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From: wdr@faron.UUCP (William D. Ricker)
Newsgroups: net.physics
Subject: Re: Hydrogen (isn't flammible?!?)
Message-ID: <267@faron.UUCP>
Date: Tue, 2-Apr-85 13:26:33 EST
Article-I.D.: faron.267
Posted: Tue Apr  2 13:26:33 1985
Date-Received: Fri, 5-Apr-85 11:04:00 EST
References: <708@mhuxt.UUCP> <643@houxa.UUCP> <359@mnetor.UUCP>
Reply-To: wdr@faron.UUCP (William D. Ricker)
Organization: The MITRE Coporation, Bedford, MA
Lines: 50
Summary: Safe storage experiments

>>On the subject of cars and peoples "irrational" fear of hydrogen:
>>gasoline leaks are not uncommon in today's cars - what would
>>happen with a hydrogen leak?  Could indeed be another Hindenburg.
>>
>>  John Scherer  Bell Labs - Holmdel NJ

>Regarding "irrational fear of hydrogen" - there may be some truth
>to it in automobiles.  It would be interesting to see some sort
>of risk analysis of gasoline vs propane vs hydrogen.  There have
>been a couple of propane car fires in Toronto recently.  Nobody 
>killed, but several injured.  Hydrogen in a car would probably
>be stored as a gas (isn't the pressure required to keep hydrogen
>liquid too high to be practical in a car?  In contrast, propane is
>very easy to keep liquid.)  The consequences of a leak are probably
>somewhat more spectacular.
>-- 
>Chris Lewis, Motorola New Enterprises
>UUCP: {allegra, linus, ihnp4}!utzoo!utcs!mnetor!clewis
>BELL: (416)-475-1300 ext. 321

The proposals and experiments for hydrogen-based economies which were
frequent in SciAm, PopSci, and MechIll in the seventies seemed to
assume catalyst storage.  One that I recall was surface adsorbtion of
gaseous hydrogen onto finely ground platinum or some such rare earth.
That's right, convert your catalytic converter into your gas tank.  If
I remember correctly, the rate of off-gasing from the adsorbtion was
low enought as to be safer than a Pinto, at least.

I believe such a rare-earth adsorbtion [sic] system is in use at the
experimental fuel-cell electricity generating plant, which is located,
with all appropriate safety agency approvals, in the heart of a major
city at the site of a decommisioned early coal plant.  I believe I saw
this is SciAm last year... although possibly earlier.

With adsorbtion storage, fusion electric generation, and fuel cells,
hydrogen may be a reasonable form of electricity storage and
transportation.  I'm not so sure about personal transportation powered
by hydrogen-turbines.

[Then again, personal transportation is a social mal-adaption, anyway.
Double-plus economic un-good.]
-- 

  William Ricker
  wdr@MITRE-Bedford.ARPA					(MIL)
  wdr@faron.UUCP						(UUCP)
  decvax!genrad!linus!faron!wdr					(UUCP)
 {allegra,ihnp4,utzoo,philabs,uw-beaver}!linus!faron!wdr	(UUCP)

Opinions are my own and not necessarily anyone elses.  Likewise the "facts".