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Re: population growth & physics ed



I recall an article in Scientific American a few years ago on this
topic. As I recall, the main problem with the vehicle was that the
preferred storage solution, as a metal hydride in a sort of Nickel
sponge for safety reasons, would get you about a hundred miles before
you had to refill. Compressed gas tanks didn't seem to store
significantly more H at reasonable pressures and liquid H is out for
obvious reasons.

Also, there is a problem with making the stuff. Unless a practical
means is developed for using solar energy to crack H2O, you have to
electrolyze it using either nuclear or petroleum generation for you
electricity and then you're back where you started.
Somebody whose name I can't recall was working on a
solar facility to simply make the water so hot that it spontaneously
dissociated but I don't know if anything ever came of that.

Mostly, though, I expect the biggest reason is the enormous economic
investment in distribution and production facilities for petroleum.
Likely we won't change to anything else until we've burned all the
oil.


What if the world's automakers converted their engines over to hydrigen
and oxygen combustion. With the by-product being pure water, would the
increase in water vapor have a worse effect than carbon dioxide? Also,
with many utility companies converting their trucks over to propane, why
don't they go all the way? The volatility of hydrogen vs. propane does
not seem to be that significant with regards to safety concerns. And,
even if it is, the amount of hydrogen placed on board could be proportioned
to the energy released if an explosion were to occur. And, the nice
thing about hydrogen use is that is could be produced by the same oil men
out in the desert using solar power to electroyze water - this would
solve the tremendous greed issue.

----------
Tom K. McCarthy Email:mcca6300@spacelink.msfc.nasa.gov




Paul J. Camp "The Beauty of the Universe
Assistant Professor of Physics consists not only of unity
Coastal Carolina University in variety but also of
Conway, SC 29526 variety in unity.
pjcamp@csd1.coastal.edu --Umberto Eco
pjcamp@worldnet.att.org The Name of the Rose
(803)349-2227
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