threat for much longer.
Hydrogen is a non-toxic, naturally-occurring element in the
atmosphere. By comparison, all petroleum fuels are poisonous to
humans.
Hydrogen combustion produces only water. When pure hydrogen is
burned in pure oxygen, only pure water is produced. Granted, that’s
an ideal scenario, which doesn’t occur outside of laboratories and
the space shuttle. In any case, when a hydrogen engine burns, it
actually cleans the ambient air, by completing combustion of the
unburned hydrocarbons that surround us. Compared with the toxic
compounds (carbon monoxide, nitrogen oxides, and hydrogen sulfide)
produced by petroleum fuels, the products of hydrogen burning are
much safer.
Hydrogen can be stored safely. Tanks currently in use for storage of
compressed hydrogen (similar to compressed natural gas tanks) have
survived intact through testing by various means, including being
shot with six rounds from a .357 magnum, detonating a stick of
dynamite next to them, and subjecting them to fire at 1500 degrees
F. Clearly, a typical gasoline tank wouldn’t survive a single one of
these tests.
What Have We Learned?
No fuel we currently use or have yet to develop will be
totally without hazards, through all the processes of production,
transportation, and consumption, just as no kitchen knife can be
used without risk to the chef. Hydrogen has long been considered
close to ideal as a fuel due to its abundance, non-toxic
characteristics, and international availability. We must recognize
that each of us has learned to use knives safely, and do so daily.
As long as we use wisdom in our methods of production, storage, and
use of hydrogen, we’ll enjoy the same safety we have had with
petroleum fuels, with the additional benefit of fewer health hazards
when leaks do occur.
The Hydrogen Economy
Mankind’s energy needs have evolved for centuries and are
continuing to evolve today. From wood and animal fat, to coal, to
petroleum, to propane, to natural gas, we have used a succession of
fuels to heat us, manufacture our goods, light our lamps, and move
about our planet. Hydrogen is the latest in the succession of energy
providers, with many social, economic, and environmental benefits to
its credit.
The technology is now available to begin converting from a
petroleum-based economy to a hydrogen-based economy.
All three energy sectors (transportation, industry, and heating and
cooling buildings) stand to benefit. Of these, the transportation
sector will likely have the most profound immediate effect.
Transportation
Research is advancing on fuel cells and many other
hydrogen technologies; so we need to begin building the supply and
distribution systems to energize these products.
We will not immediately dispose of the 800 million vehicles that are
presently in the World. Millions of new internal combustion engine
vehicles will be produced before the transition to manufacturing
totally clean vehicles can be completed. These new and older cars
will be on our roads for at least the next 30 years. If they are
powered with hydrogen, billions of tons of greenhouse gases and
pollutants will not be thrust into the air.
Converting internal combustion engines in automobiles is possible
today. See our Automobile page for more information.
Sources of Hydrogen
Currently, natural gas (methane) is the primary source
for producing hydrogen, using a method called "Steam Methane
Reformation" (SMR). However, as the cost of natural gas rises, and
the cost of electricity from wind and other renewable energy sources
diminishes, more and more of our hydrogen will come from clean
renewable energy.
Research is striving to improve renewable methods of generating
hydrogen (from livestock waste, landfill biomass, waste-water
sludge, chemical reactions and electricity from solar, wind and
water power). As fossil fuel companies become basic energy
companies, harvesting hydrogen from these sources can make it a
completely renewable resource.
A Series of Transitions
Converting to the hydrogen economy is a series of
transitions: first, a transition when both conventional fuels and
hydrogen will be available, and used, for example, in the same
internal combustion engine, and second, when hydrogen alone will be
used. The complete transition will stretch at least a decade. It
could even take 20 years or more before we produce hydrogen from
completely renewable resources. The transition can be done in a very
short period of time if all people of the world put their collective
efforts into it and demand that it be done.
The world’s energy systems continue to evolve, and no single source
of energy will meet all mankind’s needs forever.
Is burning hydrogen like the hydrogen bomb?
No. Burning hydrogen, just like burning gasoline, natural
gas, or a candle, is a chemical reaction, which means that only the
electrons get shifted around and new compounds are made, like water,
but the basic atoms are the same. In a nuclear reaction, the actual
nucleus of the atom (the protons and neutrons) is changed.
How was hydrogen named?
Hydrogen was named by Antoine Lavoisier in 1783. A
Frenchman, he called it hydrogène, naming it after the Greek words
hydor and gennan (or geinomai) roughly translated as "water
generating" or "water forming".
How can I convert my car to run on hydrogen?
Congratulations on your decision to convert your car to
hydrogen. You are to be commended for your efforts to clean the air
and reduce our dependence on foreign oil.
As a starting point, read a lot, browse the net and ask a lot of
questions and when you are ready to start your project, buy the
parts from us so we can keep on helping others.
|
