Re: Does anyone know what's REAL when it comes to DIY Hydrogen systems?

From: Don W. (dNOSPAMwiddersAThotmail.com)
Date: 12/22/04 

Date: Wed, 22 Dec 2004 14:33:13 -0800

"Wirelessguy" <wirelessguy@optonline.net> wrote in message
news:1103685356.899359.133790@f14g2000cwb.googlegroups.com...
> My point was that the word 'efficiency' bothers me.
>
> First off, I don't care what it takes to create the fuel
> I burn, I just care how much it costs me at the pump.
> I'm paying for the oil refining so that energy is already
> calculated into my end cost of combustion even if
> I'm not counting it from a pure efficiency perspective.
<snip>
> I'd be happy with and inefficient system using both
> Water and Electrolysis (you can replace that with the
> fuel cell if that's more efficient than electr.) if I were
> able to overcome other obsticles like heat reduction
> in the engine and a cleaner burn of fuels.
>
> In short, I've come to wonder why I cared so much
> about making a better engine. It just has to run on
> something cheaper than gas (and fit in the car). I still
> believe that for all of it's energy losses, it must be
> at least FEASIBLE to run an engine off of distiller
> water at less a cost than that of refining oil.
>

Water has no stored energy. It's ABB (Already Been Burned) hydrogen, and
to unburn it takes a lot more energy than can be recovered by burning it or
supplying it to a fuel cell. On board your vehicle you need a store of
energy, not a store of hydrogen ash. All the 'water as fuel' schemes are
scams.

Gasoline is pretty cheap in terms of dollars per BTU. In many places, a
bottle of mineral water is more expensive than an equal volume of gasoline.
Hydrogen is extraordinarily expensive to make and to store and to use. If
you're looking to save money, making and using hydrogen is not the way to
go.

Don W.

Relevant Pages

  • Re: Solar-hydrogen home power system?
    ... It still isn't as energy dense ... >> expect the battery system to win when you consider efficiency. ... >> needed using a natural gas fuel cell. ... >> when it comes to the area that I can cover with solar cells. ...
    (sci.energy.hydrogen)
  • Re: Solar-hydrogen home power system?
    ... It still isn't as energy dense ... >> expect the battery system to win when you consider efficiency. ... >> needed using a natural gas fuel cell. ... >> when it comes to the area that I can cover with solar cells. ...
    (sci.energy)
  • Re: Low Cost Hydrogen is here to stay
    ... This library page holds a collection of hydrogen energy resources. ... But please do NOT call Hydrogen a fuel. ... one MIGHT foolishly object and say that oil coal and natural gas ... water down into its component parts and retain the hydrogen, ...
    (sci.energy.hydrogen)
  • Re: King Tuts Nukes (back by popular demand)
    ... The amount of spent nuclear fuel to be stored at Yucca was set to ... > nuclear expansion aren't the sort to mistake an eight for a sixth. ... to renewable energy. ... of water, instead. ...
    (sci.energy)
  • Re: Use of Extension Cord
    ... pound of water one degree Fahrenheit, and it takes the same amount of energy to lower the temperature of one pound of water one degree Fahrenheit, but it takes a little extra to run the cooling equipment, then the heater wins the efficiency race for delta T. ... If takes the same amount of energy to add a unit of heat to the water as it takes it takes to take a unit of heat out of the water, ... we were talking about efficiency. ... with wiring on your end designed to support ...
    (sci.electronics.basics)