Attempts at exploiting hydrogen's excellent energy characteristics have been going on since the early nineteenth century. Gasoline and technological problems were major stumbling blocks in this development. Today, with gasoline running out quickly, more money is spent on overcoming the technological hurdles. Hydrogen is quickly becoming a very important part of our energy supply because of this.
The history of hydrogen storage begins with Sir William Grove. Grove, now called the "Father of the Fuel Cell," completed experiments on the electrolysis of water in 1839. He reasoned that this process of adding electricity to separate water electrolysis should be reversible, where the formation of water would produce electricity.
However, hydrogen was over-looked when fossil fuels took the scene. From 1889 until the early twentieth century, many people tried to produce a fuel cell that could convert coal or carbon to electricity directly. This attempts failed because not enough was known about materials or electricity. Instead, attention was focused on the easy to understand internal combustion engine. The high energy density of gasoline and the technological ease of fossil fuel combustion set hydrogen to the side.
In 1932, Francis Bacon, descendant of the famous scientist, invented the first successful fuel cell. He used hydrogen, oxygen, less corrosive alkaline electrolytes, and inexpensive nickel electrodes. In 1952, Bacon and a co-worker produced a 5-kW fuel cell system. Later that year, Harry Karl Ihrig demonstrated a 20-horsepower fuel cell-powered tractor.
The large boost in hydrogen technology came from NASA. In the late 1950's, NASA needed a compact way to generate electricity for several space missions. Nuclear was too dangerous, batteries too heavy, and solar power too cumbersome. The answer was fuel cells. NASA went on to fund 200 research contracts for fuel cell technology and proved the fuel cell's role in space.
Unfortunately, applying the space technology to every day energy needs became tricky. Almost 30 years and $1 billion dollars were devoted to developing a stationary fuel cell electric generator. NASA's system required the use of pure hydrogen. The usual fossil fuels mixed with hydrogen could not be used with the alkaline electrolytes and shortened the lifetime of the components of the cell.
Still manufacturers and the government continue to support research
of fuel cells. The Electric Power Research Institute, the American Gas
Association, the Gas Research Institute, International Fuel Cells, Energy
Partners, Ballard Power Systems, the Energy Research Corporation, MC Power,
Westinghouse Electric Corp, Daimler-Benz, BMW, Volkswagon, Volvo, Renault,
Peugeot, Siemens, Toyota, Honda, Toshiba, Mitsubishi, Fuji, and Sanyo all
are working on research and development of fuel cells today. In addition,
the various departments of the government are supporting research for energy,
military, transportation, space, and aviation uses.
For more on today's advances see Applications
of Hydrogen Storage.
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