Hydrogen Powered Toy Rocket

Science & Technology (alternative energy)

They may not be treehugger-correct, but we always loved model rockets. Thus as the resident Kunstler-loving hydrogen debunking crank, this Treehugger was so excited to see that Estes, master of the model rocket, is now offering a hydrogen powered toy rocket that makes hydrogen in an “electrolytic reactor” from water with citric acid as a catalyst. When the hydrogen pressure gets to 3 PSI it is detonated and it shoots up to 200 feet, and then autogyros down.

We were really intrigued by this and tried to find out more.

The rocket was developed by toy inventor Bruce Lund of Chicago. They have obtained patents on hydrogen powered tools, and developed the Hydrogen Fuel Rocket as an educational toy that “combines, physics, aeronautics, chemistry and electrical principles to produce a save, environmentally friendly childhood favourite: the toy rocket”

The company is developing hydrogen powered model cars, and has demonstrated a “miniature internal combustion engine-based radio controlled car which operates on hydrogen fuel. The system incorporates a hydrogen/oxygen generator transfer system, and modified internal combustion engine platform. It uses electrolysis to break water into hydrogen and oxygen using a citric acid catalyst, and then uses the resulting components to run a small-scale internal combustion engine that has a spark ignition system. The generator produces gases with low-voltage DC sources such as D-sized batteries." ::Gizmodo ::Lund and company is the inventor; try and find the movie- thanks to the wonders of flash we cannot link to it. Also read PDF from ::Fuel Cell Today. Buy it from ::Estes