There are several ways of making hydrogen in the UK. The cheapest way is to convert natural gas into hydrogen by a process called reformation. Reforming natural gas into hydrogen produces CO2 but no more than burning it. However, using the hydrogen in a hydrogen fuelcell or using the natural gas itself in a natural gas fuelcell produces at least twice as much useful energy for a given amount of natural gas than burning it (in a natural gas fuelcell the natural gas is ‘reformed’ inside the fuelcell).

Therefore to get the best use from natural gas we should endeavour to use it in fuelcells, either directly or after reforming it into hydrogen. Natural gas fuelcells will be a good bridge technology to a hydrogen-powered world.

Natural gas, i.e. methane, is a powerful greenhouse gas, 10 times more effective than CO2, so we should use up all the natural gas on Earth by burning it or using it in fuelcells before it escapes and adds to global warming. Commercial pressures are achieving this anyway and in due course natural gas will become scarce so we need to develop alternative ways to make hydrogen.

We should not rely on converting coal into hydrogen because obviously coal is not a greenhouse gas so to create CO2 as a by-product of converting coal into hydrogen is not justifiable on greenhouse gas priorities. However to convert coal into a gas suitable for use in fuelcells is better from a minimising the production of atmospheric CO2 point of view than simply burning coal as we used to. This technology may be a good way ahead for India and China to use some of their vast coal deposits.

But the UK and Europe cannot go back to increasing our reliance on coal because most of the CO2 emissions savings to date have been achieved by switching from coal to natural gas! If we did go back to coal we would be back to where we started in 1990. Nuclear power is not acceptable. So we do need to get on with developing alternative ways of making hydrogen. In the UK and Europe we are becoming dependent on natural gas which because of increasing use is going to become progressively more expensive and will eventually run out.

There are four main alternative methods available at present for producing hydrogen without producing CO2 or adding more CO2 to the atmosphere:

1) The electrolysis of water using electricity from renewable resources such as wind power, hydro-power and solar photo-voltaic cells. This method produces no carbon dioxide.

2) The chemical or thermal reformation of biomass feedstocks such as SRC (short rotation coppice) wood chips or methanol manufactured from biomass. This method releases carbon dioxide but it is all recycled by the growth of more biomass.

3) The biological reformation of biomass using micro-organisms. This method releases carbon dioxide but it is all recycled by the growth of more biomass.

4) The direct splitting of water using light with special catalysts or extreme heat, this method produces no carbon dioxide.

Of these four processes only the production of hydrogen by the electrolysis of water using electricity generated by offshore wind power is viable on a large multigigawatt scale in the UK.

Offshore wind power is the only large (ie multigigawatts) UK resource of clean renewable electricity that is likely to be available in the near future. Sufficient onshore wind power capacity is unlikely to get planning permission and the other renewables do not have sufficient capacity. The hydrogen will be manufactured in factories at the coast.

The hydrogen produced will be used for road transport applications, initially urban buses and, later on, cars.

In due course if solar-photo-voltaic (PV) electricity generation in North Africa becomes established, hydrogen, manufactured by the electrolysis of water, using the solar-PV electricity in North Africa, could be transmitted by gas pipelines across the Mediterranean Sea and throughout Europe and north into the UK. The hydrogen could then be used as a transport fuel or it could be converted into electricity and heat in fuelcell based cogeneration systems. Production could start in S. E. Spain and then expand into North Africa.

Assuming these developments take place then as a first step, the hydrogen from North Africa could be injected into the existing natural gas pipelines supplying the existing UK natural gas grid to enhance the energy value of the natural gas. This already occurs in the USA. Before we changed over to North Sea natural gas, we used town gas made from coal which was over 50% hydrogen.

The enriched natural gas will continue to be burned in existing central heating systems and cookers but new domestic systems will be based on fuelcells for the cogeneration of electricity and heat.

If hydrogen injection into existing natural gas pipelines is adopted, then only a small proportion of hydrogen can be injected because all of the gas appliances running on natural gas are sensitive to the proportions of different gasses in the gas mixture supplied. However, the volume of hydrogen to be delivered using this technique will be quite small relative to the volume of natural gas being delivered and so the gas mixture would be acceptable. It would not be possible however to keep increasing the proportion of hydrogen injected as hydrogen production increases.

What gas injection offers is an early route to market for the initial small scale production of hydrogen before separate hydrogen pipelines are built. When hydrogen becomes the main energy carrier, then sections of the natural gas grid will be changed to 100% hydrogen and the existing gas appliances in the area served will have to be adjusted to burn hydrogen. This is what happened when we changed from town gas – which was over 50% hydrogen – to North Sea gas.

