ALTERNATE FUELS

ALTERNATE FUELS
Alternative fuels, also known as non-conventional or advanced fuels, are any materials or substances that can be used as fuels, other than conventional fuels. Conventional fuels include: fossil fuels (petroleum (oil), coal, propane, and natural gas), and nuclear materials such as uranium.


Some well knew alternative fuels include biodiesel, bioalcohol (methanol, ethanol, and butanol), chemically stored electricity (batteries and fuel cells), [GreenNH3] non fossil, hydrogen, non-fossil methane, non-fossil natural gas, vegetable oil, and other biomass sources.
BENEFITS OF ALTERNATE FUELS
Alternative fuel offers a number of benefits. One of the most distinct advantages is that alternative fuel burns a lot cleaner than normal petroleum oil, potentially up to 90%. Consequently, alternative fuel-powered vehicles experience a great reduction in chemical emissions like carbon monoxide, nitrogen oxide, sulfur, and other organic compounds, resulting to lesser environmental pollution. But the undying population increase is simply inevitable. As the number of population increases, so does the number of vehicles, leaving the level of fuel emissions to remain high.

Alternative Fuel Types
These days, you can drive a variety of cars and trucks off the dealer showroom floor that use something besides gasoline or diesel fuel for a power source. The pages linked to the list below discuss some of the alternative fuels that are available today. There are no commercially-available hydrogen-powered vehicles (yet!), but vehicles that use all of the other fuels are available in at least part of the United States.

1. Liquefied petroleum gas. (LPG, commonly known as propane)
Propane or liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) is a popular alternative fuel choice for vehicles because there is already an infrastructure of pipelines, processing facilities, and storage for its efficient distribution. LPG produces fewer vehicle emissions than gasoline. Propane is produced as a by-product of natural gas processing and crude oil refining. Propane vehicles can produce fewer ozone-forming emissions than vehicles powered by reformulated gasoline

2. Compressed natural gas (CNG).
Compressed natural gas (CNG) is a fossil fuel substitute for gasoline (petrol), diesel, or propane/LPG. Although its combustion does produce greenhouse gases, it is a more environmentally clean alternative to those fuels, and it is much safer than other fuels in the event of a spill (natural gas is lighter than air, and disperses quickly when released). CNG may also be mixed with biogas, produced from landfills or wastewater, which doesn't increase the concentration of carbon in the atmosphere.

3. Liquefied natural gas (LNG).
. Liquefied petroleum gas (also called LPG, GPL, LP Gas, or auto gas) is a flammable mixture of hydrocarbon gases used as a fuel in heating appliances and vehicles. It is increasingly used as an aerosol propellant and a refrigerant, replacing chlorofluorocarbons in an effort to reduce damage to the ozone layer

4. Methanol (M85).
Methanol, also known as wood alcohol, can be used as an alternative fuel in flexible fuel vehicles that run on M85 It is not a commonly used fuel at this time as methanol produces a high amount of formaldehyde in emissions. The benefits include lower emissions, higher performance, and lower risk of flammability than gasoline

5. Ethanol (E85).
Ethanol is an alcohol-based alternative fuel produced by fermenting and distilling starch crops or cellulose that have been converted into simple sugars Ethanol is most commonly used to increase octane and improve the emissions quality of gasoline.

6. Biodiesel (B20).
Biodiesel is a domestically produced, renewable fuel that can be manufactured from vegetable oils, animal fats, or recycled restaurant greases. Biodiesel is safe, biodegradable, and reduces serious air pollutants such as particulates, carbon monoxide, hydrocarbons, and air toxics.
Biodiesel can also be used in its pure form but it may require certain engine modifications to avoid maintenance and performance problems and may not be suitable for wintertime use

7. Electricity.
Electricity can be used as a transportation fuel to power battery electric and fuel cell vehicles. When used to power electric vehicles, electricity is stored in an energy storage device such as a battery. EV batteries have a limited storage capacity and their electricity must be replenished by plugging the vehicle into an electrical source. EVs have lower "fuel" and maintenance costs than gasoline-powered vehicle.

8. HYDROGEN

DESCRIPTION
Symbol H. Gaseous hydrogen is 14-times lighter than air, colorless, odorless, tasteless and reactive gaseous element. The atomic number of hydrogen is 1. The element is usually classed in group 1 (or Ia) of the periodic table. In combination with oxygen, hydrogen is water, H2O; in combination with carbon you have hydrocarbons (Fuels).


ORIGIN
To make hydrogen available for use as a fuel, energy is required to separate it from other elements. Solar energy is an ideal energy source for separating hydrogen from other elements. Hydrogen is prepared in the laboratory by the

action of dilute acid on metals, like zinc, and by the electrolysis of water. Large quantities of Hydrogen gas are produced industrially from various fuel gases. Hydrogen is separated from water, gasoline, natural gas, sewage and coal gas either by liquefaction of the other components of the gas or by catalytic conversion

FUEL SOURCE
Hydrogen does not occur free in nature; it can be made by "re-forming" natural gas or another fossil fuel, or by using electricity to split ("electrolyze") water into its components of oxygen and hydrogen.
In this sense, hydrogen is like electricity: the energy to generate it can be obtained from sources ranging from the burning of high-sulfur coal to pollution-free photovoltaic cells (solar cells).

