manoj

Hydrogen-fuelled vehicles hold the promise of curing Delhi’s fuel problems. Although it is four times as costly as CNG, once in place it can address both the energy and clean air concerns of the city. Here’s the lowdown on pure power:


Costly but clean

• CNG costs around Rs 19.20 per kg
• CNG blended with Hydrogen or neat Hydrogen will be higher though no final price has yet been fixed.
• But it is a better option than petrol that costs Rs 45 per litre

Mileage

• CNG vehicle gives 22 km per kg
• Mileage in Hydrogen-run cars will be around 19.8 km per kg
• Petrol mileage is between 12 and 16 km per litre

Low on pollution

• Petrol emits high quantity of carbon and nitrogen oxide
• CNG emits lesser carbon and NOx than petrol but slightly above permissible levels
• Hydrogen does not emit any carbon or NOx. The final product is water vapour

Power Factor

Hydrogen as a fuel packs three times more energy than CNG.


Future Fuels

If you thought “biomass fuel” is a new idea, think again. The Model T was the first auto designed to run on ethanol. That was nearly 100 years ago. A quick look at some future fuels:

AIR ENGINE
The air engine is an emission-free piston engine using compressed air as fuel that was invented by Guy Nègre, a French engineer.It uses the expansion of compressed air to drive the pistons in a modified piston engine. This engine can power a car to about 160 to 320 km, depending on traffic conditions.

LIQUID NITROGEN CAR
The maximum amount of energy that can be extracted from 1 kg of liquid nitrogen is equivalent to around 350 litres of petrol. The advantages are zero harmful emissions and superior energy densities than com pressed air, and a car powered by LN2 can be refilled in a matter of minutes.

BIODIESEL
Biodiesel is a cleanerburning diesel fuel made from natural, renewable sources such as vegetable oils. Power factor Hydrogen as a fuel packs three times more energy than

Source: http://epaper.hindustantimes.com (Delhi Edition)
Date Of Publish: 29-Nov-06

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priyanka

very handy article.....

rkk

One must remember that you need energy to produce hydrogen, compressed air or liquid nitrogen. Typically, that comes from a thermal or nuclear or hydro-electric power plant. They are basically a medium to (efficiently) transport energy, not energy sources by themselves.