Powerpaste, a hydrogen technology for small vehicles
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Powerpaste, a hydrogen technology for small vehicles
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Re: Powerpaste, a hydrogen technology for small vehicles
#2> Onboard the vehicle, the POWERPASTE is released from a cartridge by means of a plunger. When water is added from an onboard tank, the ensuing reaction generates hydrogen gas in a quantity dynamically adjusted to the actual requirements of the fuel cell. In fact, only half of the hydrogen originates from the POWERPASTE; the rest comes from the added water
OK sounds great! so this stuff is more sensitive to moisture than LiPo batteries and yet has to be dispensed somehow; that's going to be fun.
I'd like to see the reaction, here... We talking a little steam or dropping sodium chunks into a pond?
Re: Powerpaste, a hydrogen technology for small vehicles
#3> Onboard the vehicle, the POWERPASTE is released from a cartridge by means of a plunger. When water is added from an onboard tank, the ensuing reaction generates hydrogen gas in a quantity dynamically adjusted to the actual requirements of the fuel cell. In fact, only half of the hydrogen originates from the POWERPASTE; the rest comes from the added water OK sounds great! so this stuff is more sensitive to moisture…
Sodium is boring. Potassium is much better!
Seriously, though, this sounds like a horrible technology. Synthesize fancy goo that is unstable when wet. React with water to make hydrogen (itself moderately dangerous). Produce some kind of slush containing magnesium hydroxide (presumably) and miscellaneous organic crud as waste. What, exactly, happens with the waste?
At least magnesium hydroxide is not as nasty as sodium or potassium hydroxide, but you still don’t want to get it on your skin if you can avoid it.
Re: Powerpaste, a hydrogen technology for small vehicles
#4In 2005 there was similar hype around efficiently storing hydrogen, but using ammonia. Can't find any sources on why that didn't go anywhere though.
https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2005/09/050907102549.h...
Re: Powerpaste, a hydrogen technology for small vehicles
#5In 2005 there was similar hype around efficiently storing hydrogen, but using ammonia. Can't find any sources on why that didn't go anywhere though. https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2005/09/050907102549.h...
Ammonia is currently considered as one of the more promising options for future shipping fuels.
There are a number of projects planning to create green ammonia at scale, e.g. this: https://asianrehub.com/
Ammonia is already made from hydrogen today, making that green is pretty straightforward, you just need enough clean electricity. Just get the hydrogen from electrolysis, the ammonia synthesis process itself is well established technology.
Re: Powerpaste, a hydrogen technology for small vehicles
#6Storage of hydrogen in a solid has come around a few times already.
University of New South Wales. (2020) [1]
Lawerence Livermore Lab (2018) [2]
University of Salford (2006) [3]
Older approaches involved lithium hydride chips. Not ICs, just chips of metal. The University of New South Wales system used titanium and other secret ingredients. That one is being offered as a product for stationary storage, Real Soon Now.[4] Original article said it would ship by the end of 2020, but it has slipped to June 2021. You can pre-order the "launch edition" now. It's not a Kickstarter, but it's close.
Unclear if this is a good idea, or the next Bloom Energy Server.
[1] https://www.smh.com.au/environment/climate-change/alchemy-of...
[2] https://str.llnl.gov/2018-01/wood
[3] http://usir.salford.ac.uk/id/eprint/16768/5/Hydrogen_storage...
Re: Powerpaste, a hydrogen technology for small vehicles
#7> Onboard the vehicle, the POWERPASTE is released from a cartridge by means of a plunger. When water is added from an onboard tank, the ensuing reaction generates hydrogen gas in a quantity dynamically adjusted to the actual requirements of the fuel cell. In fact, only half of the hydrogen originates from the POWERPASTE; the rest comes from the added water OK sounds great! so this stuff is more sensitive to moisture…
Sodium is boring. Potassium is much better! Seriously, though, this sounds like a horrible technology. Synthesize fancy goo that is unstable when wet. React with water to make hydrogen (itself moderately dangerous). Produce some kind of slush containing magnesium hydroxide (presumably) and miscellaneous organic crud as waste. What, exactly, happens with the waste? At least magnesium hydroxide is not as nasty as sodiu…
It's not like petroleum is all that nice though, it's just that the handling around it has been pretty much perfected over the decades. You can collect spent sludge at the same place a scooter has to come anyway to refill and then re-hydrogenate the sludge into fresh paste.
Re: Powerpaste, a hydrogen technology for small vehicles
#8Solving hydrogen storage has great implications. Hydrogen has high gravimetric energy density (1 kWh worth of H2 is light) but very low volumetric density (1 kWh takes up a large volume). Easy solutions are compressed hydrogen (H2 is a small molecule and easily escapes even through a material, steel embrittlement and energy for compression are big issues), cryogenic cooling (energy intensive and cryocoolers have significant capex) and metal hydrids. To put it simply the crystalic structure of the metal acts as a high pressure storage tank. H2 is typically released by heating the material up.
One thing they didn’t mention is energy used for round trip per unit of H2 and cost of the material itself. Neither was discussed there. Many similar materials exist already.
Many CO2 neutral pathways with other molecules exist. Amonia, methanol, ethanol, DME, urea, formic accid and so on.
PS: If you’re into this stuff, keep an eye on the Fraunhoffer institude. They have many cool projects. (I am not affiliated with them in any way)
Re: Powerpaste, a hydrogen technology for small vehicles
#9In 2005 there was similar hype around efficiently storing hydrogen, but using ammonia. Can't find any sources on why that didn't go anywhere though. https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2005/09/050907102549.h...
Ammonia is currently considered as one of the more promising options for future shipping fuels. There are a number of projects planning to create green ammonia at scale, e.g. this: https://asianrehub.com/ Ammonia is already made from hydrogen today, making that green is pretty straightforward, you just need enough clean electricity. Just get the hydrogen from electrolysis, the ammonia synthesis process itself is well…
Ammonia is one of the less pleasant chemicals one could use. I'd rather have Hydrogen-exuding paste than Ammonia in an accident. The Hydrogen might explode. But the Ammonia definitely will hurt you.
Re: Powerpaste, a hydrogen technology for small vehicles
#10In 2005 there was similar hype around efficiently storing hydrogen, but using ammonia. Can't find any sources on why that didn't go anywhere though. https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2005/09/050907102549.h...
Ammonia is currently considered as one of the more promising options for future shipping fuels. There are a number of projects planning to create green ammonia at scale, e.g. this: https://asianrehub.com/ Ammonia is already made from hydrogen today, making that green is pretty straightforward, you just need enough clean electricity. Just get the hydrogen from electrolysis, the ammonia synthesis process itself is well…
Why not just use a closed loop hydrocarbon from electricity system as a shipping fuel if you have excess power and a need for transit?
The main theoretical point of hydrogen is very high specific energy per mass but it is essentially purest acidic gas and a pain. Bonding it to something else mitigates it so why 3 H per N instead of 4 H per C? Both are toxic gases at this point leaving ammonia's main advantage in the context being its own oderant.