Hello,
Quote:
Originally Posted by capoed84
I like the possibilities of hydrogen, especially since it is so abundant but getting enough of it to be able to run hydrogen-only is a problem. I heard that the most efficient commercial electrolysis hydrogen generator is only 60% efficient - it would take too much energy and too much time to get a usable amount. Then there's the problem of compressing it and storing it to take it mobile. I think you'd need a 10,000 lb tank for decent range (big and $$$). This equipment isn't cheap.
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On the hydrogen storage front, I saw an episode of Scientific American Frontiers where a man named Stan Ovshinsky showed Alan Alda a powdered metal (I believe it is similar to nickel metal hydride, but I could be wrong) that can hold TWICE as much hydrogen in a given volume than a high pressure tank.
SCIENTIFIC AMERICAN FRONTIERS: Hydrogen Hopes
The whole article is very interesting -- Stan Ovshinsky is as amazing guy; but check page 4 for the "solid hydrogen storage".
The trick is that the metal heats up when you charge it with hydrogen, so they were using a water jacket to cool it. I think the metal could be charged with hydrogen in a building (a fueling station) where the heat could be recovered -- and then the expended metal powder could be moved out of the car's tank with a vacuum system, and then the charged metal powder could be moved into the car's tank with the same vacuum system.