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.
Ping.
Democrats will still want to tax the crap out of it.
otoh its worth trying to figure out.
Not being a chemist sort I’m wondering about the costs of the oxygen to liberate the hydrogen.
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?
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.
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
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.
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
I hope you are being sarcastic. ;-) If not... slap your parents if they are still alive.
So...Global Clouding?
Already 1600 mile of hydrogen pipeline in use. Embrittlement is the major worry.
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.
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.
Which means my tailpipe will rust out. Well, scratch that idea.
but with no pollution problems
I'm sure the greens will complain about dihydrogen monoxide poisoning...
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