Looking for smart folks to explore hydrogen as fuel again.

a reply to: TheRedneck

From what I've read today, I now get that hydrogen is nothing more than energy storage and a sort of battery.

I suppose solar and wind energy is where it's at in the future, which is where hydrogen could be the most useful, to provide energy storage to make the energy available in areas where solar and wind energy are not possible or rational. Just thinking out loud here as I'm sure I'm just catching up on a topic I've ignored for too long and know nothing about.

When I've read about solar, the issue is always how do you store the energy and distribute it. Underground hydrogen storage tanks seems a good solution and I'm sure that's already being done somewhere. Again, I'm just catching up here to understand better. I see you can even buy a high purity hydrogen generator on Amazon for a couple of thousand.

What brought me to this topic is I've been wanting to see what's available that could be used for modern off grid living. I'd been trying to think of a way energy could be stored other than traditional batteries. This fits that bill perfectly. Affordable is a major issue and if hydrogen is this easy and cheap to produce, providing you have wind or solar power part of the time, off grid could be a whole lot more comfortable as long as it's doable on a budget.

I actually think the real future should be every residence or building being autonomous and off the energy grid somehow. I wish at times I could take a peak at the future a hundred years down the road and I think that's exactly what I'd see.

The thermite I'm aware of, but can't guarantee I'll never try it just for the fun of it.

I'm more than familiar with aluminum's presence in gemstones. Red beryl, the beryl they said could never exist is my favorite gemstone and I have some examples from the Wa Wa Mountains mines in my current collection. Rockhounding with my dad as a kid, I hauled out tons of gem grade bauxite from a mine in Utah they called birdseye marble.

I have examples of some beautiful labradorite and amazonite here also and have had many examples in previous collections. Moonstone has a unique kind of beauty and sunstone as well. That's another topic though and one I'm very familiar with. I actually have rocks in my head.

the best reply i have concerns a NYSE Company : PLUG POWER -> their objective is to produce Fuel Cells which produce Hydrogen to use immediately as a fuel source...

how well is their Company doing? does the public have confidence in the Science ?

a Quarterly report on earnings is due within days -> Aug 6th in fact.... here's a News blurb->>

Plug Power Inc. PLUG is set to release second-quarter 2019 results on Aug 6, before market open.
In the last four quarters, Plug Power surpassed estimates once and missed thrice, the average negative surprise being 46.25%. In the las t report ed quarter, the company's loss of 15 cents per share was wider than the Zacks Consensus Estimate of loss of 8 cents.

In the past three months, the company's shares have lost 16.3%, wider than the industry 's decline of 6.3%.

www.nasdaq.com...

a reply to: Robbo2006

Sure, I bought a pound of gallium from an alibaba supplier for $500 (you only need a tiny amount so if you wanted to experiment with it, buy a few grams from bob Lazar at united nuclear for like $30 dolls)
A pound should last me a lifetime.
The aluminum I use comes from ingots I make from free soda cans or beer cans I collect.
You basically need to create an alloy from aluminum and the gallium (I can give you specifics later if you want) once your alloy hits water it begins to bubble and creates hho, now you just route the hydrogen to your air intake of the generator and voila! you're off grid. PM me if you're serious about trying it. too many negative nancys on this site that would rather troll and poo poo every idea that comes along instead of getting their hands dirty and giving it a shot.

a reply to: Blaine91555

It is also a very poor battery. Stored hydrogen is quite explosive and almost impossible to contain for very long.

In a vehicular application, the aluminum would be a better method of producing hydrogen on demand. It would still require some technological advancements, like pressurization under various gravitational conditions (as in, g-forces and inclines). But it is probably do-able. Of course, it still produces carbon dioxide, but it would also be quickly re-fuelable.

For home energy storage, the best solution we have today is also one of the oldest: water pressure. An elevated water tank can be filled from a reservoir using low-voltage DC pumps (to accommodate solar power outputs) and water can be released through higher-voltage AC or DC generators as required. Voltage conversion is therefore accomplished by the same method used to store the energy, and the side benefit is that the water is useful in other ways as well.

If you decide to try playing with thermite, be careful. It will literally melt through most metals, and once the reaction starts, it cannot be stopped except by running out of fuel. Ceramics are usually used to contain it; they will crumble under repeated use, but not melt the first time.

TheRedneck

originally posted by: Blaine91555
a reply to: Lumenari

Thank you

I find this very interesting.

Sorry it took so long... I was actually researching it to see if I wanted to jump into the technology so took a deep dive and spoke to some rather prominent engineers in the oil industry.

Turns out it's possible but not economically feasible.

The process itself works (it is being used in some larger fractionator plants right now in the US) but between the logistics involved, the size of the plant needed for a normal American home's energy needs and the dangers involved it just doesn't work... unless you would like to essentially pay 3x more for your home's energy.

The process also can't really be improved, so there will most likely not be any technological breakthroughs in this particular type of hydrogen production as other avenues seem more promising right now.

So it's a dead end. A nice thought, but not really anything anyone would invest in or explore further.

a reply to: Lumenari

so took a deep dive and spoke to some rather prominent engineers in the oil industry.

Well, some rather prominent engineers in the oil industry have an agenda to protect their own industry.

Hydrogen as a fuel source would destroy the oil industry within several decades of its entry into the market.

The oil industry tells some big porkies when they talk figures, costs and efficiencies.

In any case, thanks for the research you have done. Nice to see people trying to get factual information.

P

Funny thing about using hydrogen as a vehicle fuel is the water it creates is considered a hazardous waste and here in Michigan the idea of dumping water on the roads in February is also more than a bit hazardous.

I believe Detroit tried it many years ago with buses.

From my days at fuel system product development at GM the major issue is people want to buy a vehicle in Mexico and move to Alaska with the same vehicle and not have any issues.

People are the problem once again.

a reply to: TheRedneck

Great post, thank you. Had to login just to star it.

Chemistry is fascinating. Too bad some of it is so difficult. I barely got a C+ in High School chemistry. I think I would do better now though.

originally posted by: St Udio
the best reply i have concerns a NYSE Company : PLUG POWER -> their objective is to produce Fuel Cells which produce Hydrogen to use immediately as a fuel source...

I always wondered what it would take to set up a solar, wind or just house current powered hydrogen creation and storage unit in my garage that I could use for a hydrogen fuel cell car. That would be sweet. Never go to another gas station ever.

This would probably be the result of my attempt: