Posted on 06/02/2022 7:52:32 PM PDT by American Number 181269513
One of the myriad issues with hydrogen as a clean energy source is infrastructure, as it's very expensive to move around and store an extremely explosive gas. Toyota and its subsidiary Woven Planet believe they may have a solution with a new portable hydrogen cartridge prototype. The idea is that they can be filled up at a dedicated facility, transported where needed, then returned when you receive your next shipment.
The cartridges would be relatively small at 16 inches long, 7 inches in diameter and about 11 pounds in weight. Toyota calls them "portable, affordable, and convenient energy that makes it possible to bring hydrogen to where people live, work, and play without the use of pipes.. [and] swappable for easy replacement and quick charging."
They could be useful for "mobility [i.e. hydrogen cars], household applications, and many future possibilities we have yet to imagine," Toyota said. It didn't mention any specific uses, but it said that "one hydrogen cartridge is assumed to generate enough electricity to operate a typical household microwave for approximately 3-4 hours."
In its press release, Toyota acknowledges that most hydrogen is made from fossil fuels and so not exactly green. But it thinks that it'll be generated with low carbon emissions in the future, and that the cartridges could help with some of the infrastructure issues.
Toyota plans to test that theory by conducting proof of concept trials in various places, including its "human-centered smart city of the future," Woven City in Susono City, Zhizuoka Prefecture in Japan. The company is also "working to build a comprehensive hydrogen-based supply chain aimed at expediting and simplifying production, transport, and daily usage," it said.
Hydrogen is an impractical fuel for automobiles, mainly due to the expense and lack of places to refuel. It's more viable for things like trains and semi trucks, where electrification can be more of a challenge. It also holds promise for air transportation, as batteries are too heavy to be practical in that situation. However, Toyota seems to be pitching the cartridges for personal and home use, but it's not yet clear what you'd use them for.
1st model named: Hindenburg
These are about the same volume as three gallons of gasoline and hold about the same energy as a tenth of a gallon of gasoline (4kW-h). It would take 200 of them to hold the same energy as your typical 20 gallon car gas tank, and the tank would have to be three times bigger. It doesn’t look like it could be oddly shaped, either, like your gas tank is.
Not mentioned is what magical power source will produce compressed or liquid hydrogen with less energy than burning hydrogen.
Run a 2 kw microwave for 4 hours = 8 kwh
8 kwh is about 24 thousand BTU. By way of comparison, a gallon of gasoline stores about 120,000 BTU
So the container is about the equivalent of a quart of gasoline.
In the FWIW department, Helium is more leaky than hydrogen because hydrogen pairs up. Not saying it is easy to make a container “tight” against leaking H2, it’s also not hard, pretty well developed technology, not terribly expensive compared with containing any pressurized gas.
In a post above, I showed the work to come up with "about a quart."
True, but you are neglecting the energy losses in ICE transportation. You lose about 4/5 of the energy in the gas tank. That means you need 40, not 200, to travel the same distance in a car.
Read later.
Helium does not go Boom.
Right. I get that. For the most part hydrogen mixed with air doesn't either. I think hydrogen is less risky than natural gas that way.
At any rate, the point I was making was that sealing aginst H2 leak is a known art, and not a difficult one. Not relevant but maybe interesting that helium is more leaky.
1979 NOVA episode The Invisible Flame
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=rJBcXOoBipw
Very interesting even though dated.
C’mon, Mark, you know the Luddite contingency here ain’t got time fo dat.
I always live in hope...
Electric cars also much more energy than just propulsion. Such things as heating, AC, lights, charging efficiency, bearings, etc. take away energy. 4/5 is far, far too much difference.
With enough Taco Bell, anything is possible.
Toyota forgot to mention hydrogen embrittlement.
When the people want snake oil, you sell them snake oil! Pesky details are only for people who are serious about business, technology, and safety.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.