Every time you pull up to the ticker at thegasstation , it seems like you ’re in for yet another case of spine blow . In the spring of 2008 , the U.S. national average cost for regular leadless gasoline coiffe record highs for six straight days in May – that ’s after it climbed 11 percent from April [ root : CNN Money ] .
As a result of rapidly increase energy costs , alternative fuelslook more appealing with each record - cave in twenty-four hour period . In his 2006 State of the Union address , President George W. Bush declared his design to alleviate the United States ' trouble of being " addicted tooil " [ origin : White House ] . He make out a challenge to replace 75 per centum of America ’s oil use with alternative fuels by 2025 .
So which substitute fuel is the standout ? There are heap of competitor . research worker are working feverishly to break through the challenges presented by each potential fuel source . For model , cellulosic grain alcohol has been show to make a fine fuel , but the cognitive process of ferment it from plant likeswitchgrassis expensive . electrical energy can ( and does ) power car , buthybrid vehiclesstill command gas to engage . Andall - galvanising vehiclesmust be plugged into an electric outlet to recharge thebatteriesafter a couple hundred miles . What ’s more , most of the electricity used to juice up the car is being generated at power plants fueled by coal or rude gas , which emit pollutant .
It ’ll probably take a combining of all of these type of substitute energy to get America off its crude addiction . And it looks likehydrogenwill act a major role as well . Hydrogen is the light and elementary element known to man , and it has a high energy proceeds . It ’s also all around us : Think water .
The technology is already in place to operate a railroad car using hydrogen . So can you convert your railcar to turn tail on piddle ? retrieve out on the next Thomas Nelson Page .
Water to Fuel Conversion
Believe it or not , the answer is a resounding yes . There are even rebirth kits to help you . And some Web site offer do - it - yourself guidebook that explain how to set up a hydrogenfuel cellfor your car from common items you may regain at any computer hardware store .
Whether you ’d require to convert your railroad car to run on water is another matter . The process of deform weewee into fuel is free-base in scientific discipline , but whether or not it will improve yourgasmileage ( as these internet site claim ) is debatable .
Most conversion kits are base on a concept open by Dr. Yul Brown , who glorify the virtues of distil energy from plain old water . Dr. Brown used the process ofelectrolysisto freestanding body of water into its components – two hydrogen molecules and one oxygen speck . This mixed bag , calledHHO(also known asBrown ’s gas ) , can be burned and the resulting energy used to power your car [ informant : Yul Brown.org ] . This fuel expect very little water and is imply to supplement the gun you use in your car [ beginning : Run Your Car With Water.com ] .
Can plain previous tap water power your car ? It ’s possible , but it may not be deserving it .
So what ’s the job ? Like most other substitute fuel source , HHO conversion kits for use onboard a car have a negativenet energy ratio[source : du Plessis ] . This intend that the amount of energy you get out of the conversion is really less than the amount you put in . Think about it like this : If it need one gallon of gas to convert water into HHO , your energy output will equal one - half gallon of gasoline . You ’ve just used one gallon of gasoline to grow the vigor of one - one-half gallon . speak strictly in terms of energy , you would ’ve been practiced off but using that one congius of gun to fire your motorcar . You would have gotten the benefit of the whole gallon , rather than just half of it .
There ’s another side effect of using atomic number 1 as fuel that auto researchers are still grappling with . Studies of hydrogen ( which is a feasible fuel ) show it can cause brittleness and breakage in metallic element car engine parts [ seed : CEC ] .
But scepticism toward the water transition kit available online and a niggling brittleness are n’t stopping researcher from figuring out how to overcome the damaging net energy proportion of exploiting hydrogen aboard vehicles . Some car company have already createdelectric carsthat run on hydrogen you pump into a gas armoured combat vehicle at the service station .
What if a process could be developed to divide H from water without using more energy ? That would be the Holy Grail . One chemical group from Purdue University is hot on the trail . They ’ve fall up with a process to split atomic number 1 from water system that requires footling or no energy input . contribute water to a composite alloy ( alloy ) made of aluminum and gallium tell apart water into its component part molecules . The composite attracts oxygen , but not hydrogen , leaving the former component spare and separated .
The Purdue researchers are still developing the technology , and it may be awhile before you find it under your hood . If you ca n’t wait to run your gondola on water , you could always order a conversion outfit in the meantime .
For more information on alternative fuel and other related topic , visit the next page .
