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HYDROGEN/
INTRODUCTION
source: [www.hydrogennow.org/index.html]
[www.hydrogennow.org/index.html]
[www.ases.org/hydrogen_forum
03/McAlister.pdf]
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What is hydrogen?- Hydrogen is a colorless, odorless, tasteless gas under normal conditions on Earth;
- hydrogen is the simplest, lightest element in the universe. It is made up of one proton and one electron. Because of its simplicity, it is believed by some that hydrogen is the root of all elements;
- it’s light! When hydrogen escapes into the atmosphere, it is so light that it scatters immediately upward in the air (it’s 14 times lighter than air). This means that a hydrogen spill won’t pool on the ground, pollute groundwater, or soak into clothing—it removes itself!
- it’s everywhere! Hydrogen is the most abundant element in the universe, making up more that 90% of all matter. On Earth, it is the third most abundant element in the Earth’s surface, found in water and all organic matter.
What happens when hydrogen burns? - hydrogen is highly flammable; it only takes a small amount of energy to ignite it and make it burn. It also has a wide flammability range, meaning it can burn when it makes up 4 to 74% of the air by volume;
- hydrogen burns readily with oxygen, releasing considerable energy as heat and producing only water as exhaust;
- when hydrogen burns in air (which is mostly nitrogen), some oxides of nitrogen (NOx, contributors to smog and acid rain) can be formed, but much fewer pollutants are formed than when normal hydrocarbon fuels such as gasoline and diesel are burned.
- because no carbon is involved, using hydrogen fuel eliminates carbon monoxide, carbon dioxide, and does not contribute to global warming. The combustion of hydrogen, in fact, produces no carbon dioxide (CO2), or sulphur emissions.
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