Some “alternates within alternates” are studied and possible improvement of our energy policies are explored. The viability of a hydrogen fuel economy is reviewed. Methanol, ethanol or ammonia versus hydrogen is one area of interest. Others include liquid hydrogen versus jet fuels, the use of geothermal, solar, wind or water energy for production of hydrogen gas versus development of deep earth...

New energy technologies are needed to limit CO2 emissions and the detrimental effects of global warming. In this article we describe a process which produces a low-carbon gaseous fuel from coal. Synthesis gas from a coal gasifier is shifted to a gas mixture consisting mainly of H2 and CO2. The CO2 is isolated by a physical absorption process, compressed, and transported by pipeline to a deplete...

Fuel cell power for locomotives combines the environmental benefits of a catenaryelectric locomotive with the higher overall energy efficiency and lower infrastructure costs of a diesel-electric. A North American consortium, a public-private partnership, is developing a prototype hydrogen-fueled fuel cell-battery hybrid switcher locomotive for urban and military-base rail applications. Switcher...

In this study, the influence air fuel ratio and injection timing on the engine performance of 4-cylinder direct injection hydrogen fueled engine was investigated. The effect of air fuel ratio (AFR) and engine speed on optimum injection timing is presented. The 4-cylinder direct injection hydrogen engine model was developed utilizing the GTPower commercial software. This model employed one dimen...

A system level microreactor concept for hydrogen generation with Sodium Borohydride (NaBH4) is demonstrated. The uniqueness of the system is the transport and distribution feature of fuel (hydrogen) to the anode of the fuel cell without any external feed connectors and flow fields. The approach here is to use palladium film instead of feed connectors and the flow fields; palladium’s property to...

The new requirements for sulfur content in liquid fuels demand the use of novel deep desulfurization processes. 4-methyldibenzothiophene, 4,6dimethyldibenzothiophene and their alkyl-substituted derivatives are the key substances that need to be separated from diesel fuel and fuel oil. These compounds require higher hydrogen consumption in the hydrodesulfurization process and the use of addition...

Three E’s are the national energy policy drivers of any country of the world, Energy security, Economic growth and Environmental protection. A fuel cell is an energy conversion device that produces electricity by electrochemically combining fuel (hydrogen) and oxidant (oxygen from the air) gases through electrodes and across an ion conducting electrolyte. The principal characteristic of a fuel ...

In the past few decades, hydrogen fuel cells have been suggested as an alternative energy source and engineered for a range of applications including automotive, stationary power, and consumer electronics. However, the durability and reliability of hydrogen fuel cells still remain major hurdles for its wider application. Several researchers have investigated the diagnosis of faults in fuel cell...