NIST Set To Test Hydrogen Pipelines

The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) has started construction on a new laboratory to evaluate tests, materials, mechanical properties and standards for Hydrogen pipelines. The 750 sq ft laboratory, expected to be operational by mid-2008, will sit on the site of a former Hydrogen test facility at the NIST campus in Boulder, Colo.

Since long-term exposure to Hydrogen can embrittle existing pipelines and increase the potential for dangerous failures, researchers will be using hydraulic machines to test mechanical fatigue, residual strength and fracture toughness of various pipeline materials and equipment.

Some of the experiments will involve immersing pipeline materials in pressurized Hydrogen gas contained in steel alloy test chambers. NIST is coordinating its research and safety plans with other national laboratories and industry groups working with Hydrogen. In the future, the focus will expand to new pipeline materials such as composites.

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/01/080124094006.htm

Norwegian Hydrogen World

Mazda and Hydrogen Road of Norway (HyNor) have announced that they will collaborate in the development of Hydrogen fuel and Hydrogen vehicles. As part of the colloboration, HyNor will purchase thirty Mazda RX-8 Hydrogen RE vehicles making this the first time such vehicles have been sold outside of Japan.

Mazda has described the move as a big step in Mazda's Hydrogen vehicle development history and lauds Norway as being one of the countries closest to the realization of a Hydrogen energy society.

As part of the project, HyNor is looking to develop a Hydrogen energy infrastructure along a route of 360 miles (580km) from Oslo to Stavanger. The project envisions a Hydrogen world with buses, taxis, cars and other types of transport systems. Sounds like Norway might be one of the first countries to realize a Hydrogen Future.

http://www.edmunds.com/insideline/do/News/articleId=123351

Traveling The World Supersonic Style

The European Space Agency (ESA) has just been granted financing to study the development of a Hydrogen fueled hypersonic aircraft capable of travelling at Mach 5.5.

The first phase of this Long-term Advanced Propulsion Concepts And Technologies (LAPCAT) scheme winds up early next year and is being run by the ESA.

The $14.5 million funding will go towards studying how to bring this supersonic aircraft to life so that one day it will travel from Brussels, Belgium to Sydney, Australia in just 4.6 hours (covering 10,407 miles).

For now, researchers are trying to figure out how to develop an engine that will be capable of thrusting the airplane to Mach 5.5 speed. The engine will most likely consist of a rocket engine with a turbo compressor that will be also be able to fly at subsonic speeds while travelling over land where sonic boom is not permitted. This amazing technology is definitely something we can expect to see in the Hydrogen Future.

http://gizmodo.com/gadgets/fast-plane/mach-8-hydrogen-hypersonic-airliner-on-the-drawing-board-314957.php

Hydrogen Honda Is Here To Stay

Honda Motor Company has come out with a trial based Hydrogen fueled vehicle called the FCX Concept. During the debut of the vehicle Honda predicted a bright future for Hydrogen fuel cell cars, stating that mass production of such vehicles may happen within a decade.

Honda has stated that it is making significant efforts in the development of fuel cell vehicles with the hopes of bringing down the high price from $840,000 (more than 100 million yen) to below $87,700 (10 million yen) within the next ten years.

Honda also believes that there is no future for the auto history without Hydrogen fuel cell vehicles especially when other cleaner technology such as electric vehicles cannot go as far as needed without additional charging or a massive battery. After trying to mass produce electric vehicles three years ago Honda realized the technology was not enough and decided to pursue fuel cell technology instead.

http://www.channelnewsasia.com/stories/afp_asiapacific_business/view/307388/1/.html

Hollywood Has Gone Hydrogen

Davis Guggenheim, the director/producer of the movie Inconvenient Truth has just been given a set of keys to long term test drive the BMW Hydrogen 7.

He joins a select group of people that have been keys to test drive this amazing vehicle for an extended period of time. Among them are comic Jay Leno and opera singer Plácido Domingo.

