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Scientists extract hydrogen gas from oil and bitumen, giving potential pollution-free energy
WUWT ^ | November 11, 2019 | Goldschmidt Conference

Posted on 11/11/2019 8:21:41 PM PST by LesbianThespianGymnasticMidget

Scientists have developed a large-scale economical method to extract hydrogen (H2) from oil sands (natural bitumen) and oil fields. This can be used to power hydrogen-powered vehicles, which are already marketed in some countries, as well as to generate electricity; hydrogen is regarded as an efficient transport fuel, similar to petrol and diesel, but with no pollution problems. The process can extract hydrogen from existing oil sands reservoirs, with huge existing supplies found in Canada and Venezuela. Interestingly, this process can be applied to mainstream oil fields, causing them to produce hydrogen instead of oil.

Hydrogen powered vehicles, including cars, buses, and trains, have been in development for many years. These vehicles have been acknowledged to be efficient, but the high price of extracting the Hydrogen from oil reserves has meant that the technology has not been economically viable. Now a group of Canadian engineers have developed a cheap method of extracting H2 from oil sands. They are presenting this work at the Goldschmidt Geochemistry Conference in Barcelona.

“There are vast oil sand reservoirs in several countries, with huge fields in Alberta in Canada, but also in Venezuela and other countries” said Dr. Ian Gates, of the Department of Chemical Engineering at the University of Calgary, and of Proton Technologies Inc.).

Oil fields, even abandoned oil fields, still contain significant amounts of oil. The researchers have found that injecting oxygen into the fields raises the temperature and liberates H2, which can then be separated from other gases via specialist filters. Hydrogen is not pre-existing in the reservoirs, but pumping oxygen means that the reaction to form hydrogen can take place.

Grant Strem, CEO of Proton Technologies which is commercializing the process says “This technique can draw up huge quantities of hydrogen while leaving the carbon in the ground. When working at production level, we anticipate we will be able to use the existing infrastructure and distribution chains to produce H2 for between 10 and 50 cents per kilo. This means it potentially costs a fraction of gasoline for equivalent output”. This compares with current H2 production costs of around $2/kilo. Around 5% of the H2 produced then powers the oxygen production plant, so the system more than pays for itself.


TOPICS: Business/Economy; Miscellaneous; News/Current Events
KEYWORDS: chemicalcracking; globalwarming; greennewdeal; h2; hydrogen; nonscience; nonsense; perpetualmotion; piginapoke
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https://phys.org/news/2019-08-scientists-hydrogen-gas-oil-bitumen.html Source document. Carbon, smarbon!! What is important here is the production cost and this is a way to tap old unproductive oil fields and oil sands cheaply for H2. Hope it works like fracking has worked because cheap hydrogen is a game changer in the energy markets. A potential economic boom maker. (Pun fully intended)
1 posted on 11/11/2019 8:21:41 PM PST by LesbianThespianGymnasticMidget
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To: Red Badger

Ping.


2 posted on 11/11/2019 8:31:31 PM PST by Army Air Corps (Four Fried Chickens and a Coke)
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To: LesbianThespianGymnasticMidget

Democrats will still want to tax the crap out of it.


3 posted on 11/11/2019 8:33:41 PM PST by Telepathic Intruder
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To: LesbianThespianGymnasticMidget
Not that simple. Handling of large scale quantities of hydrogen presents serious problems that are not yet fully solved even for small scale fuel cells. The issue is that the hydrogen molecule is so small it leaks through otherwise impermeable container vessels. Ordinary pipelines eg would not be usable for this reason.

otoh its worth trying to figure out.

4 posted on 11/11/2019 8:34:06 PM PST by hinckley buzzard (Power is more often surrendered than seized.)
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To: LesbianThespianGymnasticMidget

Not being a chemist sort I’m wondering about the costs of the oxygen to liberate the hydrogen.


5 posted on 11/11/2019 8:35:00 PM PST by rockinqsranch ("Democratic" party sold out to the ICP. It is now the Communist Party USA.)
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To: LesbianThespianGymnasticMidget

That is great news, although I may have heard of this being done before on a small scale. If the technique is indeed affordable and basic, this could benefit parts of Africa.

They could do it themselves, not stay under Chinese influence for almost everything. China takes a high percentage of certain elements from Africa, such as Cobalt. So what if the Africans need 7 y/o children to go underground and assist with most of the mining whether they want to or not? Egypt, are you paying attention too?