Hydrogen injection is a way of integrating hydrogen into the existing natural gas system. It enables existing appliances to be used to burn the hydrogen and so provide a market for early production. The enriched natural gas can also be used to run natural gas fuelcells or can be reformed at the point of use to give hydrogen for use in hydrogen fuelcells. This enables fuelcells to be introduced alongside existing appliances all using the same fuel supply system.

Eventually the whole country will go over to 100% hydrogen, the gas grid will be increased in capacity and it is possible that the national electricity grid will no longer be required as the generation of electricity becomes locally based, using hydrogen fuelcell cogeneration systems.

The hydrogen-powered cogeneration systems will range in size from less than 1 kW up to 100s of MW. These systems will be located in single homes, large buildings or serve whole communities from a cogeneration centre.

Another likely route of hydrogen supply to the UK will be as liquid hydrogen delivered by ocean tanker from Canada, where hydroelectricity will be used to electrolyse water, or from Iceland where electricity from geothermal power may be used to electrolyse water.

In the early 1990s the EEC developed at the Joint Research Centre at Ispra in Italy the concept of the Euro-Quebec Hydro-Hydrogen Project for transporting liquid hydrogen across the Atlantic in special ship mounted barges. And in Iceland there is now an Icelandic government project to change the whole country over to a hydrogen-based energy system.

In due course there will be a world-wide trade in liquid hydrogen that will underpin each individual country’s pipeline based systems. Liquid hydrogen supplies will provide security of supply and boost availability in winter by moving surplus summer production of hydrogen around the world. If there is an accident with a hydrogen tanker the hydrogen will boil away with no pollution. The process of liquefaction dissipates about 30% of the energy in the hydrogen, so pipeline distribution of hydrogen as a gas will always be the preferred option for bulk distribution.

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A hydrogen vehicle, as the name suggests is powered by hydrogen instead of gasoline, as is the case in contemporary vehicles.  The vehicles can be buses, cargo bikes, PHB bikes, trains, motorcycles, golf-carts, wheelchairs, airplanes, ships, submarines and even rockets. Such vehicles convert hydrogen into energy through electro-chemical conversion (Fuel-cell conversion) or combustion. In the electro-chemical conversion engines, hydrogen reacts with oxygen to produce electricity and water. The electricity powers the traction motor. In the combustion engines on the other hand, hydrogen is combusted in engine similar to the traditional combustion engines in contemporary vehicles. 

Extracting hydrogen power for use in vehicles is a complex process. Hydrogen and Oxygen are the two natural elements that make water. Hydrogen is not regarded as a source of energy but a carrier of the same mainly because extracting the same from water takes much energy. To date, there is no efficient technology for use in extracting hydrogen energy. Even established carmakers like Ford Motor Company and Renault-Nissan have dropped plans to develop hydrogen cars mainly because of the costs involved and the lack of a reliable hydrogen production plants. 

The most definite utilization of hydrogen in vehicles is evident in rockets. This is mainly based on the gas’s ability to give the high exhaust velocity and low net weight to the propellant.  In airplanes, the use of hydrogen engines is still in the trial phase. The major obstacle in the development of hydrogen vehicles is mainly cost related. In addition to the high costs, the hydrogen fuel cells are also fragile thus making them unreliable for use in vibrations and bumps generated by automobiles. Most hydrogen engines require the use of rare catalysts such as platinum, thus making the cost even more prohibitive. Engineers are however researching on what else can be used as a catalyst in order to lower the costs. Nickel-tin is a nonmetal catalyst that is under serious consideration by the engineers.  

Another hindrance in the development of hydrogen vehicles is the fact that the fuel cell can solidify in freezing conditions. This means that the Hydrogen vehicles are only operational on temperatures above 32 F or 0 Celsius. However, this concern is mainly before engine start-up since the engine can generate enough heat to maintain enough operational temperatures.  To solve this problem, engineers think that the inclusion of a pre-heating device or the use of a fuel cell that has some form of heating element would solve this problem. 

There are also concerns about the service life of hydrogen vehicles. Although the service life in cycling has been confirmed ay 7,300 hours, the target for heavy-duty vehicles such as buses is still under research. In such vehicles, the target of service life is set at 30,000 hours. Large-scale development of hydrogen vehicles would lead to decreased green house gases emissions since hydrogen fuels do not produce carbon dioxide. For this to happen however, engineers and researchers must overcome the challenges presented in the production, transportation and storage of the hydrogen-powered vehicles.

