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About fossil fuels and alternative sources
Hydrogen as an alternative energy source
Alternative energy solutions to fossil fuels
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Hydrogen is one of the most abundant elements on the earth. It can be found in the oceans as well as the atmosphere. Over the last few years, talk about the future of hydrogen power has grown from a whisper to a roar. The use of hydrogen is not just the burning of the gas, but of its use in a fuel cell. Fuel cells might be the device that causes the extinction of the internal combustion engine. A fuel cell is a device that produces electricity from a fuel and an oxidizer, a substance that combines with the fuel. The fuel and oxidizer react chemically at two separate electrodes to produce the direct electric current; These cells use hydrogen as the fuel and oxygen as the oxidizer. Hydrogen power could be the silver bullet to the current and future energy situation. Hydrogen would be one of the easiest sources of renewable energy to incorporate into our current energy infrastructure. Since hydrogen is a gas of normal temperature, it is possible to have it be used as a fuel in vehicles similar to current ones. For example, Hydrogen could be introduced into the vehicle as a gas, stored...
Hydrogen lies in one of the copious replacements for gasoline. It is not an energy source such as oil, but an energy carrier that is produced instead of digging and finding it underground. Though replacing fossil fuels by hydrogen fuel cell is very hard and costs a great deal, for the most part, hydrogen fuel cell is a zero carbon emission fuel which highly reduces the carbon emissions that causes pandemic global warming. Hydrogen is very helpful for nature by cause of replacing fossil fuels with hydrogen fuel cells might end global warming once and for all.
Elements are the basic building blocks of matter due to the fact that they are chemically the simplest substances. Whether we can find them in the air or in our gold/silver necklaces, elements are everywhere! One essential element is hydrogen, the first element on the period table (located under Group 1 as an alkaline metal) is composed of a single proton and electron; therefore having an atomic number and atomic mass of 1 and electron configuration of 1s1. In fact, hydrogen is the lightest, simplest and most commonly found chemical element in the universe (it makes up about 90% of the universe by weight). Interestingly enough, the heavier elements on the periodic table were either made from hydrogen or other elements that were made from hydrogen. The most common isotope formed of hydrogen is protium, with 1 proton and no neutrons. Hydrogen can also exist as both positively or negatively charged. The physical form of hydrogen at room temperature is a colorless and odorless gas. Hydrogen gas is extremely flammable and because of this chemical property, it is used as fuel for the main engine of space shuttles. Hydrogen is an important element and has received a lot of recognition throughout history for its usefulness.
The earth’s supply of gasoline is slowly diminishing along with the cleanliness. In a desperate attempt to save precious gas, scientists have been attempting to find new ways to store and use energy. One way that scientists are consistently trying out is storing hydrogen. According to Demirbas(2001), “Because hydrogen can be easily generated from renewable energy sources and water, it has great potential as an energy source” (p. 287). When using hydrogen, the product leads to zero emissions (Yocular & Olgun, 2008, p. 309). If not that, then carbon-free or carbon neutral systems are formed (Yocular and Olgun, 2008, p. 309). Alternative-energy researchers have attempted to find materials that have properties that can resemble those of sponges (Baker, 2005, p.82). This way, the materials could ‘soak in’ the hydrogen and then hold it until it is further needed (Baker, 2005, p.82). There are many ways of storing hydrogen, but what is the most effective way to store it?
The present global economy is nearly entirely dependent on petroleum and crude oil imports from the Middle East. Where the current situation stands now, oil prices will continue to skyrocket and the environmental impact will continue becoming greater if no form of alternative energy is implemented to a greater extent within the coming years. However, to this effect, the industrial cost of producing such forms of alternative energy is in itself primarily composed of coal and petroleum. In this light, I will investigate the practicality of hydrogen fuel cells based upon hydrogen consumption and exploitation. Hydrogen holds enormous promise for the future regarding alternative energy sources. To this point, its ability to be used in cars, weapons, and as miniature batteries has been demonstrated by many companies. However, if this is the case, hydrogen should be the leading supplier of power around the world. What prevents it from being so?
What Nuclear power has the ability to do is get a lot of power in a little amount of space. “Roughly 1.6 billion people live without access to electricity, and 2.4 billion rely on traditional biomass because they have no access to modern fuel.” (General Dr. Mohamed ElBaradei) With nuclear power put into these countries that are without power we can have it to where electricity will be accessibility to everyone. By having power accessible to everyone we can accomplish so much more and unlock more possibilities in our world today.
For our project, our client, gave us the task of designing and developing a teaching aid that uses hydrogen to power a mechanical device. This task led us to the construction of a hybrid fuel cell/battery-powered model hovercraft. The hovercraft, which we call “Hovercraftica”, uses a battery to power the lift fan and two hydrogen fuel cells to power the fan that provides thrust. Hovercraftica is a self-contained demonstration unit with every aspect of its propulsion onboard. The hydrogen for the fuel cells is produced through the electrolysis of water. This is achieved by collecting light energy via a solar panel and sending it through the fuel cells.
