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My knowledge of physics is very basic and practical engineering is zero, but storing hydrogen in compressed tanks always seem very impractical to me. It's the m
by tambourine_man 8y ago
My knowledge of physics is very basic and practical engineering is zero, but storing hydrogen in compressed tanks always seem very impractical to me. It's the most freaking volatile element in the universe. And atomic hydrogen reacts with pretty much anything. Leakage and corrosion.
From my armchair perspective, storying it in chemical bonds (like nature does) makes a lot more sense.
- sandworm101 8y agoThe bigger deal is how easily hydrogen leaks. H2 is small enough to squeeze through tiny holes in rubber or plastic gaskets. It's fine in a car, but keeping it in big tanks for months is something else. At least when it leaks it floats away rather than collect on the floor looking for a reason to ignite.
- abakker 8y agoAnd, Hydrogen embrittlement makes the tanks fail prematurely. (http://www.corrosionclinic.com/types_of_corrosion/hydrogen_embrittlement_he.htm http://www.corrosionclinic.com/types_of_corrosion/hydrogen_e...)
- harperlee 8y agoIt would be great if there was a (safe, efficient) way to store electricity in ethanol - but it seems that the process is not very efficient and requires carbon monoxide as input, which is not very safe at offgrid-home scale. That is, unless electricity is used to light corn crops. Still not very efficient.
- adrianN 8y agoIt's not really efficient, but you can create short chain hydrocarbons to store fuel for your fuel cell. Methanol for example is a lot easier to handle than hydrogen and there are fuel cells that consume it.
- beat 8y agoMethanol is avoided in a lot of non-industrial situations because it's so incredibly toxic. Very dangerous to children and animals and idiots.
- adrianN 8y agoI wouldn't recommend drinking gasoline or diesel either, but cars seem to work pretty well with it.
- beat 8y agoGasoline and diesel won't leave you permanently blind on a spoonful. Methanol is significantly more poisonous. It also burns with a colorless flame, which has been a problem in auto racing, where it is sometimes used.
- gnode 8y ago> And atomic hydrogen reacts with pretty much anything. But we don't store atomic hydrogen; we store molecular hydrogen (H2).
- tambourine_man 8y agoBut I would imagine a small percetage at least would break into Atomic Hydrogen, H+, H-, right? And those things are nasty.