Information AboutHydrogen Car |
| CATEGORIES ABOUT HYDROGEN VEHICLE | |
| hydrogen vehicles | |
| automotive technologies | |
| climate change | |
| sustainable technologies | |
| environment | |
| sustainability | |
| green vehicles | |
|
Hydrogen vehicle refers to a personal transportation or Combustion :
The molecular hydrogen needed as an on-board fuel for hydrogen vehicles can be obtained through various thermochemical methods utilizing Natural Gas , Coal (by a process known as coal gasification), Liquefied Petroleum Gas , Biomass ( Biomass Gasification ), by a process called Thermolysis , or as a microbial waste product called Biohydrogen or Biological Hydrogen Production . Hydrogen can also be produced from Water by Electrolysis . If the electricity used for the electrolysis is produced using Renewable Energy or Nuclear Power , the production of the hydrogen would (in principle) result in no net Carbon Dioxide emissions. Hydrogen is an Energy Carrier , not an Energy Source , so the energy the car uses would ultimately need to be provided by a conventional power plant. A suggested benefit of large-scale deployment of hydrogen vehicles is that it could lead to decreased emissions of greenhouse gases and ozone precursors. Schultz, M.G., Thomas Diehl, Guy P. Brasseur, and Werner Zittel. Air Pollution and Climate-Forcing Impacts of a Global Hydrogen Economy. Science 24 October 2003 302: 624-627 The pollution generated at the point of use in the vehicle would be greatly reduced compared to conventional automobile engines. Further, the conversion of fossil fuels would be moved from the vehicle, as in today's automobiles, to centralized power plants in which the byproducts of combustion or gasification can be better controlled than at the tailpipe. However, there are both technical and economic challenges to implementing wide-scale use of hydrogen vehicles, as well as better and less expensive alternatives. The timeframe in which challenges may be overcome is likely to be at least several decades, and hydrogen vehicles may never become broadly available. EDS, MIT's Engineering Systems Division: MIT Laboratory for Energy and the Environment [http://esd.mit.edu/esd_reports/summer2005/new_vehicle_technologies.html http://www7.nationalacademies.org/bees/John_Heywood_Reducing_Oil_Demand.pdf From TechnologyReview.com RESEARCH AND PROTOTYPES ]] Hydrogen does not come as a pre-existing source of Energy like Fossil Fuel s, but rather as a carrier, much like a Battery . It can be made from both renewable and non-renewable energy sources. A potential advantage of hydrogen is that it could be produced and consumed continuously, using Solar , Water , Wind and Nuclear Power for Electrolysis . Currently, however, hydrogen vehicles utilizing hydrogen produced using Hydrocarbon s, produce more pollution than vehicles consuming Gasoline , Diesel , or Methane in a modern Internal Combustion Engine , and far more than Plug-in Hybrid Electric Vehicles . This is because, although hydrogen fuel cells generate no CO2, production of the hydrogen creates additional emissions.See Novelli, P.C., P.M. Lang, K.A. Masarie, D.F. Hurst, R. Myers, and J.W. Elkins. (1999). "Molecular Hydrogen in the troposphere: Global distribution and budget". J. Geophys. Res. 104(30): 427-30. While methods of hydrogen production that do not use fossil fuel would be more sustainable,F. Kreith, "Fallacies of a Hydrogen Economy: A Critical Analysis of Hydrogen Production and Utilization" in ''Journal of Energy Resources Technology'' (2004), 126: 249–257. currently such production is not economically feasible, and diversion of renewable energy (which represents only 2% of energy generated) to the production of hydrogen for transportation applications is inadvisable. The recorded number of hydrogen-powered public vehicles in the United States was 200 as of April 2007, mostly in California, GaleGroup.com info and a significant amount of research is underway to try to make the technology viable. The common Internal Combustion Engine , usually fueled with gasoline (petrol) or diesel liquids, can be converted to run on gaseous hydrogen. However, the more energy efficient use of hydrogen involves the use of fuel cells and Electric Motor s. Hydrogen reacts with oxygen inside the fuel cells, which produces Electricity to power the motors. One primary area of research is Hydrogen Storage , to try to increase the range of hydrogen vehicles, while reducing the weight, energy consumption, and complexity of the storage systems. Two primary methods of storage are metal hydrides and compression. High-speed cars, Bus es, Submarine s, Airplane s and Rocket s already can run on hydrogen, in various forms at great expense. NASA uses hydrogen to launch Space Shuttles into space. There is even a working toy model car that runs on solar power, using a Reversible Fuel Cell to store energy in the form of hydrogen and Oxygen gas. It can then convert the fuel back into water to release the solar energy. Thames & Kosmos kit , Other educational materials , and many more