Technical Description of a Hydrogen Car
The hydrogen car is built with modern automobile technology that uses hydrogen as an alternative to fuels based on petroleum. This innovation is considered an integral part of promoting hydrogen economy. The escalating prices of petroleum-based fuels and their depleting resources have forced technologists to find alternative methods of fueling vehicles.
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Hydrogen Car Technology
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Hydrogen car technology involves the conversion of the inherent chemical energy of hydrogen to mechanical energy. Two methods are used to do this conversion:
a) Electric motors are run by reacting hydrogen with oxygen within a fuel cell.
b) Mechanical energy is also produced when an internal combustion engine is used to burn hydrogen.
Hydrogen Fuel Cells
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A hydrogen fuel cell vehicle is termed the "hydrogen car." Fuel cells are electrochemical devices and resemble batteries to some extent. The reactant substances used in the fuel cells actively interact with each other and are depleted during the process. Hydrogen is used in the hydrogen fuel cells in combination with oxygen--platinum works as a catalyst. Electricity and water are produced as byproducts of this reaction and used to drive the electric motor in the car’s engine.
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Hydrogen Internal Combustion Engines
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The internal combustion engine uses hydrogen as its fuel instead of petrol or diesel. In this procedure when hydrogen is burnt, it releases nitrous oxides which, when emitted into open air, combine with organic compounds to become thick smog. This is a major drawback of the technology used in the making of hydrogen cars. Another technical drawback of hydrogen fuel cells is that they need active water in vaporous state to operate properly. Thus, in cold or freezing weather conditions they either fail to function or their performance is very poor.
Hydrogen Extraction
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Since these hydrogen cars are based on the hydrogen, the extraction of the gas becomes a mammoth task. Hydrogen is an element which is found abundantly on earth in combination with other substances. The most common compound in which hydrogen is present is in water. Although, hydrogen is readily available, the process of extracting energy from it is very expensive as the energy required for extracting hydrogen is more than the energy it provides for fueling the cars.
Rocket Cars
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Hydrogen is also used in a pure form of highly concentrated hydrogen peroxide to run rocket cars. Silver is used as a catalyst in the reaction and helps in the splitting up of the extra atom of oxygen present in hydrogen peroxide. Water and intense heat is released as a result of this reaction. The water is converted into steam as a result of the released heat. The steam produced gives the necessary thrust to the rocket’s engine.
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References
- Photo Credit luxury car - model toy car image by alma_sacra from Fotolia.com