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There are already several alternative sources of energy. One of these alternative sources was originally intended for space programs but now, some studies are already considering it for car use. Hydrogen fuel cells are indeed gaining much attention in today’s times when there is a great need for another energy source.

The hydrogen fuel cells are just like traditional batteries. A chemical reaction produces electricity and electrical charge. However, there is still a difference. You see, with batteries, power is produced if the cell is continuously supplied with hydrogen. To understand how the fuel cells work, read on.

The cell’s size and hydrogen flow determines the electricity produced. When a chemical reaction occurs between air and hydrogen, three things are produced namely heat, water, and electricity. Fuel cells lower heat output as compared to other sources of energy like the fossil fuels. But still, there are advantages in using hydrogen fuel cells.

One obvious advantage is that fuel cells are clean since the byproducts are heat and water. These byproducts can’t harm the environment. Fuel cells have efficiency rates ranging from 45-53% as compared to gasoline with only 20% efficiency rate.

Whenever electricity is required, you can use fuel cells. The size of fuel cells is scalable. Fuel cells can therefore be created small to power an MP3 player or even large enough to give a town its needed electrical power. Aside from providing electrical power to certain things, it can also supply the needed rotary power by cars.

At present, car manufacturers worldwide are looking at hydrogen fuel cells are an alternative to the combustion engines. There are already pictures of hydrogen powered vehicles online; if you want, you can check them out if you have the time. If ever the hydrogen powered vehicles will become a reality in the near future, the dependency of many countries to petroleum will be reduced and not only that, pollution will be cut down.

Currently, fuel cells are installed in some neighborhoods and industrial buildings to provide electrical power. Within the next 50-100 years, hydrogen fuel cells will completely replace petroleum since they have broad social and commercial applications. Remote settlements can now depend on fuel cells for power. Portable devices can also be provided with renewable power through the fuel cells.

Countries from all over the world are looking for a clean and dependable energy source. With the continued support from the government and commercial establishments, the use of fuel cells will soon be a guaranteed success.

Hydrogen fuel cells are truly great but there’s one consideration. In order to produce fuel cells, energy is needed and at present, fossil fuels serve as the source of energy. Scientists and experts are still conducting studies and researches to find other ways to produce fuel cells safely. At the moment, fossil fuels are being used to produce the hydrogen fuel cells but hopefully, new sources of energy will be discovered to further improve its production.

Now you know what hydrogen fuel cells are all about. The fuel cells are not mainly used for providing electricity because currently the automakers are trying to manufacturer cars that are fueled by hydrogen.

If you want to keep abreast with the developments of hydrogen fuel cells, log on to the internet and you will always be kept up to date. It is always good to be well-informed.

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The Truth about Hydrogen Fuel Systems

HHO or hybrid hydrogen oxygen is gaining much popularity these days. Perhaps its popularity can be due to the high prices of gas in the world market. A lot of car owners as well as homeowners want to know how hydrogen fuel systems work.

You might also be wondering how cars run with the use of hydrogen fuel. Well, all the questions running in your mind will be answered as you read on.

Some of the most frequent questions being asked by people are:

1. Are the hydrogen fuel systems difficult to assemble?
2. How does the system work?
3. Is the hydrogen fuel system a must nowadays?

These three questions will be answered before you even finish reading this article.

You don’t have to be an expert mechanic in order to assemble a hydrogen fuel system. You can find video and book instructions to help you with the assembly task. The HHO car kits are now widely available in major stores at a reasonable price. You can easily purchase the kits and later, you can assemble the various parts of the HHO generator.

Aside from the HHO kits, those who don’t like do-it-yourself activities can purchase ready-made hydrogen fuel system. But of course, if you opt for this alternative, it can be quite expensive. Try to compute your yearly gasoline expenses. The cost of the ready-made hydrogen fuel system is still not that expensive. With a one-time investment on the system, you can expect a lot of savings in the coming years which you can use in purchasing other more important items.

Some people don’t want to conduct internet researches because they feel that they will be overloaded with pieces of useless information. Even if you’ve gathered the needed information, it is useless if you don’t take time to read. In order to know how the hydrogen fuel systems work, you have to do your homework.

You must read and understand everything so that you will better understand the process. The ‘Electrolyzer’ will produce HHO fuel from the mixture of oxygen and hydrogen. The hydrogen fuel is sent to a carburetor or an intake manifold so that the vehicle will run smoothly; achieve better mileage, calmer engine, faster acceleration, etc.