demonstration car kits . HYDROGEN FUEL DIFFICULTIES While fuel cells themselves are potentially highly energy efficient, and working prototypes were made by Roger E. Billings in the 1960s, at least four technical obstacles and other political considerations exist regarding the development and use of a fuel cell-powered hydrogen car. Low volumetric energy Hydrogen has a very low volumetric energy Density at ambient conditions, equal to about one-third that of methane. Even when the fuel is stored as a liquid in a Cryogenic tank or in a pressurized tank, the volumetric energy density (megajoules per liter) is small relative to that of gasoline. Because of the energy required to compress or liquefy the hydrogen gas, the supply chain for hydrogen has lower well-to-tank efficiency compared to gasoline. Some research has been done into using special Crystal line materials to store hydrogen at greater densities and at lower pressures. Instead of storing Molecular Hydrogen on-board, some have suggested that using Hydrogen Reformer s to extract the hydrogen from more traditional fuels including Methane , gasoline, and Ethanol , or using reformed gasoline or ethanol to power fuel cells. However, using gasoline for this purpose would promote continued dependence on Fossil Fuel s. Fuel cell cost Currently, hydrogen fuel cells are costly to produce and fragile. Scientists are studying how to produce inexpensive fuel cells that are robust enough to survive the bumps and Vibration s that all automobiles experience. Also, many designs require rare substances such as Platinum as a Catalyst in order to work properly. Such a catalyst can also become contaminated by impurities in the hydrogen supply. In the past few years, however, a Nickel - Tin catalyst has been under development which may lower the cost of cells.http://www.engr.wisc.edu/alumni/perspective/30.1/Article08_hydrogen.html Fuel cells are generally priced in USD/kW, and data is scarce regarding costs. Producer Ballard is virtually alone in publishing such data. Their 2005 figure was $73 USD/kW (based on high volume manufacturing estimates), which they said was on track to achieve the U.S. DoE's 2010 goal of $30 USD/kW. This would achieve closer parity with internal combustion engines for automotive applications, allowing a 100 kW fuel cell to be produced for $3000. 100 kW is about 134 Hp . Ballard "2006 achievements" press release Freezing conditions Freezing conditions are a major consideration because fuel cells produce water and utilize moist air with varying water content. Most fuel cell designs are fragile and can't survive in such environments at startup but since heat is a byproduct of the fuel cell process, the major concern is startup capability. Ballard announced that it has already hit the U.S. DoE's 2010 target for cold weather starting which was 50% power achieved in 30 seconds at -20 °C From the Ballard website . Hydrogen production cost Molecular hydrogen can be derived chemically from a feed stock, such as methanol, but can also be produced electrochemically from water. Current technologies for manufacturing hydrogen use energy in various forms, totalling between 25 and 50 percent of the is using wind. First Danish Hydrogen Energy Plant Is Operational accessed 17-July-2007 In addition to the inherent losses of energy in the conversion of feed stock to produce hydrogen which makes hydrogen less advantageous as an energy carrier, there are economic and energy penalties associated with packaging, distribution, storage and transfer of hydrogen. However, hydrogen fuel cells are theoretically (without auxiliary devices to run the fuel cell) more efficient than internal combustion engines, achieving efficiencies of 50-60%, making up much of what is lost in producing hydrogen, and produce only water out the tailpipe, mostly in the form of water vapor. Hydrogen infrastructure In order to distribute hydrogen to cars, the current gasoline fueling system would need to be replaced, or at least significantly supplemented with hydrogen fuel stations. " are already starting the infrastructure transition in advance of any manufacturers mass producing hydrogen cars. See this information from hydrogenhighway.ca.gov and this information from rps.psu.edu Replacement of the existing extensive gasoline fuel station infrastructure would cost a half trillion U.S. dollars in the United States alone.1 (ISBN 1-55963-703-X), Chapter 5 Service life Although service life is coupled to cost, fuel cells have to be compared to existing machines with a service life in excess of 5000 hours. As of today, however, no medium or low temperature fuel cells have been tested for more than two thousand hours. Ballard "2006 achievements" press release Political considerations Most all of today's hydrogen is produced using fossil energy resources. Air Products and Chemicals website While some advocate hydrogen produced from non-fossil resources, there could be public resistance or technological barriers to the implementation of such methods. For example, the United States