Quote:
Originally Posted by TFord
Who's this smart guy? 
If you want to get technical the most practical way to use hydrogen for combustion is in its liquid form. The volumetric energy for H2 in gas state is too low, so you'd have to use a whole hell of a lot of it to get any where. Even in liquid form its energy density is far less than gas
So now lets talk about H2 in liquid state. I don't know what pressure is used but they use a jet engine to pressurize it. It also must be kept at -423.166 F. Even under these (ideal) conditions it still diffuses through any container at 1% a day. Now it will need to be a "direct injection" system or there will be a gas displacement effect that will kill performance. With all this being said what about the beating the fuel delivery system is gonna get. The hydrogen will permeate through all the componets. Some parts will just crack due embrittlement, and parts exposed to high temps may suffer hydrogen attack. And thats when H2 recombines with carbon molecules and make methane molecules that are too big to diffuse through the metal. So they fill the gaps in the structre and get pressurized untill it goes pop...and makes a crack.
Lets talk about H2 fires....yeah OK you can have a secondary fire, most likely class A, or B. You can detect it, and put it out. But the primary H2 fire will keep burning, like I said its invisible and hot as hell. So now you risk severely injuring yourself trying to put out the fire. The only way to see it is with a flame detector, or thermal imager.
And no there is no way to contain it without this happening. The best solution they have for equipment thats constantly exposed to H2 (ie machinery that produces extracts it) is to constantly give it a acid bath, followed by a baking it. untill you have to replace it. Keep in mind these are for componets that aren't kept at a high pressure.
Now there are things that are resistant to all of the crap associated with H2, off the top of my head all I can think of is tungsten.
Sorry MrCool, Im at work and Einstein got me off track  |
Pops feels the need to prove himself to some internet kid ;-) Been thirty or so years since you left high school I bet.
Congratulations!
And yes, like I said, it would be compressed and liquified. It "must be kept at -423.166 F".... yeah, ok Pops, or it will just evaporate like liquid nitrogen or dry ice at room temperature. So you're telling me that right now there is NO WAY of containing liquified Hydrogen? You're telling me that if I have a proper license, that I could not obtain a tank of liquified Hydrogen?
"1% a day" - that's pennies. I'm sure I lose more gasoline to evaporation and an old gas cap on my 77 Chevy.
"Some parts will just crack due embrittlement" - Yes, that's what happens when things get reallllllllllllly cold. That's why you need to use the proper materials. Sorry Pops, the plastic gas tank that you were imagining would not work on a liquified Hydrogen powered car.
"Lets talk about H2 fires...." - Ok, #1 - you might be able to hear (maybe not you, gramps) the escaping gas. #2 - you would see a big chunk of 'ice' forming around the leak. #3 - if it caught a flame, you'd hear it, you'd be able to feel it, you'd see something else burning around it, and you'd smell whatever was burning, and there would be smoke coming off whatever else is burning.
"So now you risk severely injuring yourself trying to put out the fire. The only way to see it is with a flame detector, or thermal imager." - Only a tardo would try something like that. But you're old-school like that ;-) Just take a shovel and throw some dirt on it gramps! I don't need to see the "invisible flame" to know that something is burning. I'd just be a hero and plug the leak with the tip of my finger
"Now there are things that are resistant to all of the crap associated with H2, off the top of my head all I can think of is tungsten." - Yessir Abuelo, and that is what would have to be used. And no filling your red plastic container at the pump when you run out!
Get back to work gramps. You've got your retirement to think about. Don't let your boss catch you telling off some kiddo on the internet while you're on the clock!