Posted on 08/31/2007 7:06:01 PM PDT by abc123alphabetagamma
The holy grail is to be able to generate hydrogen on demand without using more energy to get it than it releases. It might have been found by Purdue University researchers. They've developed a method which uses an alloy of aluminium and gallium. Add water to it and the aluminium attracts teoxygen, liberating hydrogen. The problem has been that aluminium has a tendency to form an oxide skin, creating a barrier to further reaction. The gallium hinders the formation of that surface skin on the aluminium, and allows all of it to be used to release hydrogen.
The team found they could create particles of the alloy by slow cooling, giving 80 percent aluminium and 20 percent gallium, a ratio that gives good stability in dry air, and rapid reaction with water. It's important that the gallium component, currently much more expensive than aluminium, is inert in this reaction and can be recovered and re-used. It is also significant that the gallium can be relatively impure, and less costly than the high grade gallium used in electronics.
The technology has the potential to generate hydrogen as and where it is needed, avoiding the costly process of storage and transportation.
The hydrogen atoms would be combined together in solid bricks within the ship and then defecated at a high rate of speed back to earth for processing.
Now that would be feasible!
You can’t get more energy out than you put in. Something besides the water must be consumed by this process.
Toss your empty beer cans into a bucket of draino and you'll get all hydrogen you want for "free" as well.
If you have half a brain, you'll do it outside.
You very nearly made me choke when I read that comment! LOL!
“without using more energy to get it than it releases”
Sounds like the perpetual motion machine.
Why not use solar energy to power the conversion? Still uses more energy that it releases but that’s not really the point is it? The point is to release more energy at a lower PRICE.
There is no shortage of energy. There is a shortage of cheap energy.
"free" energy indeed, LoL! They aren't too bright at that university.
It's not a new process by any means, nor are many other chemical reactions. Ask Saddam about his weather ballon trucks. He knows how to make lots of hydrogen on demand too.
Wouldn’t those bricks of hydrogen atoms explode on re-entry?
Poof! there goes the atmosphere!
You’d better rethink those whale like ships delivery system.
An 80% Aluminum / 20% low grade Gallium alloy shell should do the trick!
Ok scotty, get right on it.
I was also thinking, that if you expelled those bricks over the ME, in a measured release, it may only cause a temporary lack of oxygen, 10-20 mins or so. Might be a good thing...
Also, if your ships had 2 collectors, one for oxygen atoms and one for hydrogen, you could make a first generation warp drive? Hmmm....
If you have less than half a brain and do it inside, you will have no brain. LOL
from the original article:
“As the alloy reacts with water, the aluminum turns into aluminum oxide, also called alumina, which can be recycled back into aluminum. The recycled aluminum would be less expensive than mining the metal, making the technology more competitive with other forms of energy production, Woodall said.”
http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2007-08/pu-eph082707.php
THERE AIN’T NO SUCH THING AS A FREE LUNCH!
Purdue hasn’t figured out a way to repeal the laws of thermodynamics. Like somebody mentioned earlier, it takes a lot of energy to convert alumina to aluminum.
I prefer to use dilute HCl.
Exactly what I was saying. They aren’t too bright at that university. Alcan would love to sell them all the Aluminum they need for their experiments however.
I notice this is from one of those ‘fre enrgy over unity day dreamer sites though, where as you corectly say, they failed grade 5 science class.
They think a magnet has some supernatural mysterious powers too, even though we make the damn things.
Shhh....don’t tell the liberal environmentalist whacko’s that water vapor is caused by burning H2 and/or fossil fuels and water vapor is a much more effective greenhouse gas than CO2.
I prefer not to play around with that stuff too much. It’s dangerous. A few quarts of the stuff can blow the roof off your kitchen.
If you really want to make a lot of hydrogen in a much cleaner non- messy chemical way, just use some stainless steel plates put them in a bucket, Add some salt water, and use about 12 volts @ about a half amp or so. Use a lid and a tube to collect the gas.
Carefull of sparks. Or better yet, don’t mess around with that stuff unless you really know what your doing and make a proper gas generator.
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