A lot of people find themselves at a great loss due to the very high price of gas. If you make use of Hydrogen technology, you can enjoy the benefits that come along with it. By using hydrogen fuel systems, you can save a lot of money, save the planet by decreasing the emission of greenhouse gases, and you can also keep your car in peak performance.

If you can enjoy these benefits, is there anything else you can ask for? It’s like hitting two or more birds with one stone, right? You simply have to know your fuel options.

With the rising price of gas and basic commodities, you will need to look for an effective alternative energy source.

What are Hydrogen Fuel Cells?

There are already several alternative sources of energy. One of these alternative sources was originally intended for space programs but now, some studies are already considering it for car use. Hydrogen fuel cells are indeed gaining much attention in today’s times when there is a great need for another energy source.

The hydrogen fuel cells are just like traditional batteries. A chemical reaction produces electricity and electrical charge. However, there is still a difference. You see, with batteries, power is produced if the cell is continuously supplied with hydrogen. To understand how the fuel cells work, read on.

The cell’s size and hydrogen flow determines the electricity produced. When a chemical reaction occurs between air and hydrogen, three things are produced namely – heat, water, and electricity. Fuel cells lower heat output as compared to other sources of energy like the fossil fuels. But still, there are advantages in using hydrogen fuel cells.

One obvious advantage is that fuel cells are clean since the byproducts are heat and water. These byproducts can’t harm the environment. Fuel cells have efficiency rates ranging from 45-53% as compared to gasoline with only 20% efficiency rate.

Whenever electricity is required, you can use fuel cells. The size of fuel cells is scalable. Fuel cells can therefore be created small to power an MP3 player or even large enough to give a town its needed electrical power. Aside from providing electrical power to certain things, it can also supply the needed rotary power by cars.

At present, car manufacturers worldwide are looking at hydrogen fuel cells are an alternative to the combustion engines. There are already pictures of hydrogen powered vehicles online; if you want, you can check them out if you have the time. If ever the hydrogen powered vehicles will become a reality in the near future, the dependency of many countries to petroleum will be reduced and not only that, pollution will be cut down.

Currently, fuel cells are installed in some neighborhoods and industrial buildings to provide electrical power. Within the next 50-100 years, hydrogen fuel cells will completely replace petroleum since they have broad social and commercial applications. Remote settlements can now depend on fuel cells for power. Portable devices can also be provided with renewable power through the fuel cells.

Countries from all over the world are looking for a clean and dependable energy source. With the continued support from the government and commercial establishments, the use of fuel cells will soon be a guaranteed success.

Hydrogen fuel cells are truly great but there’s one consideration. In order to produce fuel cells, energy is needed and at present, fossil fuels serve as the source of energy. Scientists and experts are still conducting studies and researches to find other ways to produce fuel cells safely. At the moment, fossil fuels are being used to produce the hydrogen fuel cells but hopefully, new sources of energy will be discovered to further improve its production.

How Hydrogen Fuel for Cars Work

You can now find hydrogen fuel for your car or cars and experience the many benefits it can provide. Some hydrogen cars are still being tested to prove its efficiency but time will come when these cars will be fully accepted on the road. It would be very beneficial if there are lots of hydrogen stations all over the world; well, who knows… perhaps that time will come too.

The demand for hydrogen fuel for cars will soon increase as the source of hydrogen fuel becomes stable. With the use of hydrogen powered vehicles, you can enjoy driving for about a month without refilling the tank; that’s discrete mileage, right? At present, fully hydrogen powered cars are not yet available.

However, the existing car engines can now be modified and converted. Once modified, the cars can use hydrogen as fuel. By 2010, some car manufacturers are going to launch fully hydrogen powered cars that can answer today’s energy and environmental problems.

With very few hydrogen fuel for cars at the moment, the price is too high for ordinary individuals to afford. But no one can really tell if the hydrogen fuel cars will soon be reasonably priced. At the moment, you can have your vehicle converted so that you can get the feel of driving a hydrogen fuel vehicle. Rest assured that you can save lots of money because you will be using water instead of gasoline. If you want to gain 35-100% increase in mileage, have you car converted the soonest.

Driving conditions differ and this is one thing to consider when using hydrogen fuel vehicles. The car of tomorrow will have an HHO fuel cell. This fuel cell can even be made at home. There are HHO car kits so that you can easily build the fuel cells since the building instructions are included in the kit. If you want, you can also purchase the needed materials and then look for the building instructions online.