Hydrogen is a tasteless, odorless, colorless gas. Hydrogen is found in group 1 and period 1 on the periodic table. Hydrogen is classified as a nonmetal on the periodic table. The symbol for hydrogen is represented by an H, its atomic number is 1, and its atomic weight is 1.0079. The hydrogen atom consists of one proton, which has a positive charge, and one electron, which has a negative charge. The term hydrogen comes from two Greek words meaning water-former. Henry Cavendish, an English scientist, discovered it in 1766. Named by Lavoisier, hydrogen is the most abundant of all elements in the universe. The sun and many other stars consist of mostly hydrogen. It is the third most abundant element on earth. It is estimated that hydrogen makes up more than 90% of all the atoms or three quarters of the mass of the universe. Hydrogen plays an important part in powering the universe though both the proton-proton reaction and carbon-nitrogen cycle. Hydrogen occurs in almost all organic compounds. Many of the compounds found in plant and animal tissues are organic. Production of hydrogen in the U.S. alone now amounts to about 3 billion cubic feet per year. Some of the methods that hydrogen is prepared by are steam on heated carbon, decomposition of certain hydrocarbons with heat, action of sodium or potassium hydroxide on aluminum, or displacement from acids by certain metals. Hydrogen may be condensed to a liquid that boils at -257.87°C and freezes at -259.14°C. Hydrogen ...
Hydrogen is a diatomic element that is in a gaseous form at room temperature. Its most identifying characteristic is the fact that it is highly explosive. It is the lightest element in the world, and has a lifting power of 8% more than that of helium. Hydrogen was used in airships and zeppelins for more than 20 years during the beginning of the 20th century. This practice stopped abruptly after the German airship Hindenburg disaster over New Jersey. It is used in fuel cells to create electricity, and to power cars and planes. Liquid hydrogen is mixed with liquid oxygen to form a cryogenic liquid that is burnt in Solid Rocket Boosters to power the space shuttle. Hydrogen is used to fill weather balloons because of its superb lifting power.
In an age where our dependence on fossil fuels and other expendable resources is dramatically increasing as our supply is decreasing, it is imperative that new forms of energy arise. Although it is still in very early stages, it is fundamentally plausible that hydrogen could become a major fuel source in cars. For example, Honda has already released five hydrogen fuel cell cars.
To answer the most obvious question, what is ΔHºrxn·? Well, ΔHºrxn· means the change in enthalpy. To break it down further, enthalpy is the measure of the amount of energy in a system. Every single reaction in the entire universe has a change in enthalpy. Energy is held in each and every single bond that puts together the world we see and live in today. When a reaction takes place and bonds are broken and reconnected, energy has been transferred, and enthalpy tells us how much. It is just about nearly impossible to measure all of the energy that there is out there, but scientists can measure how much energy has been transferred through the system. It would be like trying to measure the volume of the ocean, pretty much impossible, huh? But,
This presents greater transportation and storage hurdles than for liquid fuels. Storage systems being developed include compressed hydrogen, liquid hydrogen, and physical or chemical bonding between hydrogen and a storage material (for example, metal hydrides).The ability to create hydrogen from a variety of resources and its clean-burning properties make it a desirable alternative fuel. Hydrogen's physical and chemical properties make it a good candidate for a fuel. At normal atmospheric conditions, hydrogen is a colorless and odorless gas. It is stable and coexists harmlessly with free oxygen until an input of energy drives the exothermic reaction that forms water.
Colorimetry is the process of determining the concentration of a substance of a substance by measuring the relative of light. The instrument used is called a calorimeter. Colorimetry is the scientific method that is used to classify the colours of the spectrum.
When President Bush unveiled his plans for a hydrogen-powered car in his State of the Union address in January, he proposed $1.2 billion in spending to develop a revolutionary automobile that will be "pollution-free." The new vehicle, he declared, will rely on "a simple chemical reaction between hydrogen and oxygen" to power a car "producing only water, not exhaust fumes." Within 20 years, the president vowed, fuel-cell cars will "make our air significantly cleaner, and our country much less dependent on foreign sources of oil." By launching an ambitious program to develop what he calls the "Freedom Car," Bush seemed determined to realize the kind of future that hydrogen-car supporters have envisioned for years. Using existing technology, hydrogen can be easily and cleanly extracted from water.
...ination, hydrogen fuel and solar energy (World Economic Forum 2014). These are technologies that closely related to environmental and recourse preservation, which help the society switch to use renewable energy.
In addition, there’s another entrance on the opposite side of the circuit that oxygen flows into, creating a water molecule, or H2O (hydrogenenergy.com). Hydroelectric power comes when water runs through a dam. The floor of the dam rises, taking the water with it. When the water is higher up, it transforms more energy to gravitational, creating falling water. The falling water falls through the turbines and creates electrical energy that runs through transmission lines to buildings and homes. Hydrogen fuel cells are put into battery form through a very simple circuit, which splits the hydrogen atom apart and creates electrical energy from the electron while completing the circuit. Fuel cells are very reliable, and have a high energy efficiency. Sadly, the cost is very high to install circuits, but their very easy and cheap to maintain. It works in all locations, since anywhere on the globe has oxygen and hydrogen atoms in the air(fuelcelltoday.com). While that still costs a lot, it can provide more energy to buildings and houses than fuel cells can. This is because hydroelectric power comes in larger quantities, since it only is sent when the dam rises, taking water with it. While this cannot power cars, it is a lot cheaper to buy, since maintenance is cheap. Some could argue that these two sources are some of most expensive