One slight reason hydrogen may not be the answer to powering vehicles

SmallTown

SmallTown

Well-known member
www.gld.nl

Nieuwe waterstofbus in vlammen op bij brand Arriva, sein brandmeester gegeven

Bij vervoerder Arriva aan de Industriestraat in Doetinchem woedde donderdagmiddag een grote brand in een loods. Er brandde een bus op waterstof uit en die vlammen zorgden ervoor dat ook de rest van het gebouw in vuur en vlam stond. De brandweer heeft het sein brandmeester gegeven.
www.gld.nl www.gld.nl

In Dutch but essentially the first hydrogen bus in the Netherlands has blown up. Taking another bus with it. And the depot it is in
 
SmallTown said:
www.gld.nl

Nieuwe waterstofbus in vlammen op bij brand Arriva, sein brandmeester gegeven

Bij vervoerder Arriva aan de Industriestraat in Doetinchem woedde donderdagmiddag een grote brand in een loods. Er brandde een bus op waterstof uit en die vlammen zorgden ervoor dat ook de rest van het gebouw in vuur en vlam stond. De brandweer heeft het sein brandmeester gegeven.
www.gld.nl www.gld.nl

In Dutch but essentially the first hydrogen bus in the Netherlands has blown up. Taking another bus with it. And the depot it is in
Click to expand...
en.wikipedia.org

Hindenburg disaster - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org en.wikipedia.org
 
Exactly. Putting aside the fact pretty much all commercial hydrogen is created by burning fossil fuels at the moment. Having everyone drive round in aluminium cans filled with an explosive gas doesn't seem the wisest idea
 
As a biker, I enjoy putting flammable liquid in a container. Suspending it above a hot engine, with a high voltage electrical spark operating nearby. Then sitting near it, with my man bits next to the fuel container. And then travel at high speed on an inherently unstable two wheels.

Now where can I get a container of hydrogen.
 
Looks as though it was a workshop related incident.

Fire destroys first hydrogen bus of Arriva NL

Just hours after a press release was issued about it's arrival, the very first hydrogen powered bus of Arriva Netherlands caught fire after an accident in the workshop in their Doetinchem depot. The bus was completely destroyed in the fire, as well as the workshop itself and another diesel...
www.railforums.co.uk
 
Boro in Devon said:
As a biker, I enjoy putting flammable liquid in a container. Suspending it above a hot engine, with a high voltage electrical spark operating nearby. Then sitting near it, with my man bits next to the fuel container. And then travel at high speed on an inherently unstable two wheels.

Now where can I get a container of hydrogen.
Click to expand...
Petrol isn't explosive unless vaporised at the right ratio with oxygen and an ignition source. Hydrogen on the other hand is a gas at atmospheric pressure that mixes very easily in air and under certain conditions it can auto-ignite because unlike most gases, it heats up when it expands. Also, because it is the smallest molecule it can permeate through seals and leak through the tiniest leak path. Most petrol cars don't explode when they crash. I suspect a lot of hydrogen vehicles will. Hydrogen is also less energy dense than petrol so you need a larger bomb - I mean tank - to go the same distance or a smaller tank and refuel more often.
 
ThePrisoner said:
Petrol isn't explosive unless vaporised at the right ratio with oxygen and an ignition source. Hydrogen on the other hand is a gas at atmospheric pressure that mixes very easily in air and under certain conditions it can auto-ignite because unlike most gases, it heats up when it expands. Also, because it is the smallest molecule it can permeate through seals and leak through the tiniest leak path. Most petrol cars don't explode when they crash. I suspect a lot of hydrogen vehicles will. Hydrogen is also less energy dense than petrol so you need a larger bomb - I mean tank - to go the same distance or a smaller tank and refuel more often.
Click to expand...
BMW have been testing their hydrogen fuel tanks by throwing grenades at them....
 
ThePrisoner said:
Petrol isn't explosive unless vaporised at the right ratio with oxygen and an ignition source. Hydrogen on the other hand is a gas at atmospheric pressure that mixes very easily in air and under certain conditions it can auto-ignite because unlike most gases, it heats up when it expands. Also, because it is the smallest molecule it can permeate through seals and leak through the tiniest leak path. Most petrol cars don't explode when they crash. I suspect a lot of hydrogen vehicles will. Hydrogen is also less energy dense than petrol so you need a larger bomb - I mean tank - to go the same distance or a smaller tank and refuel more often.
Click to expand...
Yes that last point is very good. Hydrogen is just to inefficient. A Hydrogen fuel cell car is 4 times less economical than an EV. And that's before it explodes
 
ThePrisoner said:
Petrol isn't explosive unless vaporised at the right ratio with oxygen and an ignition source. Hydrogen on the other hand is a gas at atmospheric pressure that mixes very easily in air and under certain conditions it can auto-ignite because unlike most gases, it heats up when it expands. Also, because it is the smallest molecule it can permeate through seals and leak through the tiniest leak path. Most petrol cars don't explode when they crash. I suspect a lot of hydrogen vehicles will. Hydrogen is also less energy dense than petrol so you need a larger bomb - I mean tank - to go the same distance or a smaller tank and refuel more often.
Click to expand...

My comment about liquid hydrogen was tongue-in-cheek - why not compress it and liquify? Like LPG?
 
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