How do hydrogen fuel cars work? The process is not hard to understand. Once the car is converted, you can now use clean water as fuel. The water molecules are separated and then the gases are forced into a combustion chamber. In the chamber, the gases are burned and in turn, energy is produced. Now, the car has power and you can enjoy driving for as long you like. Not only is the hydrogen fuel car cost effective, but it is also environment friendly as well. It can reduce pollution and the emission of greenhouse gases.

So, if you want to save the environment and cut-down your gasoline costs, have your vehicle converted now. Well of course, you need to consider if there are hydrogen stations in your locality. Otherwise, you will depend largely on your water source at home. You must know your options before you convert the car. It will involve a certain amount of money and you have to be prepared for it. And when new and fully hydrogen fuel cars are sold for the public, you can buy the car; that is, if you can afford one.

You have to learn more about hydrogen fuel for cars. If you want, you can take advantage of the various resources online and gather the needed information. You have to know how the hydrogen fuel car works so that you can appreciate it even more.

Hydrogen Fuel: Convert Your Vehicle Now

Water fuel, hydrogen fuel, whatever you may want to call it – it all pertains to one thing. Many years ago, people would have been reluctant in using the hydrogen technology but now, it is gaining popularity all over the world particularly in rich countries like the US, Europe, and Canada. If you want to use hydrogen fuel, convert your vehicle now.

The Earth is made up of 75% water and that you learned in your elementary days. With this fact, scientists conducted various studies to prove that water can be a source of fuel energy. Unfortunately, water alone can’t be used to power a vehicle. What you need is a conversion tool and an HHO generator. Still, water is an integral part in hydrogen technology.

One of the greatest scientists who studied about the viability of water as source of alternative fuel is Nikola Tesla. Although he had made a lot of discoveries, all his studies were not revealed to the public. Most of Tesla’s inventions were ‘futuristic’ and ordinary individuals can’t understand them.

Hydrogen technology is not new and it has been in existence for many years now. Recently, hydrogen powered cars are gaining much popularity. This knowledge brought tension in the market because gas-producing companies will be terribly affected if more hydrogen powered vehicles are manufactured.

On the other hand, the invention of hydrogen powered vehicles has brought much attention to the problems here on Earth like pollution and global warming.

At present, thousands of converted cars are now using ‘water’ to fuel their vehicles. But of course, you need to convert first your car before you can make use of water to power your car. Will you believe that you can increase mileage from 75-100%? That sounds unbelievable, right? But the facts prove it; in fact, if you try to check online customer testimonials and product reviews, you will read positive testimonials about hydrogen fuel.

Perhaps you’ve also seen TV interviews about satisfied car owners who are already using hydrogen technology. If you’re a car owner and your head hurts badly because of the expensive cost of gasoline, convert your car now. You don’t have to take the car to a mechanic because you can either do the conversion on your own or purchase a ready-made HHO generator and conversion tool.

The latter is a bit expensive because it can cost about $800. But once the hydrogen fuel cell technology is installed in your car, you can enjoy many years of driving with reduced gasoline expenditures. Aside from saving massive money, your car will function at its best. It will make your car less noisy and the gears can be shifted smoothly. You will surely enjoy traveling without worries.

So, do you want to be a happy and contented driver too? Use hydrogen fuel, covert your vehicle now. This is a very important decision that you have to make. Anyway, if ever you’re not satisfied with the performance of the hydrogen technology, you can readily remove it from your car. You can again use gasoline to power your vehicle.

Since a great percentage of car owners who converted to hydrogen fuel are happy, then maybe you might find it cost-effective as well. So far, this is the best alternative source of fuel energy for cars. Join the happy drivers, earn savings, and save the planet.       

The environment definitely need help nowadays and the hydrogen fuel cars might be of great assistance.

Now you know what hydrogen fuel cells are all about. The fuel cells are not mainly used for providing electricity because currently the automakers are trying to manufacturer cars that are fueled by hydrogen.

Now that you know the very important things about hydrogen fuel systems, don’t you think that its time for you to try it out? You don’t have to buy a new car because your existing car will do. You simply need to purchase a HHO car kit or buy a ready-made hydrogen fuel system.If you want to keep abreast with the developments of hydrogen fuel cells, log on to the internet and you will always be kept up to date. It is always good to be well-informed. Start shopping for it now.

Steve Cownley
http://allsortsofbits.comoj.com/

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