This is hopefully a good sign of things to come from BMW in terms of more of these revolutionary vehicles being made available to the masses. As more of these vehicles become common place for everyday drivers so does the reality of a Hydrogen Future.

http://www.edmunds.com/insideline/do/News/articleId=122945#2

Hats Off To The Hydrogen Man

Mike Strizki of Hopewell, New Jersey has rigged his home to run on Hydrogen in the winter and solar power in the summer. This one of a kind home has zero public utilities bills and produces zero pollution. Not only does his house run on Hydrogen but so does his speed boat, car and even his golf cart.

To generate electricity all Mr. Strizki has to do is turn on a flow of water, which leads to an electrolyzer machine that splits the water into its component parts of Hydrogen and oxygen. The Hydrogen then feeds into oblong metal tanks that fuels his house, his vehicles and boat. The Hydrogen can be stored in pressurized tanks for months or even years and when needed is funneled into a Hydrogen fuel cell where, when recombined with oxygen, free electrons are created and captured in the form of electricity. At the end of the process the only byproduct is water which is fed right back into the electrolyzer, where the solar energy splits it into Hydrogen once again.

Hats off to Mr. Strizki and his wonderful set up! Although this system cost around $500,000 it is great to see that living in a Hydrogen Future is definitely possibly as Mr. Strizki is proof of it today.

http://www.theolympian.com/524/story/236061.html

Checks and Balances

The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) has asked the U.S. National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) to develop methods, standards, and measurements with respect to bringing Hydrogen into the marketplace.

The NIST has been tasked with developing the standards, test procedures and test methods that are needed to buy and sell Hydrogen in the future marketplace as easily as gasoline, diesel and other fuels are bought today.

Even though accurate measuremnts and standards are critical for bringing us one step closer to the Hydrogen Future it still something that could have easily been overlooked.

It is great to see that accurate measurements and standards are being developed and implemented towards this technology, especially since such standards and measurements are necessary in almost every stage of Hydrogen, from production to distribution and sales.

http://www.gasworld.com/news.php?a=2062

Zoom Zoom SuPREMACY

Mazda has unveiled a new hybrid vehicle that runs on Hydrogen but can switch to gasoline if needed.

The Mazda Premacy Hydrogen RE Hybrid also has a lithium-ion battery that drives the motor and recharges itself using energy from braking.

The vehicle will debut at the Tokyo Motor Show later this month and will be available in Japan next year. For now it will only be available on lease from the factory at around $3,577 a month.

This Hydrogen/electric/gasoline hybrid is very intriguing and should do well as it can bridge the gap for now between gasoline vehicles and vehicles that run solely on Hydrogen.

http://ukpress.google.com/article/ALeqM5g3Y7kOunpk649M_zNkwQ4nV3ng0A

Good Day Sunshine

Scientists at the Max Planck Institute for Bioinorganic Chemistry in Mülheim, Germany have developed a promising new catalyst for splitting water using sunlight and storing the Hydrogen and oxygen produced.

The team of scientists found that titanium disilicide (TiSi2) can split water using a photocatalytic process similar to photosynthesis whereby chlorophyll molecules use light energy to convert water and carbon dioxide into glucose. The semiconductor is also able to separate and store the Hydrogen and oxygen released.

Using simply the sun and no other fossil fuels to produce Hydrogen is about as clean as a method as one can find. Assuming this can be implemented on a large scale it will definitely be something that we can expect to see in the Hydrogen Future.

http://www.rsc.org/chemistryworld/News/2007/October/01100701.asp

Driving on Egg Shells

Engineers at Ohio State University have discovered that egg shells can be used to filter out the carbon dioxide that is produced during the seperation of Hydrogen from hydrocarbons.

As it turns out the calcium carbonate found in egg shells is one of the most effective carbon dioxide absorbers ever tested.

The engineers were however quick to add that egg shells alone may not be adequate to produce enough Hydrogen for the whole country but at least it would be better than just dumping them into lanfills.

