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Hydrogen fuel is indeed really difficult to manage. The Hindenburg accident come to mind, or the weight problems of fuel cell cars...
by shaqbert 10y ago
Hydrogen fuel is indeed really difficult to manage. The Hindenburg accident come to mind, or the weight problems of fuel cell cars...
- ams6110 10y agoIt's the smallest molecule there is. It's really difficult to contain. It will leak out of steel containers while embrittling the metal. However it's not necessary to use pure hydrogen as vehicle fuel. Alcohol or other hydrocarbons can be used directly in a fuel cell to produce electric power, or be burned in an more traditional combustion engine.
- myrryr 10y agoHelium is the smallest molecule. H2 is quite a bit bigger.
- deciplex 10y agoHydrogen leaks out of steel containers because it's "small"? Doesn't the size of even the largest atom (or, for that matter, molecule) pale in comparison to even the smallest leaks you will typically find in a steel container?
- eru 10y agoIt's not normal leaks. It's about hydrogen and helium diffusing through the container.
- eru 10y agoThe Hindenburg had some other problems, too. The paint on the outside was extremely flammable. (And still, casualties came mostly from people jumping off the ship. The people that stayed on mostly survived.)
- mark-r 10y agoThe thing that made the Hindenburg transformative is that it was caught on film. After everyone had seen the disaster for themselves, they were never going to trust the technology again.