Hydrogen Cars Advantages & Disadvantages
Hydrogen is the cleanest and most abundant fuel available. A purely hydrogen-operated car would be the answer to our oil dependency and environmental problems. However the technology has not been developed sufficiently to manufacture a device to extract the hydrogen in sufficient volume to be useful and small enough to fit in a vehicle.
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Extraction Process
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Even a person with no mechanical ability can extract hydrogen with home implements and a battery. It is a simple process to extract small amounts. There are many different hydrogen generators, but all are used as a supplemental charge to a fuel system in a vehicle.
Hydrogen Byproducts and Effects
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Hydrogen burns clean with water as a byproduct. This water is the problem with internal combustion engines on the market today. Water tends to rust or corrode everything in the engine. Water will make the cast iron rings, the steel cylinder bores, the steel valves and seats, the cast iron heads and the exhaust manifold deteriorate at an accelerated rate. If the engine is left idle for a few days the rings can rust to the cylinder bores.
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Effect on Oil
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The oil also absorbs the moisture and is contaminated in short order. Water in the oil reduces its ability to lubricate the parts. An engine with aluminum heads, stainless steel valves, rings and so on would be extremely expensive to build, but would be the answer to the corrosion problem.
Present-day Technology
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Several automobile manufacturers have produced vehicles with an engine that will run on hydrogen. These vehicles, however, do not generate the hydrogen--they need to be filled up the same way as today's fuel. The problem is there are no hydrogen stations at this point, though they are in the works. The prices on these vehicles are extremely high.
Synopsis
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Hydrogen as a fuel for manufacturing, home heating and automobiles is the most likely and abundant form of energy available. Scientists are developing methods for extracting abundant levels of hydrogen.
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