This is promising technology but not perfect since the use of hydrocarbons is still involved.

http://www.livescience.com/technology/071001_eggshell_hydrogen.html

He Sells Hydrogen Hyundai's on the Sea Shore

Hyundai has unveiled its new Hydrogen fuel cell concept vehicle called the i-Blue at the Frankfurt International Motor Show. The company says that the zero emissions vehicle (ZEV) is built on a car based crossover platform in what it calls a two plus two crossover utility vehicle (CUV).

Hyundai is confident that they have succeeded in designing a true Hydrogen fuel cell ZEV that still retains the comfort, convenience, safety and driving range of a traditional internal combustion engine vehicle. The company is optimistic that it will begin mass production of the vehicle within the next decade.

Hopefully with all of their technology and ingenuity Hyundai will become successful in producing the Hydrogen fuel cells necessary for vehicles like the i-Blue without using any fossil fuels. This would position the company very well into the Hydrogen Future.

http://www.stuff.co.nz/stuff/4217080a30.html

Coming to a Movie Premiere Near You - The New Toyota Hydrogen SUV

Toyota has announced that a new version of the Highlander SUV fitted with Hydrogen fuel cells is capable of driving 900km (560 miles) at around 80 km (50 mph) on a single tank of Hydrogen. This is excellent news especially given that the only exhaust produced during the trip would be water.

The company did not mention when the vehicle might become available or what it might cost.

Once again though we have to ask whether the original Hydrogen fuel cell was made using fossil fuels or not. Either way, this is very promising.

http://www.tech.co.uk/gadgets/future-tech/news/toyotas-hydrogen-car-covers-new-ground?articleid=832724589

Pedalling Hydrogen in China

Recently Shanghai Pearl Hydrogen Power Source Technology unveiled a Hydrogen fuel cell bicycle at an international fair in Shanghai, China. According to the company the $2,600 bicycle is similar to a conventional electric bicycle except that there are two hydrogen gas bottles and a small fuel cell. The bicycle has a range of 100km (62 miles) at a speed of around 25km (15.5 mph). The bicycle only takes 30 minutes to refill compared to three hours for recharging an electric bicycle battery.

Given the technology involved the bicycle is expensive although the company is confident that price will drop to around $670 once mass production begins.

This is a great start although one has to wonder how the Hydrogen fuel cell was made in the first place. If it was made using a wind mill or some other non fossil fuel source that is great. However if it was made using fossil fuels, although it is still great progress, it is not yet a true product of the Hydrogen Future.


http://www.news.com.au/heraldsun/story/0,21985,22395601-664,00.html

The Basics of Hydrogen

Hydrogen gas (H2) represents nearly 75% of the universes elemental mass and is the most abundant of chemical elements. It is odorless, colorless, tasteless, nonmetallic, and highly flammable. Hydrogen is lighter than air and since it rises into the atmosphere it is not found on earth by itself but rather compounded together with other elements. When combined with oxygen it is water (H2O) and when combined with carbon, it forms other compounds such as methane (CH4), coal, and petroleum. Hydrogen is also found in biomass and is an abundant element in the earths crust.

Since Hydrogen is not an energy source itself it has to be produced by either electrolysis of water or reforming of fossil fuels. Electrolysis of water is a process whereby electricity is used to split water molecules (H2O) to create pure Hydrogen and oxygen. Although this process can be done just about anywhere it is the more expensive of the two processes. In the reforming of fossil fuels, a device called a fuel processor or reformer is used to split Hydrogen off the carbon in hydrocarbons that are found in oil and natural gas (methane) to create pure Hydrogen and carbon, the latter being discarded into the atmosphere as carbon dioxide.

In order to create a true Hydrogen Future pure Hydrogen should be derived from renewable sources and not fossil fuels so that there is no release of carbon into the atmosphere. Today this can be achieved only by generating pure Hydrogen through electrolysis utilizing electricity that is not generated itself by fossil fuels. There are several non fossil fuel options for generating the electricity needed for electrolysis which include wind turbines, solar cells, hydroelectric dams, nuclear power, geothermal power, wave and tidal power and co-generation.

The Hydrogen Future will be driven in large part by the non fossil fuel option that becomes not only the safest, most feasible and most efficient source of electricty needed to produce pure Hydrogen but also the most affordable.