Hydrogen Fuel Leakage Problems, They Are Real

[jonathon arquette]

We are fortunate enough to live in a country where we can spend on
Research and Development. It is wonderful we have the 3 billion
dollars to spend on R and D for Hydrogen Fuel Cells. It is great that
we have found some future problems early on so we can work on fixing
them. The problem with hydrogen leaking is that it will end up
floating to the upper atmosphere quicker due to it's light weight and
therefore offset the ozone layer. Some scientists estimated by up to
18% with in a time period equal to widespread useage in cars,
transportation, powere plants ships, etc. The problem is as the
Hydrogen goes up into the stratosphere it would condense and oxidize
that means you would have water.
Thus the lower atmosphere would infact cool. Currently some scientists
estimate the change in ozone to be 8% which they have said is why we
have holes at the poles. We had thought that they were closing up and
this was perhaps a trend or cycle. All this means a disturbance in the
ozone chemistry which is not good. We know what the effects of such
are as we have already seen in Tierra Del fuego, with Blind sheep and
cancer rate increases to alraming numbers. But we also know from
aviation studies of skin cancer in pilots. You may search this topic
on this baord for a cross industry study we did.
Leakage from Fuel Cell tanks or unused fuel is a significant problem
which should be addressed after all we can control Feon to a large
degree, but with so much Hydrogen running everything it could be a
problem, Hydrogen is found everywhere and in many compounds where it
is trapped and as those molecules or compounds decay Hydrogen is
released naturally anyway. We may have a chance to control it and
certainly we are looking into this. Another issue is of course already
discussed, the heat conversion process and high temperatures which
could cause intense fog banks as you drive in early mornings or urban
heat from millions of cars in Metropolitan areas..
We are hoping that the researchers can infact can over come these
obsticles and that we can prove that a widespread Hydrogen Economy can
in fact be possible. They are aware of the problem at the Department
of Energy and many top energy scientists and automobile companies are
working on these and other serious issues right now.
What does all this mean? It means that jumping to conclusion on any
one idea is not smart, because if we went to Electric Cars with
batteries. Then we would have all kinds of waste disposal problems far
worse than the energy saved. Also making electricity from fossil fuels
at power plants would mean you would simply have re-displaced the
pollution to somewhere else, GM announced a complete dumping of it's
project recently after the California Air Resources Board figured out
that the 10% electric quota of cars was a pipe dream. Although they
should be commended on their forward thinking and attempt as many
Futurists concur.
In 1890 Electric cars were created. And it took until 1998 to figure
out what to do with them, now Tesla would have prefered the battery
operated automobile as he stated at the World's Faire at the turn of
the century. Of course the reality of what to do with all the dead and
old corroded batteries is a serious issue, right now they do not even
know what to do with all the ion-litium bateries being disposed of
that do not fit the newer cellular phones because they are too big.
Nickle Metal Hydride also issues. Disposal, remember we trash 10
million cars per year in this country at the current rate. Selling 17
million and a net gain of 7 million cars which will all be disposed of
in the future too. Used cars are piling up across America and not just
the old rusty one's which number 5 per household in the Southern
States.
So you ask what is the answer to all of this? Well right now the
answer is in the 3 billion dollars of research granted by Congress and
brought to the table by the President in the State of the Union
Speech. Is you car in to the next centurygoing to hover and emit no
pollution? Could be, but seriously we have a ways to go yet. The
hydrogen future looks like a bright one, but there are bugs to work
through
first.
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