Supply-chain challenges have kept the hydrogen economy from becoming a reality, but the Hydrofill refueling station bypasses those problems by letting users make their own fuel. The desktop-sized unit, which can be powered from an AC adapter or an optional solar panel, electrolyzes water to make hydrogen gas. The gas is stored as a solid in metal hydride cartridges, which take an hour to fill; the cartridges can then be used in a handheld fuel-cell recharger that supplies power to portable electronics.
Courtesy of Hydrogen Fuel Cell Technologies
Product: Hydrofill Cost: $500
Availability: 2010
Source: www.horizonfuelcell.com
Company: Horizon Fuel Cell Technologies
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Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Comments
holoman
02/25/2010
Posts:33
This can be put to use by dropping aluminum pellets into water in a small reactor inside a car or by a building to supply power to the building or car. The hydrogen produced could either be reacted in a fuel cell (more efficient) or burned in an internal combustion engine or an external one like a stirling.
The energy is put back in by reducing the oxide back to the metal, which takes alot of energy of course or it wouldn't store alot. Massive plants do this already to produce the aluminum from aluminum oxide (bauxite ore) for the aluminum used today, so we know how to do this with maximum possible efficiency.
Magnesium forms the same reaction at 800o.
I imagine supply trucks hauling aluminum pellets to the equivalent of re-fueling stations.
If the stations have their own renewable source they would only have to bring in aluminum when not enuf was dropped off to reprocess.
They could power these with modular solar thermal for example in sunny areas.
An advantage is that, instead of the 100 sticks of dynamite today's cars carry around as gasoline equivalent, cars would carry water tank plus metal pellets. In an accident, a ruptured water tank could help put out any incidental fires.
the basic reaction for aluminum:
http://www.fuelcellsworks.com/Supppage7355.html
http://www.physorg.com/news98556080.html
for magnesium:
http://www.techbriefs.com/component/content/article/3498
single house sized modular like this one by stirling energy's solar thermal CST:
http://www.popularmechanics.com/science/research/4288743.html
erbium
02/25/2010
Posts:218
I do not see a hydrogen economy ever developing because the creating of the hydrogen is not efficient enough. It makes more sense to use the generated electricity directly or storing it in batteries, although batteries have their own problems.
onlyjus
03/01/2010
Posts:3
like a very low energy density, 1/70th that of chemical fuel. (per article on this website)
like losing their charge when stored
(I have to top off my Lions for my camera before shoots)
like having less power at low temps.
chemical doesn't have this problem as it reacts with oxygen which has increased density when cold.
(ok is hard to light some chemical fuels like butane when cold but will react inside a car's engine)
and chemical fuel cars are hard to start when cold (woops, that's because the battery doesn't put out as much juice)
We are already paying the extra price for convenience of chemical fuel, as it is definitely more expensive for short trips than charging batteries. However batteries can't match the 100 sticks of dynamite energy equivalent stored in every gas tank of every one of today's cars, and probably never will.
erbium
03/01/2010
Posts:218