Department Of Energy currently supports research and development aimed at producing hydrogen utilizing heat from Generation IV Reactor s. Such nuclear power plants could be configured to cogenerate hydrogen and electricity. Hydrogen produced in this fashion would still incur the costs associated with transportation and compression or liquefaction assuming direct (molecular) hydrogen is the on-board fuel. Recently, alternative methods of creating hydrogen directly from Sunlight and water through a metallic catalyst have been announced. This may eventually provide an economical, direct conversion of solar energy into hydrogen, a very clean solution for hydrogen production. Information from rps.psu.edu Some in Washington advocate schemes Plug-in Hybrid Advocacy Group other than hydrogen vehicles to replace the petroleum-based internal combustion engine vehicles. Plug-in hydrids, for example, would augment today's hybrid gasoline-electric vehicles with greater battery capacity to enable increased use of the vehicle's electric traction motor and reduced reliance on the combustion engine. The batteries would be charged via the electric grid when the vehicle is parked. Electric power transmission is about 95 percent efficient and the infrastructure is already in place (though substantial grid expansion would be needed if a sizeable fleet of plug-in hybrids were to be deployed.) Tackling the current drawbacks of Electric Cars or Plug-in Hybrid Electric Vehicle s is believed by some to be easier than developing a whole new hydrogen infrastructure that mimics the obsolete model of oil distribution. A plug-in hybrid transportation system would face the same thermodynamic hurdles as would a system of hydrogen vehicles relying on electrolysis for its molecular hydrogen. The current electric grid, which is dominated by fossil energy resources in the United States, has a fuel-to-power efficiency of roughly 40 percent. Both the plug-in hybrids and the electrolytic hydrogen system would be subject to these comparative inefficiencies. in general were presented in the contentious, 2006, documentary film, '' Who Killed The Electric Car? '' President Bush's hydrogen car goals, in the opinion of some writers, are slipping away because "there are quicker, cleaner, safer and cheaper ways to reduce the tail-pipe emissions from cars and trucks that pollute the air and contribute to global warming." According to physicist and former '' argued, GM has announced that it plans to introduce more than 100 hydrogen powered Chevrolet Equinox cars into the U.S. market beginning with the third quarter of 2007.http://www.gm.com/company/gmability/adv_tech/100_news/fc_fleet_launch_091806.html Alternatives A 2006 article, "Hybrid Vehicles Gain Traction", in Scientific American (April 2006), co-authored by Joseph J. Romm and Prof. Andrew A. Frank , argues that Hybrid Cars that can be plugged into the electric grid ( Plug-in Hybrid Electric Vehicle s), rather than hydrogen fuel-cell vehicles, will soon become standard in the automobile industry. "Hybrid Vehicles Gain Traction" To achieve lower emission goals, the power grid re-charging these vehicles will need to contribute significantly less emissions and wean themselves from fossil fuels for energy conversion. . Information from cta.ornl.gov HYDROGEN INTERNAL COMBUSTION Hydrogen internal combustion engine cars are different from hydrogen fuel cell cars. The hydrogen internal combustion car is a slightly modified version of the traditional gasoline Internal Combustion Engine car. These hydrogen engines burn fuel in the same manner that gasoline engines do. As in hydrogen fuel cell vehicles, the volume of the vehicle that the tank occupies is significant. Research is underway to increase the amount of hydrogen that can be stored onboard, be it through high pressure hydrogen, cryogenic liquid hydrogen, or Metal Hydride s. In 1807, François Isaac De Rivaz built the first hydrogen-fueled internal combustion vehicle. However, the design was very unsuccessful. It is estimated that more than a thousand hydrogen-powered vehicles were produced in Germany before the end of the World War II prompted by the acute shortage of oil. , dated April 4, 2007] Outside of specialty and small-scale uses, the primary target for the widespread application of fuel cells (hydrogen, zinc, other) is the transportation sector; however, to be economically and environmentally feasible, any fuel cell based engine would need to be more efficient from Wellhead -to-wheel, than what currently exists. AUTOMOBILE AND BUS MAKERS Many companies are currently researching the feasibility of building hydrogen cars. Funding has come from both private and government sources. In addition to the BMW and Mazda examples cited above, many automobile manufacturers have begun developing cars. These include: in the background (on the left) and Toyota Highlander FCHV in the foreground (on the right) during UC Davis 's Picnic Day activities]]
A few bus companies are also conducting hydrogen fuel cell research. These include: , 2005 |
|
|