Energy of Hydrogen

Archive for the ‘Hydrogen consumption’ Category

Fossil fuels are finite and increase in cost as supply dwindles. So the huge interest to the development of alternative energy souces occurs throughout the world. Consequently, battery-electric and fuel cells vehicles are on the road today. In 2007, there were 1.8 million alternative fuel vehicles sold in the United States, indicating an increasing popularity of alternative fuels. There is growing perceived economic and political need for the development of alternative fuel sources.

I think it’s appropriate to compare Battery-electric and fuel cells vehicles in this conversation. Firstly, let’s consider advantages of alternative fuel vehicles over vehicles with internal combustion engines.

· It is obvious that Battery-electric and fuel cells vehicles emit no pollutants. Battery-electric cars and fuel cell equivalents are each propelled by electric motors; however fuel cell vehicles create their own electricity.

· All internal combustion engines have efficiencies limited by the Carnot Cycle. Batteries and Fuel cell vehicles, not limited by the Carnot Cycle so it is very possible to achieve high energy efficiencies.

· Also they operate with electric motors which have very few moving parts, vehicle vibrations and noise are vastly reduced and routine maintenance (oil changes, spark plug replacement) are eliminated.

Above-listed advantages are typical for both classes of alternative fuel vehicles. In order to feel the difference let’s consider existing cars. Tesla Roadster will represent Battery-electric cars and Suzuki SX4 FCV will represent fuel cell cars.

Tesla Roadster is a lightweight (~1140 kg) two-seat sports car with 300-hp, 280 lb-ft of torque, a 244-mile range on a single 3.5-hour charge and 3.9-sec 0 to 60  mph time. Tesla’s cars run on a huge lithium-ion battery pack that can be recharged by plugging an adapter cord into a wall socket. Storage battery located behind seats is quite unusual: It’s a block consisting of 6831 lithium batteries which are identical with batteries used in cell phones and laptops. Weight of this block is 454 kg. There is a three-phased electric motor between rear wheels. Its size is impressive — diameter is 25 centimeters and length is 35 centimeters. Its efficiency is about 80-95 % depending on loading.

During braking kinetic energy isn’t spent in vain but recaptured by regenerative braking system to recharge the batteries.

The company estimates costs for trip approximately in one cent per mile. However, the company has calculated that the owner of a battery-electric car will have to replace (alas, for considerable money) the lithium-ionic accumulator, served its time, through 160-200 thousand kilometres. Nowadays the only problem of the high cost of such effective and high-capacious lithium-ion accumulators should be solved.

Overview of Tesla Roadster

*100% electrical
* 3.9-sec 0 to 60 mph, and single-speed gearbox couples the low drag and fuel efficiency of a manual transmission with the driving ease of an automatic.
* 300+ hp
* 244 mile driving range
* cost of journey is cent per mile.
*coefficient of efficiency is about 90%.

The SX4-FCV five-door hatchback uses a GM-made high performance fuel cell, a Suzuki-developed 70 MPa (10,000 psi) compressed hydrogen tank and a light, compact capacitor. This recovers energy during braking application and uses it to reduce load consumption during acceleration.

For the Suzuki SX4 FCV, General Motors is supplying the 80kw fuel cell. The Suzuki SX4 FCV also comes with a 68 kw/91 hp electric motor, a 10,000 psi compressed hydrogen tank that will help the vehicle achieve a range of 150 miles and a top speed of around 95 mph.

It should be noted that automotive fuel cells require a 5,000 hour lifespan (the equivalent of 150,000 miles)

Overview of SX4-FCV
Fuel-cell output: 80kW
Motor output: 68kW
Fuel: High-pressure hydrogen (stored in 70MPa tank)
High-voltage battery: Capacitor
Maximum speed: 95 mph
Driving range: 150 miles

So, Tesla Roadster and Suzuki SX4 FCV are excellent state-of-the-art vehicles. I hope some day we can see these cars everywhere. It’s up to you which type of alternative fuel vehicles to use. I take notice of the benefits of fuel cell vehicles are not in it’s efficiency (NiCad has a 70-90% charge/discharge efficiency) but in it’s lighter weight than batteries and the users ability to fill a tank rather than waiting to charge.

There is no secret that electrical energy consumption increases from year to year. Nobuo Tanaka, Executive Director of the International Energy Agency, said that we would have 55% rise in world energy demand by 2030. The demand for energy is growing and the raw materials for the fossil fuel economy are diminishing. Past hopes for “the peaceful atom” turned out to be not as promising as they seemed, and the prospects of thermonuclear energy taming and its usage in the nearest future are still unclear. Thereby one sees more and more that alternative ways of energy production must be found.

Current energy economy has essential disadvantage: Most of the people who consume fossil fuels don’t live where fuels are. The fossil fuel economy puts people and nations under the influence of energy suppliers. This situation doesn’t make our world more sustainable. There is enormous economic motivation to try to exert control over the regions that supply the fuels.

The advantages of using hydrogen as an energy carrier is comprised in the following: the only byproducts of the hydrogen combustion are water and heat. Neither greenhouse gasses nor other particulates are produced by the use of hydrogen fuel cells. Sustainable production system can be achieved if hydrogen is produced by electrolysis.

Furthermore, hydrogen can be produced locally from numerous sources. Hydrogen gas can be produced from methane, gasoline, coal and etc. Each of these sources brings with it different amounts of pollution, technical challenges, and energy requirements. Hydrogen can be produced at large, centralized hydrogen production facilities that can take advantage of economies of scale and meet increased hydrogen demand. Further down the road, hydrogen can be produced onsite where it will be used.

Renewable energy such as wind, hydro, solar and tidal also can be used to produce the hydrogen from water. Renewable energy sources are often limited for commercial use due to their intermittent availability. Each of the natural energy resources depends directly on the natural phenomena that can not be managed or controlled by human. Sometimes the wind doesn’t blow or the sun doesn’t shine, so hydrogen can be the critical link used as a storage medium to supply power during these periods. Hydrogen can be used as a mobile source of power for transportation by being compressed and stored in small tanks for applications similar to gasoline or propane.

Further rapid development of modern power generation and transport industries will inevitably bring our civilization to environmental and energy crisis of unprecedented scale. Sooner or later, mineral resources of the planet will be exhausted. Depletion of existing fossil fuel reserves urges the industrial countries to put forth maximum efforts to  find alternative renewable sources of clean energy. Hydrogen energy is one of the most promising options for alternative power engineering. It can replace conventional fuel for transport and for thermal and electric energy production. Hydrogen, being practically inexhaustible source of energy, may save our world.

On the one hand hydrogen can be burnt down providing thermal energy and ordinary water as waste products. On the other hand obtaining electromotive force hydrogen can be used as one of oxidizing agents in the so-called fuel cells. Fuel Cell is an electrochemical device in which the energy of fuel and oxidant continuously supplied to electrodes is directly converted into electricity without low-efficient combustion process. As there is no heat/power conversion in these devices, their energy efficiency is much higher than that of traditional power units, and can reach 90%

Researchers and engineers are looking for ways to introduce hydrogen fuel and electrochemical generators on the basis of Fuel Cells in the most power-consuming industries including transport vehicles. Probably use of hydrogen as a principal source of power will create an absolutely new hydrogen economy. The results of this scientific and technological breakthrough can be compared to such revolutionary changes in the development of our civilization as those provided by electric power, internal combustion engine, chemistry and oil chemistry, information technologies and telecommunications. About 1000 companies, industrial groups, research labs pursue researches in different areas of hydrogen energy such as: Hydrogen Production, Hydrogen Storage, Hydrogen Delivery, Hydrogen Consumption.