AVAILABILITY
There is not currently a bulk hydrogen distribution infrastructure on anything like the scale of that for fossil fuels, though studies have been undertaken of the possibility of sending it through the existing natural-gas pipeline network (with some substantial modifications).
Because hydrogen can be made from natural gas by re-forming or from water by electrolysis, and natural gas, electricity and water are readily available, it might be simpler to make the hydrogen at the point of sale, rather than ship it there. Hydrogen is currently available only as an industrial or scientific chemical product, not as a bulk fuel.

WORKING OF HYDROGEN FUEL CELL
The hydrogen fuel cell operates similar to a battery. It has two electrodes, an anode and a cathode, separated by a membrane. Oxygen passes over one electrode and hydrogen over the other.
The hydrogen reacts to a catalyst on the electrode anode that converts the hydrogen gas into negatively charged electrons (e-) and positively charged ions (H+).
The electrons flow out of the cell to be used as electrical energy. The hydrogen ions move through the electrolyte membrane to the cathode electrode where they combine with oxygen and the electrons to produce water. Unlike batteries, fuel cells never run out.



FUTURE USE
Fuel cells of internal combustion engines. Using small portions of the global land area, we can manufacture enough Solar-Hydrogen to supply the entire energy requirement of the planet. Solar Hydrogen could make entire nations fuel-independent and pollution free for as long as there is sunshine and water. High altitude aircraft / space planes can be catapulted to supersonic speeds at the edge of Earth’s atmosphere by injecting hydrogen and oxygen into the jet exhaust

Hydrogen Fuel Cell in Car Technology

The quest for a pollution-free energy source has been the goal of the auto industry almost since its beginning. Its pursuit has become graver in recent decades with the environment showing signs of irreversible damage from fossil fuels and the fear that this resource is running out. Fuel cells in one form or another have been in existence for over 160 years and are now the focus of aggressive research and development. Today, fuel cell powered vehicles are projected to go into production for personal use by the end of the decade. Many environmental and economic forces are actively involved in bringing this to fruition. The oil industry, the automobile industry, and other giant corporations have more than a casual interest in seeing the fuel cell become the leading energy source for the future.

How It Works?
A simple fuel cell is composed of two electrodes, an anode and a cathode. These are sandwiched onto a proton exchange membrane (PEM) which permits the transfer of protons from the anode to the cathode.
The reaction occurs when hydrogen is introduced onto the surface of the anode and its protons and electrons separate. The electrons travel along the circuit while the protons unite with oxygen to form water. The byproducts of the electrochemical reaction, water and heat, can be recycled to improve the efficiency of the system. 35% to 90% efficiencies can be achieved depending on whether the waste heat is utilized.

• Hydrogen flows into the fuel cell on the anode side.
• Platinum catalyst facilitates the separation of the hydrogen gas into electrons and protons (hydrogen ions) in a proton exchange membrane or PEM fuel cell.
• Protons travel through the PEM to the cathode, where the catalyst helps the protons bond to oxygen to produce water.
• The electrons, to which the membrane is impermeable, flow through a circuit containing a motor or other device which consumes the power generated by the cell.
• As long as the device is supplied with hydrogen and oxygen, the electrochemical reaction proceeds and the electrical current flows.

RISKS BEHIND IN HYDROGEN FUEL


The gamble of mass-market acceptance rides on allaying concerns of reliability, longevity, availability and cost of fuel. The cost of fuel cell technology needs to be low enough to spur acceptance.
• The infrastructure for the delivery and storage of fuel cell fuels does not currently exist. To create convenient and affordable fueling stations, the public will rely on the oil and gas industries to introduce them.
• For yet unforeseen reasons, fuel cell technology may not be suitable for automotive applications. Hybrid technology is currently gaining popularity and will potentially slow the enthusiasm and requisite research on fuel cell technology.
• Platinum is an important component in the fuel cell electrochemical reaction. It is also a scarce earth resource that could be prone to shortages.

The Physics behind the Hydrogen Fuel Cell


Fuel cells can be looked at as a type of battery which generates but does not store electrical energy. In the common alkaline battery, electricity is created through an electrochemical reaction, whose ingredients are eventually exhausted. In a fuel cell, electricity is created by a different set of reactants, and the two ingredients that cause the reaction, hydrogen and oxygen, can be replenished. The byproducts of the process are pure water and heat. Shuttle astronauts rely on fuel cell technology to power their life-support systems and other critical functions

Fuel Cell - Promise of Renewable and Clean Energy
Only the future will tell whether the use of fuel cell technology will live up to its potential as a clean and viable energy source. Oil companies have a jump start on implementing the technology with an infrastructure similar to that necessary to generate, store, and dispense hydrogen. Auto manufacturers seem to be, at least in the present, jumping on the hybrid vehicle band wagon. Both technologies hold considerable promise.