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To: Nonstatist
Arent we talking about 10000 psi tanks of H2 ?? Hydrogen gas has a huge explosive range. I wouldnt want to be caught in a rear end in one of those!

No, usually a full lab/industrial cylinder of H2 only runs about 2500 psi. Portable bottles would run much lower pressures, especially if they were well-insulated cryogenic (liquid hydrogen) storage.

The danger inherent in hydrogen is much less than that of gasoline. Hydrogen, being a gas and lighter than air, will rise away from a leak, and dissipate into the atmosphere. Gasoline, on the other hand, pools and collects and concentrates, from leaks. Hydrogen's flame has a low emissivity compared to gasoline flames, meaning that one can get much closer to a hydrogen flame and not suffer any heat injury than one could get to a gasoline fire.

Hydrogen is already in wide use, daily, around the world in industrial settings. It's a material to be respected, surely, but procedures for safe handling of hydrogen have long been established and are well-tested.

And the Hindenburg? Two-thirds of the people aboard walked away.

54 posted on 10/10/2002 8:12:25 AM PDT by Chemist_Geek
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To: Chemist_Geek
And the Hindenburg? Two-thirds of the people aboard walked away.

I also heard that the main fire itself was fueled by the aircraft skin, not the hydrogen.

I saw a demonstration of just how explosive and deadly GASOLINE was.. it was very scary, they compared it to dynamite.

58 posted on 10/10/2002 9:00:09 AM PDT by Paradox
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To: Chemist_Geek; WileyC
Pure compressed hydrogen was piped from a tanker into the Ford's boot-cramming, cylindrical fuel tank at a pressure of 5,000 pounds per square inch. Minutes later, we were on our way, carrying enough fuel to take the Focus 200 miles. Stringently tested 10,000psi tanks are in the offing and will double that range, so it almost seems as if the future has arrived sooner than expected.

This, from the article.. 10,000 psi tanks and an invisible flame (if ignited) ?!.

As mentioned earlier, H2 might not be too safe in an underground garage or tunnel, etc (nowhere for the gas to rise to).. I don't know , but these sound like reasonable safety issues that would have to be addressed,... right?

65 posted on 10/10/2002 10:06:40 AM PDT by Nonstatist
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