4 ms·

Might be possible to create a completely closed system to address the loss? I am more concerned/confused by the fact that they use hydrogen to reduce the iron.

Might be possible to create a completely closed system to address the loss? I am more concerned/confused by the fact that they use hydrogen to reduce the iron. That seems like a very convoluted process, why not use the hydrogen generate heat instead? Yes, it has much lower density, but it has advantages to make up for it, for instance the fact that you don't need to worry about evaporation, leakage, filters, all that at all.

PaulHoule 3y ago
Hydrogen is devilishly hard to transport and store. Hydrogen packs a lot of energy per gram, but the density is so low. You need a huge tank if you compress it as a gas, you can liquefy it but the density is still not great, it takes a lot of energy, and you have to deal with this: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spin_isomers_of_hydrogen https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spin_isomers_of_hydrogen freshly liquefied hydrogen contains a lot of stored energy in that form which will be released over time and cause quite a bit to vaporize, for long term storage you have to release that energy. Thus people have looked at all sorts of schemes for storing hydrogen such as absorbing it in metals like palladium, metal hydrides, chemical carriers such as ammonia, methane, etc.
- kaliszad 3y ago
  Sodium would be a much better proposition. With NaOH, you can create a closed cycle. The electrolysis of NaOH is the well known Castner process, a consumable metal anode fuel cell with sodium is also well known (expired Patent: US3730776A by Lockheed) More details and overlap with other approaches: https://orgpad.com/s/5BfLP-cxj-7 https://orgpad.com/s/5BfLP-cxj-7 Sodium has higher energy density (3.5 kWh/L) than liquid hydrogen, there is no energy needed to store it and no catalyst is needed for the fuel cell because sodium is so reactive with water. The fuel cell is rather easy to construct (I know somebody, who has done it in a garage). NaOH solution is very caustic but also neutralizes well naturally without long term effects at least in comparison to crude oil that seems to be the better proposition. And of course sodium is everywhere, where NaCl - table salt is.

PaulHoule 3y ago

Hydrogen is devilishly hard to transport and store. Hydrogen packs a lot of energy per gram, but the density is so low. You need a huge tank if you compress it as a gas, you can liquefy it but the density is still not great, it takes a lot of energy, and you have to deal with this: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spin_isomers_of_hydrogen https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spin_isomers_of_hydrogen freshly liquefied hydrogen contains a lot of stored energy in that form which will be released over time and cause quite a bit to vaporize, for long term storage you have to release that energy. Thus people have looked at all sorts of schemes for storing hydrogen such as absorbing it in metals like palladium, metal hydrides, chemical carriers such as ammonia, methane, etc.

kaliszad 3y ago
Sodium would be a much better proposition. With NaOH, you can create a closed cycle. The electrolysis of NaOH is the well known Castner process, a consumable metal anode fuel cell with sodium is also well known (expired Patent: US3730776A by Lockheed) More details and overlap with other approaches: https://orgpad.com/s/5BfLP-cxj-7 https://orgpad.com/s/5BfLP-cxj-7 Sodium has higher energy density (3.5 kWh/L) than liquid hydrogen, there is no energy needed to store it and no catalyst is needed for the fuel cell because sodium is so reactive with water. The fuel cell is rather easy to construct (I know somebody, who has done it in a garage). NaOH solution is very caustic but also neutralizes well naturally without long term effects at least in comparison to crude oil that seems to be the better proposition. And of course sodium is everywhere, where NaCl - table salt is.