Hydrogen Powered Cars! HA!

1/25/2002 | John Jamieson

[Wonder Warthog]

Y'know, if you actually knew something about the details of nuclear power, you'd be dangerous. Just about everything you wrote is wrong.

[stboz]

Horrors! CO2, that evil, nefarious, invisible, suffocating, plant-fertilizing (can't talk about that part), gasssssss!!!

Yes, just not as much. BTW, there is a school of thought that wonders now if elevated CO2 in the atmosphere is a RESULT of global warming, not a cause. More to follow, I'm sure.

[John Jamieson]

True! How much? Ever noticed that wind generated electricity costs more than the other kinds? Why is that?

[Bitwhacker]

Would eating beans makes us self reliant? ;^D

No, it would merely make us self-propelled!

(BTW, is that Boyle's or Charles' Law?)

[John Jamieson]

Why not as much?

[Wonder Warthog]

"Your Comments????"

A shallow article ignoring many important points.

Generating hydrogen from hydrocarbons isn't as difficult as you seem to think. See "coal gasification" as one example.

Your information about fuel cells is YEARS out of date.

And I wouldn't hold my breath waiting for development of a successful fusion reactor. They'll develop thin-film multi-junction 40% efficient solar cells long before that ever happens. If you want nuclear, it's going to be fission.

[EBUCK]

I hope not! Otherwise you may have given FR a rep. as a bunch of suckers! LOL
Anyway, what was the video like? Did it show a working/operating generator? I did an open search and found only biased reviews. I'd like to know more tho.

EBUCK

[John Jamieson]

I didn't say it was hard, I said it require large quantities of hydrocarbons, and would triple the cost of the enegery that could be used (assuming that the purpose was NOT to burn the carbon).

Coal Gasification:"The heat and pressure break apart the chemical bonds in coal's complex molecular structure, setting into motion chemical reactions with the steam and oxygen to form a gaseous mixture, typically hydrogen and carbon monoxide." Hum, what to do with the carbon monoxide? Release it, or Burn It? Seems to me the purpose of this is remove sulfur, not carbon.

[stboz]

Ok, getting more nebulous here....it's alleged to be more efficient...alleged to put more energy to whatever task per unit of fuel.

Here's a link to an article.

[EBUCK]

school of thought that wonders now if elevated CO2 in the atmosphere is a RESULT of global warming, not a cause.

Just depends on who's funding the research to find out what the answer is going to be. I don't know who to listen to anymore.

EBUCK

[John Jamieson]

Wake up .....It's a SCAM! There ain't no free electricity!

[MotleyGirl70]

ALGORE

[RightWhale]

The only way that hydrogen gereration is possible as an economic alternative to natural gas is to use solar cells by the ocean

Wind is still insignificant and unreliable, but it is growing. Solar cells are still expensive as diamond jewelry, but that should continue to develop slowly as well. Nothing on the horizon will touch oil/natural gas pricewise for a long time. Maybe coal gassification is the next serious source.

[John Jamieson]

"Once broken up, the carbon atom combines with the oxygen atoms from the methanol and water at the negative electrode to form carbon dioxide."

I see....you still make CO2, you just don't get any of the energy from it. About two thirds of the total energy availble from the methanol is wasted as heat. Must hard to keep this fuelcell cool. Stick in your IC engine and be done with it.

[John Jamieson]

Please point out the "years out of date stuff" so I can fix this "shallow article".

[Poohbah]

The biggest problem is that the 10-20 year projection on fusion ASSUMES that the project ever gets funded. After Congress gets through slashing the budget and turning the money over to people submerging crucifixes in jars of urine, the projection becomes "never."

[John Jamieson]

I agree. The purpose of government is to fix really big problems, not the social crap.

[stboz]

Stick in your IC engine and be done with it.

Have to agree! I had a '72 240Z a long time ago. Took off the EGR junk, fiddled with the carbs and timing, put a set of Cyclone headers on it....it was a rocket. Used to go hunting 924s to beat up on. 30 mpg at 70 mph, too.

[Wonder Warthog]

"Hum, what to do with the carbon monoxide? Release it, or Burn It? Seems to me the purpose of this is remove sulfur, not carbon."

See solid oxide fuel cells (SOFC). It will quite nicely utilize the CO-H2 mix. Sure, you do emit SOME carbon dioxide in the final gas, but the efficiency is far higher than combined-cycle gas turbine plants.

[John Jamieson]

The horsepower race is in full swing now. $1 gas, 345hp SUVs, 180hp VW Bugs. I never would have guessed it in '78 when I bought a new 170hp Corvette. Figured gas would be $5 by now.