The Issue of Hydrogen Fuel

There are several debates surrounding hydrogen as the fuel of the future. There are many good points on both sides of the table but there is also a LOT of false information out there. We will attempt to examine the most significant of these arguments here.

Hydrogen isn't a fuel it's an energy carrier!

They're arguing semantics here. Let us make this a little more clear. Technicalities aside, a mixture of hydrogen and oxygen does the same thing as gasoline and oxygen when ignited - they go boom. In fact, the HO mixture is quite a larger reaction than the gasoline. To that point, the argument of whether hydrogen should be classified as energy or an energy carrier is irrelevant when asking if it can be a fuel.

The Hindenburg!

This disaster was neither caused by hydrogen nor did the hydrogen account for many if any of the deaths. The ship was essentially a balloon. When we puncture a balloon it no longer floats. The spectacle of the fire, while exciting to the eye, had little impact on the events surrounding this famous disaster. If the balloon has been filled with helium and the same events transpired, it would have still crashed and people would haves till died.

You can't produce or use hydrogen efficiently!

Simply untrue. The very basic and least efficient method producing hydrogen is from the electrolysis of water. This method, unrefined, is about 70% efficient. If we utilize natural energy sources such as heat from the sun or geothermal energies, wind, sunlight, waste heats, biological processes and others, the number can be close to 100% efficient. The reasons for the myth of inefficiency come from related applications not production as well as those that make their living selling the fuels that are used for hydrogen reformation. The fuel cell is a good example of a poor application of hydrogen. These high cost and inefficient (20-40%) devices skew hydrogen efficiency by their own numbers not by hydrogen's figures.

Hydrogen tanks are too dangerous and heavy!

As for the weight issue, hydrogen filled tanks for an automobile are 40-60% lighter than batteries for an electric car. The weight is a non issue. Are they dangerous? Any tank filled with an explosive gas is inherently dangerous - including gasoline. However, tests have been conducted on these hydrogen tanks. Such tests included firing at them with multiple rounds from a .357 Magnum and heating them to 1500 Farenheit. It is unlikely that the current gasoline automobile tank could survive these tests. Further to the point, the hydrogen will not burn without oxygen. There are many vehicles on he road today with these tanks onboard and none have lead to disaster.

There is no infrastructure to support hydrogen vehicles!

This is somewhat true. There are hydrogen fueling stations in several US states already as well as other countries. There are plans for many more. These plans and budgets all came about based on early projections and promises of fuel cell vehicles. Since then, many now former advocates have changed their tune. They have relaized that the costs and inefficiencies of fuel cells have made them impractical. Nonetheless, stations are still being built. If a real solution (such as we have) were to surface, the process could and would be accelerated especially if individual owners could produce the fuel on site.

Reformation of fuels to produce hydrogen hurts the environment!

This is true but it is coupled with the myth that this is the only way. Hydrogen fuel can be collected through efficient electrolysis of water as previously covered. The product of combusted hydrogen and oxygen is pure water. The water is expelled, evaporates and then rains back down to earth. There is no loss.

Hydrogen fuel produces nitrous oxide and is worse than carbon dioxide!

This entire statement can be true but doesn't have to be. Nitrous oxide is far worse than carbon dioxide in the environment as a greenhouse gas. Combusting hydrogen with "air" does cause this emission but when the mixture is just hydrogen and oxygen. In fact, the latter can help the environment.

You can't actually contain hydrogen!

In all current commercial systems, there is always leakage as hydrogen is the smallest of atoms. Under heavily pressurized systems such as those for vehicle fuel tanks, the leakage is more. Furthermore, there is loss in the compression process itself. These are some of the facotrs infuencing numbers for overall hydrogen fuel efficiency. However, the losses are minute and the systems are being improved constantly. The fact is, you do retain the vast majority of the gas.

Summary

Private companies, governments and universities are all investing billions of dollars to find a better way to utilize hydrogen as a fuel. This would not be occuring if it were not viable. The problems lie in an effective power plant in which to use it. Clearly the internal combustion engine (~17% efficient) and the fuel cell (~30% efficient) are not the answer. Furthermore, producing massive pollution to "dirty" fuels does not solve the environmental problem. An efficient engine coupled with practical production of the fuel make hydrogen the clear answer for a better tomorrow.