Browsing by Subject "hydrogen"

Now showing 1 - 3 of 3
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    Distributed Bio-Hydrogen Refueling Stations
    (David Publishing, 2016) Schubert, Peter J.; Electrical and Computer Engineering, School of Engineering and Technology
    Hydrogen fuel cell cars are now available for lease and for sale. Renewable hydrogen fuel can be produced from water via electrolysis, or from biomass via gasification. Electrolysis is power-hungry with high demand from solar or wind power. Gasification, however, can be energy self-sufficient using a recently-patented thermochemical conversion technology known as I-HPG (indirectly-heated pyrolytic gasification). I-HPG produces a tar-free syngas from non-food woody biomass. This means the balance of plant can be small, so the overall system is economical at modest sizes. This makes it possible to produce renewable hydrogen from local agricultural residues; sufficient to create distributed refueling stations wherever there is feedstock. This work describes the specifics of a novel bio-hydrogen refueling station whereby the syngas produced has much of the hydrogen extracted with the remainder powering a generator to provide the electric power to the I-HPG system. Thus the system runs continuously. When paired with another new technology, moderate-pressure storage of hydrogen in porous silicon, there is the potential to also power the refueling operation. Such systems can be operated independently. It is even possible to design an energy self-sufficient farm where all electric power, heat, and hydrogen fuel is produced from the non-food residues of agricultural operations. No water is required, and the carbon footprint is negative, or at least neutral.
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    Hydrogen Generation from Water Disassociation Using Small Currents and Harmonics
    (Office of the Vice Chancellor for Research, 2013-04-05) Nguyen, Trien N.
    Hydrogen can be produced cheaply and efficiently from water sources using a combination of harmonics and small currents. Hydrogen is a clean and virtually inexhaustible fuel source with applications ranging from the basic combustion engine to more advanced fuel cells. The major stumbling block to hydrogen adoption is the difficulty in generation and transportation. To study these issues, a prototype hydrogen generator was created using readily available designs and materials and its hydrogen generation rates were tested by varying the gap between the cathode and anode, frequencies used in water dissociation, and voltages applied to the purified water. Since purified water and small currents are used, hydrolysis is not the driving force behind the dissociation of the water molecules. The cause of the water dissociation is the weakening effect the harmonic frequencies have on the hydrogen-oxygen bonding. The expectation is that voltage, cathode and anode surface area will have minimal effects on hydrogen production rates. Narrowing the frequency range that produces optimal water dissociation may increase hydrogen generation rates. Other experiments show that decreasing the gap between the cathode and anode may also increase hydrogen production. By increasing hydrogen production rates beyond the limits imposed by hydrolysis, the possibility exists of creating a hydrogen-on-demand system that eliminates the need to produce, store, and transport hydrogen.
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    Technology Systems for Lunar Industrial Development
    (International Astronautical Congress, 2021-10) Schubert, Peter J.; Electrical and Computer Engineering, School of Engineering and Technology
    Self-sufficiency of lunar operations is essential to establishment of an in-space economy. This work describes a sustainable step-wise pathway to energy, materials, finished goods, and food. The first lunar factory to build solar cells can be delivered from earth and be solar powered, as described in several US patents to the author. An alternative is to create fission fuels from lunar resources for a multi-MW baseload power reactor. Together with wireless power transfer, operations in permanently-shadowed regions can extract icy regolith and thence water, and thus oxygen and hydrogen. This hydrogen can be stored in porous silicon fabricated entirely on the moon. By extracting free iron from the lunar surface, the rails of a circumpolar transport system can be extruded so that a slow-moving train can remain in sunlight to grow food. Electromagnetic catapults using harvested iron as payload canisters can be used to transport solar panels, wires, and other value-added materials from the Moon to various orbits. Combining long-duration hydrogen storage and nuclear fission fuel, plus structural aluminum from an isotope separator, we can build fast ships to reach all portions of the solar system quickly, and with ample protection for human rocketeers. This presentation will integrate prior publications, provide a synopsis of on-going work, and present a framework of a step-by-step advancement towards comprehensive lunar industrial development.