“Since you’ve obviously no knowledge of Physics or even rudimentary Chemistry I hate to pick on you”
Oh really, my friend?
Umm
Actually I have advanaced degrees MSME and MS ChE in both Chemical and Mechanical Engineering , with theses based on supercritical flow reactors and catalysis
so let me pick apart your answers and lets see whose right
AGAIN , the key here is finding ALTERNATIVE FUELS
WE CANNOT CONTINUE TO DEPEND ON THE SAUDIS AND CHAVEZ, CAN WE? and OIL will not last forever will it? I think gasoline is great - dont get me wrong - but it is problematic now with demand and supply issues
This is factual
nothing is “free” except primary sources of energy
you say its nonsense
well youre wrong
primary sources of energy include anything that takes no initial input to derive- this includes solar, wind, Oil, Uranium ,Coal, Natural Gas and many others
gasoline is certainly not free, is it?
Good Lord. This statement is ridiculous.
Oh really? its 4$ PER GALLON RIGHT NOW- that aint free!
and its like 8-10 $ in Europe
forget the kBTU / gal etc, it COSTS MONEY
“It can be used to transport energy, but it CANNOT be used to produce it, and as a transport medium, it SUCKS.”
Oh really ? what do we use to power the space shuttle ? what is the ONLY fuel with enough MJ/ kG to even make it into space ? huh ? HYDROGEN - Liquid
you said : Hydrogen does NOT have the highest energy density of any substance
youre DEAD WRONG , and it shows you are cockier that you should be and acting like the haughty John Kerry
your statement “ In combustion, even compressed or liquefied hydrogen has an energy density far below gasoline” is DEAD WRONG
lets look at the FACTS
FROM http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Energy_density
energy density (MJ/ kG)
hydrogen 143
gasoline 46.9
rest of propane, butane JP-4 etc 40-45
so youre WRONG. PERIOD
Hydrogen is by FAR the highest energy density fuel by mass
now by VOLUME, your litany of complaints about hydrogen are closer but you still need a spanking by a REAL CHEM E
Here are your false statements
“Hydrogen is extremely dangerous to store and transport in most forms.”
this is total nonsense- hydrogen is completely nontoxic and dissipates instantly ,and generates only steam
gasoline and JP4 are FAR more dangerous and toxic, not only on their own merits (water pollution and air pollution) but also when there is an accident , they pool and burn for hours , giving off noxious gases - see the recent plane wrecks and the one in Tenerife in 1977
look at the Hindenberg- the typical example posed by those who think H2 is dangerous - most people walked away without a scratch and the flames were over in about 5 minutes
“The material with the highest energy density currently available to our science is uranium. “
gee thats great - lets runs cars and planes on U238 !
“Because hydrogen is an oxidizer, it destroys metals with which it interacts, “
This is called embrittlement- it is an issue but not a major problem - you far overstate it
the BOTTOM LINE is that I can produce hydrogen in my house and run my car on it for about 5$ / gal equivalent - with no pollution or gasoline
I can mix in to ANY fuel stream and improve the burn
I can mix H2 with CH4 (nat gas) at ANY stoichiometric ratio
T Boone is right - we DO need to use nat gas for cars and then begin producing H2 with off peak nuclear energy and supplement - its called HYTHANE
you can live in the past with you misconceptions and half truths, but even John McCain gets it and is talking about it
hydrogen can run cars, planes , the space shuttle and pretty much anything else - and can be made from water
that is the facts , please feel free to refute
Your reply continues to confuse "economic cost" with "already oxidized." Until you get your head around the difference, my PhD in physics trumps your alleged "masters degrees" in engineering.
No source of energy is free in any economic sense; primary or otherwise, but that isn't the point. All of the practically available hydrogen on earth is already oxidized. Therefore, it is not a source of energy in the same sense that hydrocarbon fuels are.
Get it?
Oh really ? what do we use to power the space shuttle ? what is the ONLY fuel with enough MJ/ kG to even make it into space ? huh ? HYDROGEN - Liquid
Had you read my post, instead of responding to nothingness, you would have seen my criticism of liquid and compressed hydrogen. The liquid hydrogen used in the space shuttle takes orders of magnitude more energy to produce than it provides.
FROM http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Energy_density
No one with an advanced degree in anything uses or quotes Wikipedia. But at any rate, energy density by mass is a ridiculous measure used by no one in any terrestrial application.
gee thats great - lets runs cars and planes on U238 !
It would be nice if we could, but anyone with an "advanced degree" would know that U238 is a nearly stable isotope with a half-life roughly 1/3 the age of the universe. It's U235 that is consumed in reactors. Duh.
the BOTTOM LINE is that I can produce hydrogen in my house and run my car on it for about 5$ / gal equivalent - with no pollution or gasoline
The BOTTOM LINE is that you don't have any "advanced degrees" and don't have the slightest clue as to what you're talking about. You can "produce hydrogen" in your home only because somebody else is already burning oil, coal or natural gas at a power plant somewhere else, and creating pollution and burning molecules with a net positive energy yield there. Your hydrogen isn't doing anything but consuming energy in your home.
Your statements betray a pathetic misunderstanding of basic science: You're saying, "What's the problem? I can just plug in a wire and generate all the electricity I need to in my own home." Sure. Good luck getting that one past your high school science teacher.
Learn a little science, and don't bother to post to me again until you do. I'm not having an argument with a twelve year-old with a chemistry set who refuses to learn anything, and I'm certainly not having a discussion with an "engineer" who thinks Wikipedia is anything but crap. All the H2 on earth is already oxidized. It's not a source of energy. Period.