Tata Steel in India has developed a high-temperature cracking method of steam to create hydrogen. In the process of manufacturing steel, red hot slag is created. With the new process, water is sprayed over the red hot slag-steel achieving temperatures of around 1,600C. At high temperatures such as this, water molecules separating into atoms of hydrogen and oxygen.

The upside for Tata Steel is that the process yields around 70 per cent pure hydrogen, which can be used to power its plant. Currently, Tata Steel uses mainly oil for power, but this will be replaced by hydrogen power once the high temperature water splitting process goes online.

Source: www.hydrogencarsnow.com

Scientists at Manchester University, the United Kingdom, are working on a new method of producing hydrogen that they claim could reduce the energy required to produce the gas by a factor of 10, potentially a energy-efficient and cost-effective means of powering fuel cells. The research involving 13 universities across the country is on plasma reforming, which scientists believe could slash the temperatures required to produce hydrogen.

Currently, hydrogen is mostly produced through steam reforming, in which catalysts are applied to a mixture of methane and steam at high pressures and temperatures (800-1,000C). Achieving such temperatures requires high levels of energy and as a result, the carbon savings that the zero-emission fuel cells offer are partially offset by the energy spent to produce hydrogen. However, Professor Christopher Whitehead, who leads Manchester Universitys research effort, insists that the plasma-reforming process could help cut the carbon footprint associated with hydrogen production by up to 90 per cent.

Adding an electrical discharge to the plasma initiates the reaction needed to remove hydrogen from methane at relatively low temperature, about 100C, improving the energy efficiency of the process, explained Prof. Whitehead. The process has been pioneered on a small scale to remove pollutants from gas flue pipes, but Prof. Whitehead is confident that a technically feasible version of the process could be developed within five years. The technology would be highly scalable, helping to address the hydrogen distribution problems that experts believe will represent the biggest stumbling block to mainstream adoption of fuel cells.

Source: www.businessgreen.com

It may look like a simple canister but it can help save money and keep pollution out of the air. Mr. Roger Seratt of Fairdealing Hydrogen Cell Company has developed a new hydrogen cell that he assures will increase fuel mileage of automobiles by up to 40 per cent. Mr. Seratts See-through hydrogen cell technology allows a water-burning hybrid. The hydrogen cell kit simply hooks up to any vehicle without any modification required, he claims.

The unit requires only 12 volts of DC power, and the power is drawn from the battery only when the vehicles ignition switch is on. The cell is filled with a mixture of baking soda and water, adequate to generate hydrogen for 2-4 tanks of petrol, depending on the size of the vehicle.

The hydrogen-oxygen mixture produced is drawn into the vehicle intake system and burned by the engine together with the petrol. The hydrogen gas causes the vehicle to burn the petrol more efficiently and replaces part of the petrol needed to power the vehicle. The result of the system is a quieter, smoother running car, reduced emissions and huge savings, claims Mr. Seratt.

Source: www.areawidenews.com

A Volkswagen Lingyu running on hydrogen fuel cell was manufactured by Shanghai VW on its latest fuel cell power-train platform. The model is based on Volkswagens Passat. The eco-friendly Lingyu achieves zero emissions, releasing only water as a by-product of the chemical reaction of oxygen and hydrogen that powers the car. Both safety and performance have been improved. The car has a top speed of 150 kmph and can run for more than 300 km without the need for re-charging, according to sources at VW Shanghai.

Source: www.gasworld.com

Dr. Robin Gremaud, a researcher sponsored by the Netherlands, has shown that an alloy of magnesium, titanium and nickel is excellent at absorbing hydrogen. This light alloy brings a step closer the everyday use of hydrogen as a source of fuel for powering vehicles. A hydrogen tank using this alloy would have a relative weight that is 60 per cent less than a battery pack.

The main problem of using hydrogen in transport is the secure storage of this highly explosive gas. This can be realized by using metals that absorb the gas. However, a drawback of this approach is that it makes the hydrogen tanks somewhat cumbersome. The battery comes off even worse. An electric car would require to carry 317 kg of modern lithium batteries for a journey of 400 km. Dr. Gremauds light metal alloy will cut this down to a hydrogen tank of only 200 kg.

In his research, Dr. Gremaud made use of a technique for measuring the absorbance of hydrogen by metals, based on the switchable mirrors phenomenon discovered at the VU University, Amsterdam that some materials lose reflection ability by absorbing hydrogen. Using this technique of hydrogenography or writing with hydrogen, Dr. Gremaud was able to simultaneously analyse the efficacy of thousands of different combinations of the metals magnesium, titanium and nickel.

The analysis requires each of the three metals to be eroded from an individual source and deposited onto a transparent film in a thin layer of 100 nm using sputtering deposition. This ensures that the three metals are deposited onto the film in different ratios. When the film is exposed to different amounts of hydrogen, it is clearly visible, even to the naked eye, which composition of metals is best at absorbing hydrogen. Dr. Gremaud is the first to use this method for measuring hydrogen absorption.

Source: www.sciencedaily.com

In the early 1800s, during the peak of the Industrial Revolution, science revolved around steam engines and other coal-powered applications. It may hence seem a bit out of place that, in 1833, an Italian physicist, Mr. G.D. Botto, was experimenting with a method for generating hydrogen.

Mr. Bottos main objective was to show to the scientific community that electricity could be obtained by a source of heat through his ingenious device, said Dr. Roberto De Luca of University of Salerno in Italy. Dr. De Luca is part of a team of Italian scientists who revisited Mr. Bottos experiments to investigate whether the technique could have any application for todays energy problems. The Italian team was inspired by the convenience of the 1833 device, which can be easily fabricated using widely available materials. A modified version of the device produced enough electromotive force to generate hydrogen, though it had very low power conversion efficiency.

Mr. Bottos original device consisted of a chain of iron and platinum wires alternately connected to form thermocouples, which are used to convert a temperature difference into an electric voltage. The chain was wrapped around a wooden stick so that the iron-platinum junctions were evenly positioned on opposite sides of the stick. By heating the contraption with a flame of burning alcohol, he could create an electromotive force. He then passed the generated electric current through water to illustrate how the method could be used to produce hydrogen through electrolysis.

The Italian team made some major adjustments to Mr. Bottos device. They first considered substituting copper for platinum in the thermocouples and totally replacing the thermocouples with thermoelectric semiconductors for greater efficiency. Also, instead of a flame of burning alcohol, they considered using solar power to heat the thermocouples/semiconductors. To cool the other side and thus create a temperature difference, the wooden stick might be replaced with a hollow electrically insulating material through which water could run to cool the desired junctions.

The researchers then estimated the temperature difference and found it was only about 1 mV. They also estimated a power output of about 20 mW. Despite the low power conversion efficiency, the team proposed that the solar-powered device could generate enough current to produce hydrogen gas through electrolysis.

Source: www.physorg.com