Hydrogen Drives Future Automobile Industry
...experts that hydrogen has the potential to become an important energy system for the 21st century. Hydrogen, chemical symbol H, is the simplest element on earth. An atom of hydrogen has only one proton and one electron. Hydrogen gas is a diatomic molecule; each molecule has two atoms of hydrogen (which is why pure hydrogen is commonly expressed as “H2”). At standard temperature and pressure, hydrogen exists as a gas. It is colorless, odorless, tasteless, and lighter than air (Hydrogen. [Art]).
Figure 1. Hydrogen Molecule
Like electricity, hydrogen is an energy carrier (not an energy source), meaning it can store and deliver energy in an easily usable form (Fischer & Finnell, 2006).
. Although abundant on earth as an element, hydrogen combines readily with other elements and is almost always found as part of some other substance, such as water (H2O), or hydrocarbons like natural gas (which consists primarily of methane, with the chemical formula, CH4). Hydrogen is also found in biomass, which includes all plants and animals.
Historical Overview
The United States currently produces about nine million tons of hydrogen per year (National Academy of Sciences/ national research Council, 2004). This hydrogen is used primarily in industrial processes including petroleum refining, petrochemical manufacturing, glass purification, and in fertilizers. It is also used in the semiconductor industry and for the hydrogenation of unsaturated fats in vegetable oil. Only a small fraction of the hydrogen produced in the United States is used as an energy carrier, most notably by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA). This could change, however, as our nation’s leader’s look to increase our energy security by reducing our dependence on imported oil and expanding our portfolio of energy choices. Hydrogen is the optimum choice for fuel cells, which are...
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