Hydrogen Station Set To Open In Britain

Britain’s first Hydrogen fuel station is set to open at Birmingham University this week with plans to open at least twelve stations across the country by 2010. The Hydrogen station will be a part of trials being conducted with a fleet of five fuel-cell vehicles. Three Hydrogen stations are planned for London with the first opening next year at a bus garage in East London.

Air Products, the company installing the fuel station, is working with Transport for London (TfL) to build fuel stations for a fleet of 70 Hydrogen-powered vehicles that are being introduced next year. TfL vehicles will contain a mixture of buses, vans, cars and motorcycles and will be used by TfL staff, the police and the fire brigade. The five-year trial of both fuel cells and Hydrogen combustion engines will cost around $43 million (£22 million).

A fuel cell combines Hydrogen from a tank with oxygen from the air to produce electricity, which powers an electric motor. The only byproduct is water and the whole process produces no carbon dioxide emissions

http://driving.timesonline.co.uk/tol/life_and_style/driving/article3753961.ece

Boeing Takes Hydrogen To New Heights

Boeing has laid claim to being the first company in the world to put into the air a plane powered by a Hydrogen cell battery. The plane, carrying just the pilot on board, was flown over the airport at Ocana, Spain at a speed of 62 mph (100kmh) for about 20 minutes at an altitude of some 3,300 (1,000m) using only the Hydrogen battery for power.

Although the plane is on the smaller side (wing span of 51 feet (16.3m), 21 feet (6.5m) long and weighing approximately 1,760 pounds (800kg)) this is promising news for Hydrogen technology being utilized in the aviation industry.

This type of technology use is something we can expect to see more of in the Hydrogen Future.

http://www.breitbart.com/article.php?id=080403162501.d2gts0go&show_article=1

BMW Hydrogen Fit For a Prince

Prince Albert II of Monaco has been given a BMW Hydrogen 7 at the opening of the EVER MONACO environment exhibition. The event is part of the "Sustainable Environmental Protection" program, which is one of the cornerstones of policy in the Principality of Monaco.

The BMW 7 Hydrogen required 20 years of research and development at the BMW Group. The vehicle is powered by a V12 engine and the transition from gasoline to Hydrogen is done at the push of a button. The Series 7 Hydrogen can travel more than 430 miles (700km) and has a reservoir that safely contains more than 17 pounds (8kg) of liquid Hydrogen kept permanently at a temperature of minus 253 degrees.

http://www.thenewsmarket.com/CustomLink/CustomLinks.aspx?GUID=fb928bf8-0723-4522-970f-6c0e29723846&bhcp=1

New Fueling Stations for London's Hydrogen Buses

Air Products & Chemicals Incorporated announced that it has signed an agreement with Transport for London to supply Hydrogen fuel and a dedicated fueling station for 10 Hydrogen-powered buses. The deal is worth around $6.8 million, with extra being paid for the fuel. The company expects the buses, which will form a central part of London's Hydrogen transport program, to be operating by 2010.

Air Products is based out of Allentown, PA and is the world’s largest supplier of merchant Hydrogen, operating over 60 gaseous and liquid Hydrogen production plants.

http://www.eta.co.uk/node/10409

Seaworld To See New Hydrogen Buses

SeaWorld is unveiling two new Hydrogen-fueled shuttle buses that will be used to transport park guests and employees between its three theme parks (SeaWorld, Discovery Cove and Aquatica).

The shuttle buses are part of a pilot program between the Florida Department of Environmental Protection, Ford Motor Company, Chevron Technology Ventures and Progress Energy. During the program, data will be collected from the SeaWorld vehicles to evaluate efficiency and best applications for Hydrogen-fueled vehicles.

http://www.bizjournals.com/orlando/stories/2008/02/18/daily14.html

Hydrogen and Hythane Station In Delhi

Hythane Company LLC (owned by Eden Energy Limited) has been selected by IndianOil Corporation to install and supply the first public Hydrogen fueling station in India. The $1 million retail outlet is scheduled for completion in the fall of 2008 and will be located at one of India's busiest natural gas fuelling stations in the center of Delhi .

The station will produce, store, blend, and dispense Hydrogen as well as Hythane (a patented mixture of Hydrogen and natural gas that provides a dramatic reduction in nitrous oxide emissions) that will used to power natural gas vehicles, including buses, cars, and trucks.

India has set a target of having at least 20% of all of its vehicles operate on Hydrogen based fuel by 2020 (an estimated one million vehicles). This Hydrogen fuel project in Delhi is seen as a important springboard for the commercial rollout of Hythane worldwide.

http://www.foxbusiness.com/markets/industries/energy/article/eden-energy-install-supply-indias-public-hydrogen-fueling-station_463499_11.html

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