9 ms·
Sure you can transport it that way, but in order for it to be lighter than air it cannot be significantly compressed. The compression factor (when liquid) is ab
by darksaints 6y ago
Sure you can transport it that way, but in order for it to be lighter than air it cannot be significantly compressed. The compression factor (when liquid) is about 1000...you'd need a zepellin the size of 1000 trucks in order to transport the same quantity as a single truck. That leads to materials costs and aerodynamic efficiency being significant factors. You simply cannot transport hydrogen very efficiently using such methods.
- jws 6y agoMaybe… A cubic meter of hydrogen has 3kWH of energy, about $0.25. The Hindenburg was 200,000 cubic meters, so $48,000 of hydrogen. So, hydrogen production facilities can fill very large balloons and send them off into the sky with little altitude controllers like the Project Loon balloons. They can then do their best to navigate the Earth's air currents to move themselves to pass over energy consumers. When an energy consumer needs more hydrogen they can send a powered airship up to grab a nearby hydrogen balloon and bring it down for harvesting, paying the producer in the process. Really the best part of this solution is that it will create an underworld caste of sky pirates who use their airships to steal hydrogen. We can only hope they wear vaguely Victorian clothing and wear goggles.
- pjc50 6y ago> $48,000 of hydrogen. That seems disappointing, but it's roughly the UK retail value of a tanker full of petrol.
- darksaints 6y agoWith standard blimps (think goodyear) costing $20m+, I think you'd still find the ROI on that still being a lot lower than cryotanks on trailers.
- detritus 6y agoHow many Goodyear blimps are there in current service, though? If there were many more than there are now, the unit cost would drop.