<VV> Hydrogen, was: Cold fusion news-no Corvair but potential source of p...

John Kepler jekepler at amplex.net
Mon Apr 20 07:21:42 EDT 2009




 Uh, Robo, where does the fuel come from to produce the hydrogen?

Folks that insist they can define thermodynamic terms by using an on-line,
general information dictionary are inherently going to have problems
understanding things like thermodynamics and fuel-cycles!  Unless you are
mining a comet for the hydrogen, it's a lot closer to a battery than a fuel!
BTW, hydrogen makes a LOUSY motor-fuel....the energy density just isn't
there and it has crummy stoichiometry to get it to consistently deflagrate
rather than detonate (it took billions of dollars and nearly a decade to
develop the hydrogen-fueled RL-10 and J-2 engines for NASA...with numerous
spectacular failures along the way!).  A hydrogen-fuel reciprocating
internal combustion engine attempting to run efficiently should be more than
willing to slag itself with changes in altitude, air-density, and humidity!

FWIW, virtually ALL commercial hydrogen is manufactured by the
thermal/catalytic decomposition of methane (natural gas)....electrolytic
production of hydrogen is a terribly inefficient (25% give or take), highly
energy consumptive process with NO commercial viability.  Even with
electricity "too cheap to meter", it probably won't make economic sense.
Thermal decomposition of water probably has more viability!




More information about the VirtualVairs mailing list