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WorldWeird: Aluminum Alloy pellets as fuel?

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      CommentAuthorAdam
    • CommentTimeMay 28th 2008
     (2396.1)
    Woodall reckons a typical midsize fuel-cell-powered car would need to carry 115 pounds of alloy pellets and 50 pounds of water to go 350 miles. At today's economics, the alloy would cost $0.70/pound, or $80.50. (By recovering half the water coming out of the fuel cell, this system reportedly meets the Department of Energy's 6.0-percent hydrogen storage density target.) A midsize gasoline-powered car averaging 27 mpg needs 13 gallons (84.5 pounds, $39 at $3/gallon).


    Solid Aluminum-Gallium alloy pellets, reacting with simple water, as a backup fuel system.
    • CommentAuthorKosmopolit
    • CommentTimeMay 28th 2008
     (2396.2)
    Yeah, aluminium or sodium plus water is one of the most efficient and practical ways to generate hydrogen on the move.

    There's one big problem innate in the process though - of course you end up carting around a pile of aluminium or sodium oxide which needs to be collected and reprocessed.
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      CommentAuthorAdam
    • CommentTimeMay 28th 2008
     (2396.3)
    Welp, as the article suggests, spent fuel canisters would be swapped out for fresh ones at any gas station I'm assuming, and the collection would take place from there. At least, thats the impression I got. It would certainly be the most efficient form of collection, but I guess that raises the problem of the specs of the removable canisters being exactly the same across the board of every make of car utilizing the system....
    • CommentAuthorStefanJ
    • CommentTimeMay 28th 2008
     (2396.4)
    Another good thing about this system:

    If you have a large stock of them, you can charge them on a "power surplus pending" basis. One of the tricky problems of managing the energy grid is that demand fluctuates. Adding wind and solar to that means supply can fluctuate too.

    With a bit of infrastructure rejiggering, which we're due for anyway, you could charge these things at night (when you have lots of extra capacity) or when your alternative sources are producing more power than you can handle.

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