FACT: There is no doubt
that the way of the future for cars and motorbikes will be the hydrogen
fuel cell which is powered via a tank holding hydrogen, whereby the
chemical reaction of hydrogen and oxygen in the electrolyte of the fuel
cell produces electricity to drive
an electric motor to the wheels and the bye-product is water. Of course,
this will necessitate the large scale industrial production of hydrogen which will be pumped
into vehicles, similar to petrol and diesel, but from from hydrogen
stations which will probably be existing petrol/diesel stations with
additional hydrogen storage.
In an incredible irony, hydrogen is
produced by passing an electric current through stainless steel plates
in a water tank (electrolysis) whereby hydrogen is given off and collected. However, there are four main sources for the commercial production of hydrogen:
natural gas, oil, coal, and electrolysis; which account for 48%, 30%,
18% and 4% of the world's hydrogen production respectively. Fossil
fuels are the dominant source of industrial hydrogen. Carbon
dioxide can be separated from natural
gas with a 70–85% efficiency for hydrogen production and from other hydrocarbons to
varying degrees of efficiency. Specifically,
bulk hydrogen is usually produced by the steam
reforming of
methane or natural gas.
The Dream: Lee Chang who lived
in Heshun, China, took the electrolysis route to produce hydrogen as the
fuel for a conventional combustion engine. He started a small enterprise in his garage and set about
producing a new type of motorcycle and within three years, the Chinese
Government has purchased a 50% stake in his business and set about mass
producing his motorcycle invention from a brand new state of the art
factory in Beijing. The new motorcycles spread throughout the Chinese
mainland and had become very popular as a cheap form of transport.
Chang, started by converting a standard combustion engine motorcycle -
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The motorcycle battery was replaced with a water tank containing water. Alongside this water tank was a water fed sealed electrolysis unit with high grade steel plates inside, packed closely together.
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The electric starter was replaced with a kick start lever on the right side of the motorcycle, similar to the kick starters on motorcycles, like the Triumph and Norton motorcycles from the 1950s.
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A magneto was fitted and initially driven by the kick starter and then the engines main drive shaft, once the engine started. This magneto produced electricity for the spark plugs, the lighting accessories and to produce hydrogen gas by applying electricity through the steel plates (electrolysis) in the sealed unit.
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The hydrogen was stored in a hydrogen tank which replaced the conventional petrol tank.
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An electronic control unit was used to control and monitor the hydrogen tank valves, the sealed unit valves and the correct volume of hydrogen fed through to the engine.
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An accelerator hydrogen control valve.
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Hydrogen injector per cylinder were used to replace the carburettor or old petrol injectors.
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An on/off hydrogen switch was used between the hydrogen storage tank and the accelerator hydrogen control valve to control the hydrogen feed.
The method of
operation was simplicity itself, you set the hydrogen switch to on to
let hydrogen escape from the hydrogen storage tank through the
accelerator hydrogen control valve to the hydrogen injectors, you then
kick started the kick start lever on the right side of the motorcycle
and the bike burst into life fired up by the magneto which produced
electricity for the bike and to produce more hydrogen gas from the
sealed electrolysis unit to the hydrogen storage tank. A twist of the
accelerator produced a nice growl from the exhaust. It was ridden like a
conventional combustion engine motorcycle, with an accelerator, clutch,
gears and ABS brakes. Some models had traction control fitted.
The electronic control unit was the real brain with its warning lights
for low water capacity in the sealed electrolysis unit's water tank and any electrical and valve failure. It
controlled the water level in the electrolysis sealed unit from the
water tank via its water open/close valve. When the hydrogen storage
tank (replacing the petrol tank) was nearing full pressure capacity, it
automatically switched of the electricity to the sealed electrolysis
unit whereby hydrogen production was stopped and then started again when
the hydrogen storage tank pressure level fell. The hydrogen from the
hydrogen storage tank was fed down a pipe through the hydrogen on/off
switch then controlled via the accelerator hydrogen control valve to the
hydrogen injectors and into the cylinders of the engine.
Hydrogen was stored in gas pressure form as it was impossible to
generate the -252.87 degree freezing temperature in the storage tank to
turn the gas into liquid form.
The hydrogen motorcycle's maintenance was similar to a conventional
motorcycle in every way. It had a water coolant tank and coolant system,
it used synthetic oil for the engine and gearbox, it had an oil filter,
brake pads and a suspension setup along with ABS brakes. The only other
items that required inspection for replacement were the sealed
electrolysis unit and it's water tank which were inexpensive due to
their basic stainless steel construction.
The motorcycle was fitted with a hydrogen production gauge and warning
light so the rider knew when hydrogen was being produced, the volume
sent to the hydrogen storage tank and the pressure of the hydrogen
storage tank itself.
The magneto was monitored and information sent to a conventional power
gauge on the dashboard and the water level in the tank for the sealed
electrolysis unit also had a gauge on the dashboard very similar to a
conventional petrol gauge. The sealed electrolysis unit's water tank was
capable of producing hydrogen for 150 miles travel but most riders would
fill it up with water every 100 miles.
The sealed electrolysis unit was inexpensive to replace. Its disposal
was simple as its components, the inner plates and the housing, were all
manufactured in stainless steel and could be recycled to manufacture
other metal items. Therefore, there was a trade in value for the old
unit. Chang chose not to include a conventional battery in his build to
electric start his motorcycle as its manufacture and disposal would have
a marked impact on the environment.
I dislike electric
vehicles and their impact on the environment so I hope a Lee Chang will
emerge and build that hydrogen motorcycle.
"Its
the way of the future, way of the future" ......... Howard Hughes.
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