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About Hydrogen Hydrogen
is the simplest
element known to mankind. Each atom
of hydrogen has only one proton and one electron. It is also the most
plentiful gas in the universe. Stars are made primarily of hydrogen.
Hydrogen has the highest energy content of any common fuel by weight,
but the lowest energy content by volume. It is the lightest element,
and it is a gas at normal temperature and pressure.
Our
sun’s energy is derived from hydrogen. The sun is a giant ball of
hydrogen and helium gases. Inside the sun, hydrogen atoms combine to
form helium atoms. This process—called fusion—gives off radiant energy.
This radiant energy sustains life on earth. It gives us life, light and
drives our weather. Hydrogen is already the basis for almost all of our
energy, including the energy from fossil fuels.
Hydrogen
as a gas (H2) doesn’t exist on earth. It is always
mixed with
other elements. Combined with oxygen, it is water (H2O).
Combined with
carbon, it makes different compounds such as methane (CH4),
coal, and
petroleum. Hydrogen is also found in all growing things - biomass
. Hydrogen
gas has long been considered a most reasonable solution to
society's continuing dependence on fossil fuels. It could also replace
other forms of wasteful, hazardous energy production including nuclear
reactions. However, with the numerous advances in hydrogen application
technologies, from fuel cells to turbines, the prominent problems
persist - the production, transportation and storage of hydrogen gas (H2).
Current
applications around the earth utilize very high pressure
storage containers for a supply of hydrogen gas required. These
tanks/cylinders are hazardous to fill, transport and are very limited
to size and to the quantity of hydrogen gas for use. Additionally,
today’s common production technique to achieve hydrogen gas -
electrolysis - is not cost effective requiring generally, more energy
to produce the gas than can be extracted.
These
problems may be readily
overcome with the creation of on-site hydrogen on
demand systems! These systems would be based upon simple chemical
reactions that are well known to the scientific community and present
little environmental hazard. The hydrogen gas created could be applied
anywhere and in essentially any volume as required negating the need to
transport hydrogen gas itself or any other hazardous materials. This
technology may be applied to any site specific need from future
infrastructure hydrogen refueling stations to power
generation facilities.
Since
hydrogen doesn’t exist on earth as a gas, we must make it. To
date, it has been very expensive to create hydrogen (H2),
but now CRG has proven a new cost effective technology.
Before
hydrogen becomes a significant fuel in the U.S. energy picture,
many new systems must be built. Systems are needed to make
hydrogen (H2) and to apply it. Commerce and consumers will
need the
technology and the education to use it.
Hydrogen gas may be created by a multitude of means. The object here is to define the creation of hydrogen gas from chemical reactions to be used as a direct fuel source. The direct application of hydrogen (H2) negates the hazardous storage of hydrogen gas and means the creation of hydrogen on demand. There will be two methods reviewed, each of which accomplishes plentiful hydrogen production. Hydrogen, as a fuel, is environmentally friendly, now economically viable and may be applied through various methods from direct ignition (boiler, internal combustion, or turbine) to fuel cells.
In each of these methodologies the loop is closed. i.e.; all secondary materials (sodium hydroxide or aluminum hydroxide) are recycled through conversion to be re-applied to production. Or, in the case of aluminum hydroxide, it could be separated and marketed. There is no waste and no losses that may be considered excessive. Generally speaking, the only systemic loss will be water through small amounts of evaporation and the targeted consumption of hydrogen. Sodium Hydride/Water Sodium Hydride (NaH) reacts strongly with water releasing Hydrogen (H2). The resulting residue is Sodium Hydroxide (NaOH). Sodium Hydroxide when heat-treated may be converted back to Sodium Hydride. Here, there is a continual loop of Hydrogen gas production with very little loss. There is an added benefit of commercial Oxygen production as a by-product. A very basic process flow sheet follows:
NaH (solid) + H2O (liquid) --> NaOH (liquid) + H2 (gas) The hydrogen produced in the reaction bubbles to the surface of the water and builds to a desired pressure. The hydrogen gas can be used directly from the retort tank for any application in which hydrogen is normally used. The low pressures necessary are regulated by the amount of water injected and by an outlet pressure regulator. The pressure regulator may also be directed to overpressure venting. A portable system may be as simple as:
The reaction inside the tank also produces waste sodium hydroxide (NaOH) which is taken to the conversion subsystem for the conversion to Sodium Hydride (NaH) which may be re-injected into the reaction system to produce more Hydrogen. The process of conversion from Sodium Hydroxide to Sodium Hydride requires only a vacuum heat treatment and the removal of Oxygen. This process could be accomplished with energy provided by solar collectors or other heat sources including geothermal or waste heat from other industrial processes etc. 12Kg ( 26.45lb) of NaH are required to deliver 1Kg of Hydrogen gas. 1 mol of hydrogen = 2.0 grams = 22.4 standard liters1 kilogram of hydrogen = 33.3 kilowatt-hours = .12 gigajoules 1 gram of Hydrogen = 33.333333 watts = 113.814198 Btu 1 standard of cubic foot H2 = 2.53 grams = 28.32 liters = .028 cubic meters Heat of combustion of hydrogen: 241.8 kilojoules / mol of H2 (LHZ) Hydrogen weighs just 0.08988 grams per liter Sodium Hydride (NaH) will release 1300 times it's volume in hydrogen The hydrogen gas produced with NaH and water is 99.997% pure (low NOx) Sodium Hydroxide/Aluminum This method is comparable to the Sodium Hydride system but does provide for the use of less volatile materials. Sodium Hydroxide, otherwise known as caustic soda or lye, is readily available and is a product to be disposed of in many manufacturing operations. It may be created readily or acquired very economically. The other prime ingredient to this system is Aluminum. Since it may be recycled into the system for re-use, only a start-up quantity is necessary. It may be in any form from shredded aluminum cans to other stock.