6 posted on 11/11/2019 8:35:01 PM PST by lee martell
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Comment #7 Removed by Moderator

To: hinckley buzzard

So put electric power plants right by the H2 sources and use natural gas for other things. We have no problem moving either electricity and natural gas.


8 posted on 11/11/2019 8:38:00 PM PST by LesbianThespianGymnasticMidget (TRUMP TRAIN !!! Get the hell out of the way if you are not on yet because we don't stop for idiots)
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To: Rembrandt

What are we in a bar? :)

I know. I’m the last person who should be saying anything.

It actually takes some heat off of me lol


9 posted on 11/11/2019 8:39:02 PM PST by dp0622 (Radicals, racists Don't point fingers at me I'm a small town white boy Just tryin' to make ends meet)
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To: LesbianThespianGymnasticMidget

Hydrogen burning internal combustion engines create WATER VAPOR as the exhaust.

What is the most effective greenhouse gas? Oh yeah, WATER VAPORS.

CO2 is 4 hundredths of one percent of our atmosphere, and plays no role is temperature change. Water vapor does.


10 posted on 11/11/2019 8:39:28 PM PST by datura
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To: rockinqsranch

Around 5% of the H2 produced then powers the oxygen production plant, so the system more than pays for itself.


If true it is just the capital for the plant, but that is a big if.

Plants don’t look outlandish. https://www.alibaba.com/showroom/oxygen-plant-cost.html


11 posted on 11/11/2019 8:41:55 PM PST by LesbianThespianGymnasticMidget (TRUMP TRAIN !!! Get the hell out of the way if you are not on yet because we don't stop for idiots)
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To: LesbianThespianGymnasticMidget
😴😴😴. If the cost is right.
12 posted on 11/11/2019 8:42:13 PM PST by rktman ( #My2ndAmend! ----- Enlisted in the Navy in '67 to protect folks rights to strip my rights. WTH?)
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To: datura

I hope you are being sarcastic. ;-) If not... slap your parents if they are still alive.


13 posted on 11/11/2019 8:43:21 PM PST by LesbianThespianGymnasticMidget (TRUMP TRAIN !!! Get the hell out of the way if you are not on yet because we don't stop for idiots)
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To: datura

So...Global Clouding?


14 posted on 11/11/2019 8:45:03 PM PST by mmichaels1970
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To: hinckley buzzard
Ordinary pipelines eg would not be usable for this reason.

Already 1600 mile of hydrogen pipeline in use. Embrittlement is the major worry.

Hydrogen Pipelines.

15 posted on 11/11/2019 8:49:31 PM PST by IndispensableDestiny
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To: Telepathic Intruder
Democrats will still want to tax the crap out of it.

They'll not go that easily.
If humans attempt to utilize this, and it becomes popular.....
They'll call for the public execution of any and all white male American involved.
16 posted on 11/11/2019 8:51:27 PM PST by RandallFlagg (Fact: Gun control laws kill innocents.)
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To: LesbianThespianGymnasticMidget

The lefts biggest problem with oil - beyond even the misguided emphasis on carbon - is that it allows folk to use the energy.

If they were at all serious about AGW, they’d be hung ho for nuclear power. Instead they really just want pain.


17 posted on 11/11/2019 8:53:50 PM PST by lepton ("It is useless to attempt to reason a man out of a thing he was never reasoned into"--Jonathan Swift)
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To: hinckley buzzard

Yep, the danger of hydrogen is inherent in the physics of such a small H2 molecule, but I would think a good way to work with it would be to flow a steady low velocity air stream around any containers and tubes to dilute combustible buildup, in combination with the best seals you can manage to get.


18 posted on 11/11/2019 8:58:03 PM PST by Texan Tory (Laissez rouler les bons temps!)
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To: datura
Hydrogen burning internal combustion engines create WATER VAPOR as the exhaust.

Which means my tailpipe will rust out. Well, scratch that idea.

19 posted on 11/11/2019 9:00:36 PM PST by BipolarBob (Bipolars have more fun. No we don't.)
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To: LesbianThespianGymnasticMidget
but with no pollution problems

I'm sure the greens will complain about dihydrogen monoxide poisoning...

20 posted on 11/11/2019 9:01:03 PM PST by jdege
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