INCAS Bulletin (Jun 2023)
Green hydrogen as an environmentally-friendly power source
Abstract
Hydrogen is the most plentiful chemical element in the visible universe. The mass composition of the visible universe is approximately 74% hydrogen, 24% helium, 1% oxygen, and the rest of all other chemical elements is about 1%. Hydrogen has the symbol H and the atomic number 1. It is placed in the first position in Mendeleev's periodic table of elements, in the upper left corner. It is an easily flammable, colorless, tasteless, odorless gas, and in nature, it is found mainly in the form of the diatomic molecule, H 2. With an atomic mass unit of 1.00794, hydrogen is the lightest chemical element. Etymologically, the word hydrogen is a combination of two Greek words hydor and gennan meaning: water producer. Hydrogen (H 2) has a very good calorific value per mass unit 143 MJ/kg which is 3.33 times more than the calorific value of kerosene or diesel fuel. Green hydrogen (clean hydrogen or renewable hydrogen) is produced by electrolysis of water (splitting of water into hydrogen and oxygen) using electricity from renewable sources such as solar energy, wind energy, seawater waves energy, or tidal power. Green hydrogen is an environmentally-friendly power source (no harmful gases). This paper presents recent documentary research by the authors on green hydrogen as an environmentally-friendly power source: for space rocket launches and for hydrogen fuel cells used in the space shuttle as electrical power generators and drinking water generators from launch to return from the space mission; as fuel for a modified turboprop engine (Rolls-Royce and easyJet); as fuel for the European Destinus aircraft using the Jungfrau technology system for a planned hypersonic aircraft using a modified commercial afterburning engine; as fuel for modified gas turbine engines and hydrogen fuel cells to supply electrical power to supplement the gas turbine for the Airbus ZEROe aircraft, etc.
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