To view the simplicity of
Hydrogen
gas
production using this method, please
see the following http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JCtUAFLW-TM
Larry Johnson tries it out with discarded aluminum cans and sodium hydroxide. He installed a "bubbler" to prevent a back flash.
Aluminum upon contacting Sodium Hydroxide is very reactive. The reaction liberates Hydrogen (H2) in great quantity and the residue generated may be marketed at a price greater than that of scrap aluminum or it may be converted back to aluminum metal at relatively low heat while removing oxygen. The wet "spent aluminum" product could be filtered off, washed, and heated (solar or alternative) while drawing off oxygen, to form aluminum metal. A diagram of this system would be almost identical to the Sodium Hydride system except that the water would be replaced by liquid sodium hydroxide and the sodium hydride would be replaced by aluminum. A reiteration would remind you that the aluminum residue is a very desirable commodity should conversion be dismissed. Commercial Oxygen remains a secondary product. The
foregoing
premises are not theoretical, CRG has “manufactured”
hydrogen (H2), has regenerated
“waste” materials and has operated electrical generator systems
(sustained basis) from
the processes described. Considerations Electrical energy generation in this era of shortages, brownouts and blackouts is a continuing problem that does have a reasonable economical solution. Dependence on fossil fuels can be a thing of the past as well as other more expensive and sometimes high risk, alternative fuel technologies. Hydrogen fuel has been touted for some time now as the means to a cleaner environment and a certainly more abundant energy source. However, the applications to date have proven to be cost prohibitive, inefficient and hazardous. But now, CRG can prove a new cost effective technology. Another alternative being considered is a fully closed (Non Ignition) system: Electricity generation If
passed through
a turbine or expansion engine, hydrogen moving from one hydride tank to
the other could produce mechanical and electrical energy. It consists
of only three tanks containing a hydriding substance (in this case
lanthanum/nickel-LaNi5 alloy). During the first
cycle, hydrogen driven off from the desorption tank (Tank 1) by means
of solar heat (or heat from any other source) passes through the
expansion turbine producing mechanical energy and electricity, and then
at a lower pressure is absorbed by the hydriding substance in Tank 2
producing heat at 40°C. In this case, the heat is produced at a
lower temperature than the temperature of the desorption since hydrogen
is at a lower pressure after passing through the turbine. The heat
produced in the absorption tank (Tank 2) is rejected to the environment
through the water cooling system. The same water cooling system is also
used to cool down the cooling tank (Tank 3) from 100°C to 40°C,
since it has served as the desorption tank in the previous cycle. In
the second cycle through a system of switches and valves, the tanks are
displaced one step to the right in the diagram, i.e., the cooling tank
becomes the absorption tank, the absorption tank becomes the desorption
tank, and the desorption tank becomes the cooling tank. Then, the
cycles are repeated. Using this method, low quality heat could be
converted to electricity.
The auxillary heat source may be some of the energy from the turbine,
Solar heat, geothermal heat or wind energy.
We at CRG propose to demonstrate the sustained production of hydrogen gas using simple chemical methods accomplishing the recovery and recycling of materials “used” in the process. The hydrogen gas generated will be directed to an internal combustion engine/generator to produce multi-kilowatts of sustained electrical power which will be transmitted to the public utility grid or applied to on-site consumption. The exhaust emissions would be primarily (H2O) - water vapor! These actions will demonstrate the full “circuit” of gas production, materials recovery and use. Full documentation of all operational considerations, materials applications, production ratios/quantities and costs will be maintained. Summary CRG can demonstrate the cost effective, sustained production of hydrogen gas (H2). The production may be accomplished at any location where any other fuel is currently consumed and systems may be installed for electrical power generation facilities, hydrogen refueling stations and all other applications where fuel is required. CRG can complete these hydrogen on demand systems and offset the current high cost and hazardous transportation and storage of hydrogen (H2). In addition the methodology creates no waste product and all materials used in the production of (H2) are recycled. Significant
quantities of the fundamental materials must be continually
processed and to that end CRG does currently occupy
and maintain facilities where research,
construction and related operations may be conducted (permits
pending). Photographs of
the facility may be seen at
http://www.goldenflash.com/
This facility represents all capabilities for material
handling,
processing and laboratory requirements. |
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The
Chaplin Resource Group |
