What's In The Pipeline? Hydrogen.
by John Laumer, Philadelphia on 02.11.07
At this link is a 9-page conceptual design paper outlining a prospective hydrogen economy: one based primarily on solar and wind power. The paper's authors are Greg Blencoe of Hydrogen Discoveries, Inc. and Dr. James G. Blencoe of the Oak Ridge National Laboratory. The technical underpinnings of the paper are: 1.) a valveless fueling system that uses magnesium hydride to safely store hydrogen inside fuel cell-powered vehicles; and, 2.) Hydrogen Discoveries' piping system, which was designed to overcome the problem of embrittlement and leakage problems that ordinary steel pipes face. The intention is to overcome the "last mile" problems of safely distributing and dispensing hydrogen fuel, and, in this case, of reclaiming and recycling the Magnesium carrier media for continuous re-use. This is a pre-commercial design concept, and TreeHugger will make sure that any design or risk management comments left here are brought to the authors' attention.
We note that although magnesium is abundantly found in serpentine rock, as Mg3Si2O5(OH)4, that serpentine is the California State Rock, and "is found only in areas where oceanic crust is subducted and then pushed up again along fault zones. Worldwide, Serpentine is sporadic in distribution and high in heavy metals, creating rare plant communities on its soils".
One obvious risk management 'driver' is that that serpentine barrens often support rare and/or endangered plant communities. Further, that benefaction and processing of the serpentine rock will produce heavy metal residues; and, it would be essential that these materials be turned into co-products or that magnesium suppliers ensure they are properly disposed of. Both reasons underscore the need to base the system design on a recycling paradigm.
Because both hydrogen and magnesium are highly combustable in the presence of atmospheric oxygen, and because magnesium hydride, unbuffered, is highly reactive with water, the designs will need to deploy an inhibition chemistry, plus fire prevention and fire suppression systems.
This seems very well thought out. I am not a chemist or anything, but I do believe that electrolysis (making hydrogen with electricity) is very in inefficient, using a lot of electricity for a very low payback when it is transfered back. I do not think that it is reasonable to expect that this infrastructure (for making and transporting) could be built for 20-25 cities without virtually infinite money. This money, however, would need to be made back in a reasonable amount of time. Therefore, the price of $5.18 per kilo seems unreasonable if this company is to make back any money, and not be completely governmentally subsidized (not going to happen under this administration).
The only reasonable way today uses natural gas, a hydrocarbon. I do think that a Japanese chemist is working on a solar way using titanium dioxide as a catalyst. The water would sit in collecting bins, and the hydrogen would slowly bubble off.
==== author's response follows ====
Because this is likely to come up again and again, I would like to mention that the only objective basis of comparison of a hydrogen versus a gas powered vehicle is to look at total fuel efficiency, over the full life cycle(s), respectively. There are pluses and minuses at every step of the way for both gasoline or hydrogen. It's the bottom line that matters.
http://tech.groups.yahoo.com/group/Palaces4People/message/1379
Rebuttal/Reply posted at length at link above: short excerpt:
Here's where the energy must be tightly focussed:
(1) Polycrystal PV. Not troughs, not sunflowers, not all the wizzbang new crap. PV costs only go down when the installed base of SILICON doubles. You freeze the high prices of silicon by not accelerating the pace of installation of CHEAP silicon. The newest patented crap is under the price control of the single patent owner who can squeeze you at will.
(2) Hydrogen gas pipelines made of plastic and geopolymers. Forget steel. Forget exotics. Forget anything moving by truck. Zeppelins towed by blimps if you need to move lots of H2 from stranded renewable power locations.
(3) Dual Fuel Cars optimized for Hydrogen fuel during the transition period. Let fuel cells mature at the natural pace -- clean up exhaust of the current fleet immediately.
(4) Instant infrastructure mobile tankers drop-off trailers with pumps mounted on the trailer until the gas pipeline grid is completed to all locations.
(5) Stationary fuel cells in buildings connected to gas pipelines. SOFC and MCFC use no exotic catalysts. SOFC can be reversible doing electrolysis duty during the day.
(6) New plastic conformable H2 gas tanks that can serve both liquid and high-pressure compressed gas fuel. Swappable gas tanks like you swap propane barbeque tanks now would help on long trips -- you can store spares on the roofrack. That covers gaps in the Hydrogen Highways under construction.
EVERYTHING THAT DEVIATES FROM THESE GUIDANCE DELAYS FREEDOM DAY, FREEDOM FROM FOSSIL BONDAGE.
http://HydrogenTRUTH.info