Hydrogen Fuel

Hydrogen fuel can be made in many different ways according to the use for which it will be applied. The most popular method of making hydrogen fuel for cars right now is by steam reforming natural gas.

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		Hydrogen Fuel

In this method, hydrogen is produced from not only the natural gas but from the steam as well. Honda estimates with their Home Energy Station IV that 50-percent of the hydrogen fuel comes from the steam and the other 50-percent from the natural gas.

But, even though today over 90-percent of the hydrogen produced in the U. S. comes from steam reforming of natural gas, this is not the only way H2 can be produced. With the emphasis in the past couple of years on green technology, the electrolysis of water to produce hydrogen fuel has received more attention.

Of course, the power for the electrolyzer can come from the grid or if the electrolysis unit is onboard a vehicle, the electrical charge can come from the battery or alternator as well. When hydrogen fuel is produced outside of the vehicle, renewable energy methods have gain popularity over the past 2 or 3 years.

Several hydrogen refueling stations are powered by solar energy and there are also a few home hydrogen refueling station prototypes that can accept solar, wind or any other renewable resource as well.

When one creates hydrogen fuel inside the vehicle, then usually a hydrogen on demand method is used. Hydrogen fuel can be created from water or another H2-rich chemical compound such as sodium borohydride, hydrogen peroxide or ammonia.

With these compounds, hydrogen fuel can be created quickly and safely as no compressed gas has to be stored. In regard to creating hydrogen fuel from water, H2O is a stable and inert substance until it is electrolyzed.

The H2O becomes HHO gas (which is both flammable and combustible) and sometimes the hydrogen and oxygen are separated, and sometimes not depending upon the manufacturer's specifications for their device. Hydrogen fuel by itself or as HHO gas can then be injected into a vehicle's intake system as a fuel supplement to help the gasoline or diesel burn more cleanly and completely.

Hydrogen fuel in fuel cell cars is a completely different story. In this case, pure hydrogen is produced outside of the vehicle and then compressed to between 3,600 psi and 10,000 psi. This compressed hydrogen is then pumped into high pressure tanks onboard the vehicle.

The compressed hydrogen fuel is then used to run through a fuel cell where oxygen from the ambient air also helps to create an electrical charge to power the vehicle. In general, all fuel cell vehicles are also electric vehicles using electric motors for power.

But, no matter how hydrogen fuel is produced, what is important is that it is cleaner than gasoline in regard to tailpipe emissions. If hydrogen fuel in produced from an onboard HHO generator, consumers can save fuel now. If hydrogen fuel is produced outside the vehicle, then consumers will have to wait a few years until fuel cell cars roll off the assembly lines.