TOPIC 'Hydrogen & Hydrogen Cars' on Nov 03, 2008 (CET)
Hydrogen Technology Just Keeps Getting Better
An ongoing effort by researchers at Manchester University in the UK has hopes of proving that hydrogen can be produced with less energy and, therefore, at less cost and finding yet another reason to rely on the utilization of fuel cell power. The project involves 13 universities across Britain and is set to explore the possibilities of something called “plasma reforming” which researchers believe could lower the temperatures that are needed to create hydrogen.
Hydrogen is created, currently, through a method known as “steam reforming.” This uses a methodology of adding known catalysts (aimed at causing a specific reaction) to a combination of steam and methane at an extremely high pressure and temperatures that range from 800 t0 1,000 degrees centigrade.
To reach these needed high temperatures, a high degree of energy is also expended. Therefore, the “carbon savings” could be greater if the high energy needed to create the high temperatures could be reduced. That is exactly what happens in this “plasma-reforming process,” as stated by Professor Christopher Whitehead who is leading the study efforts at Manchester University. Professor Whitehead believes the “carbon footprint” affiliated with the creation of hydrogen could be dramatically cut by up to 90 percent. That would be an incredible achievement indeed!
This methodology has been tried on a small scale in the past and Professor Whitehead believes it will be possible to create hydrogen from methane within a time frame not greater than five years. If this technique is successful, it could greatly alleviate some of the problems associated with distributing hydrogen that theorists say will cause the most frustration to fuel cell technology being adopted by the general public. Professor Whitehead predicts that the process could be convenient for home generators and used successfully to convert natural gas into hydrogen overnight to refuel hydrogen-powered cars.
While some carbon emissions would still be involved through the use of this process, Professor Whitehead believes that it could become, in fact, a carbon-neutral process because the energy is produced from renewable resources and the methane from landfill sites could be used.
Sherry Irvin
on behalf of the
BascoTec Internet Limited
Technologie Park 13
33100 Paderborn
Germany
