What is Hydrogen? Students might answer this as the other half of Oxygen in H2O or water. It is a carrier of energy and thus takes a lot to be removed from water. Companies keep on finding ways on how to exploit the potential of Hydrogen since this is useful for batteries and fuel cells as a compact source of energy. Read the rest of this entry »
Fossil fuels are source fuels that are found within the top layer of the Earth’s crust. These are non – renewable resources because they take millions of years to form and are depleted much faster than being formed. Thus, it is indeed wise for people to think of the future and work hard in search of alternative sources of energy. Read the rest of this entry »
Use of Natural Gas
The use of natural gas as an alternative fuel has been launched to the public more than a hundred years ago. The first internal combustion engine vehicle to run on natural gas was made by Etienne Lenoir in 1860. Today, 150,000 natural gas vehicles (NGVs) are on the road in the United States and more than 5 million are used worldwide. With technology, more natural gas vehicles may come in the future. This will not only entail fuel intensive vehicle fleets like taxicabs and public buses but passenger cars, trucks, buses, vans and even heavy-duty utility vehicles as well.
Advantages and Disadvantages of Natural Gas-Powered Vehicle
Natural gas as alternative fuel is blooming and there a lot of advantages, but there are certain disadvantages that hinder its development.
Most significant advantages are the following:
• In the U.S., new stringent federal and state emission laws require an improvement in vehicle emissions over the foreseeable future. Natural gas, being the cleanest burning alternative transportation fuel available today, presents an opportunity to meet these stringent environmental emission standards. This makes it very acceptable.
• It is very safe. In the event of an accident, natural gas just dissipates into air and does not form a dangerous flammable pool on the ground like other fluid fuels. This also prevents the pollution of ground water if a spill occurs. Natural gas is lighter than air, so the tendency for risk of fire or explosion on the ground is lesser as compared with highly flammable fuels.
• The design of natural gas fuel storage tanks on current NGVs is stronger and sturdier than gasoline tanks. This makes it safe and durable for possible leaks that may cause accidents.
• It is more economical. Natural gas vehicles are roughly 30 percent cheaper in fuel consumption than gasoline vehicles. Further, accounts indicated that the maintenance costs for NGVs are lower than traditional gasoline vehicles.
• Environmental Effects. NGVs have much less detrimental effects in the environment than traditionally fueled vehicles. Natural gas vehicles are much cleaner in burning than traditionally fueled vehicles. This is due to the chemical composition of natural gas which is primarily methane. In contrast, gasoline and diesel fuels contain numerous other harmful compounds that are released into the environment through vehicle exhaust. Natural gas emits small amounts of ethane, propane and butane when used as a vehicle fuel. On the other hand, combustion of gasoline and diesel emits more harmful chemical substances and dangerous organic compounds.
On the other hand, the disadvantages of natural gas vehicles are the following:
• These specially-designed vehicles command a high price. They are more expensive than their gasoline-powered counterparts.
• Based on tests, NGVs still have limited driving range.
• Number of refueling stations for NGVs is still limited.
• Public acceptance for NGVs is still a problem. U.S. automakers complain that when they made natural gas vehicles, no one bought them, except for government fleets.
Conclusion
NGVs still have a lot of limitations that include its performance, price and public acceptance among others. However, the importance of NGVs could not be overemphasized. With improved technology, research and infrastructure, the use of NGVs in non-fleet settings could eventually increase in the future.
Hydrogen as an Ultimate Fuel
Hydrogen is the most abundant element in the universe. It constitutes about 95% of all atoms. Most of all, it is found in water, fossil fuels and all plants and animals. For this reason, it is a better replacement for finite and nonrenewable gasoline. Likewise, it is often called the perfect fuel with its major reserve on earth, which is water, essentially inexhaustible. It is often said that the use of hydrogen is compatible with nature. This is because we will never run out of this element. Read the rest of this entry »
Hybrid cars boost fuel economy by having a supplement of gas engine with an electric motor. Examples of these hybrid cars which are existing on the road now are Toyota and Honda Civic hybrids. While the hybrid version of the Toyota doesn’t get the very best gas mileage, it rides and feels more like a standard midsize sedan and less like a low-powered sedan. The hybrid car drives a range of about 34 miles per gallon (mpg) of fuel in mixed driving, compared to about 26 mpg for its non-hybrid version, so it’s really a fuel-saver compared to other cars in its size and class. Users say Read the rest of this entry »
Filipino Invention of a Water-Powered Car
The Philippine Daily Inquirer reported that Filipino inventor, Daniel Dingel, built a water-fueled automobile as far back in 1969. In February 2006, the Filipino inventor gave a video presentation of his claimed invention at the Department of Energy (DOE). Many then began to doubt about the veracity of his invention. Read the rest of this entry »
Natural gas is one of the energy forms that is widely used nowadays. It is usually used to heat and cool houses and businesses nationwide. Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) is has no odor, taste and color. It consists of methane and is strained from gas wells or combined with crude oil production.
There are two types of CNG fuel systems that are available on the market: Read the rest of this entry »
The U.S. government has placed keen interest in ethanol as an alternative fuel being domestically produced and renewable. This will then be a big difference to costly imported oil. Right now, U.S. automakers have come up with a specifically designed vehicle called flexible-fuel vehicle that runs on gasoline or a mixture of ethanol and gasoline. The ratio for ethanol-gasoline is 85% ethanol and 15% gasoline, thus dubbed E85. Read the rest of this entry »
The Electric-powered carmakers’ assumption is that drivers will recharge their cars in the garage at home, where it shouldn’t be too hard to find an electrical outlet. But many car owners live in an apartment and park their car on the street. So, where do they plug-in their car then? That’s one of countless questions that need an answer before plug-in cars can truly take their place on the road. Read the rest of this entry »
Nowadays, our generation is facing one of the major problems of our times, and that is pollution. Almost everybody tends to get his own car and most of the pollutants that these vehicles produced are carbon monoxide and carbon dioxide which inevitably ruin our planet and the environment we live in. These contribute to urban toxic waste, rural air pollution, and the buildup of contaminated gases in the atmosphere. This will be catastrophic if nothing is done to reverse the trend and immediate solutions are made to serve as alternatives. Read the rest of this entry »