From: Eugene Leitl (Eugene.Leitl@lrz.uni-muenchen.de)
Date: Thu Apr 24 1997 - 14:59:08 MDT
On Thu, 24 Apr 1997 CALYK@aol.com wrote:
> In a message dated 97-04-24 02:17:45 EDT, you write:
> [ EVLN(automotive fuel cell development raises platinum demand) ]
> Heck, why not just run on water, we have the technology to cheaply convert
> our cars' engines to run on it. (hydrogen generators, 100% efficiency)
Oh no! The extropians mailing list has become subverted by over-unity
energy schemes, which are currenly plaguing sci.hydrogen (Michael Hannon &
consorts). Unless you are considering cold fusion, which does not work
(whatever happened to muon-catalysed cold fusion?), water is not a source
of energy (which only occurs in the stars and the H-nuke, which fuses
deuterium-tritium, both being hydrogen isotopes). Hydrogen produced from
water by means of (PV-originated) electrolysis is not a source of energy,
but an energy conserve, utilizing your friendly fusion power plant -- the
sun. Since gaseous hydrogen has a low energy density, requiring costly
and heavy high-pressure tanks, basically the same problems riddling
cryogenic and hydride storage, the best solution emerged so far is
on-board fuel reforming. The resulting hydrogen+carbon dioxide mix is then
converted into electricity by means of a fuel cell, a cold/non-Carnot
device, having the highest energy conversion efficiency known. It is still
below unity, however. I suggest you consult the basic laws of
thermodyamics...
ciao,
'gene
> -danny
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