The Water Engine: (Not applicable)

The Water Engine

By

Ares Van Jaag

Editorial Alvi Books, Ltd.

Graphic Realization:

© José Antonio Alías García

Copyright Registry: 1909292046545

Created in United States of America.

© Ares Van Jaag, Badalona (Barcelona) España, 2019

ISBN: 9781696424974

Translated by Robert E. Anderson

Total or partial reproduction of this book, nor its incorporation are not allowed to a computer system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise methods, without the prior written permission of the Editor. Infringement of these rights may constitute a crime against property intellectual (arts. 270 et seq of the Spanish Penal Code).

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Made in Tabarnia, Spain (CE)

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To my wife Natàlia, for letting me use the time

I should have dedicated to her

to bring this work to fruition.

TABLE OF CONTENTS

1. – HYDROGEN AS A FUEL

2. – WATER AS A SOURCE OF HYDROGEN

3. – HISTORY OF THE WATER ENGINE

1. – HYDROGEN AS A FUEL

Because of the current need to reduce the level of pollutants present in the atmosphere, which are the primary cause of such problems as the Greenhouse Effect and climate change, among others, the need has arisen to search for new solutions that contribute to the solution of these problems without resorting to limitations in the production of energy, since that would entail a delay in economic and cultural, as well as technological, development.

It can be concluded from the above that a good solution would be to change the energy base by using a fuel by means of which emissions of pollutants into the atmosphere could be eliminated or significantly reduced, and that is precisely what would be achieved with the use of an alternative source of energy. The fuel that some propose as a solution is water.

Hydrogen, which can be obtained from water, is very abundant, is renewable, and can be used in both energy-poor and energy-rich countries. Crude oil and natural gas are limited energy resources.

Hydrogen can be used as an energy source, and can replace the fuels that are currently used, just as oil replaced coal in the past.

Hydrogen has better energy efficiency than other resources, as can be seen from the following points:

The energy equivalent of one ton of coal, translated into gasoline, allows a vehicle to travel 708.1 km [440 miles].

The energy equivalent of one ton of coal, translated into electricity, allows a vehicle to travel 772.5 km [480 miles].

The energy equivalent of one ton of coal, translated into methanol, allows a vehicle to travel 836.8 km [520 miles].

The energy equivalent of one ton of coal, translated into hydrogen, allows a vehicle to travel 1030 km [640 miles].

There is a need to adopt other sources of energy, in addition to electricity produced in an environmentally sensitive way, in order to compensate for the shortcomings in the transportation sector, and hydrogen is an energy source that could fulfill this purpose effectively.

Hydrogen can be stored in a gaseous state (generally at high pressures), in a liquid state (at very low temperatures of approx. -253°C [-423.4°F]), or in a solid state, in the form of metallic hydrides (at low pressure). Each of the different forms of storage will be more or less viable, depending on the application:

Storage as gas. The low density of hydrogen is a disadvantage, because it involves storing less energy per unit of volume than in the case of other compressed gases. Because of this, storage requires large volumes and high pressures. Underground storage in depleted mines and caves is very convenient and economical for the accumulation of large quantities of hydrogen. This form of storage is already used for natural gas, and pressures of up to 160 bar are used. Storage in high- and medium pressure containers is also used on a small scale.

Storage as a cryogenic liquid. Because of hydrogen's low boiling point (-252.9°C [-485.6°F]), cryogenic vessels are needed to maintain such low temperatures. This has the advantage that energy can be stored at high densities, and that the weight of the container is lower for the amount of energy stored than with other methods. But the low temperatures required entail safety problems, however, in addition to the fact that a high fraction of stored energy is consumed as liquid hydrogen upon liquefaction. And the cost of a liquefaction unit is comparatively high, on the other hand. In applications in which weight is the most critical factor (as in the case of aeronautics), the most convenient form of hydrogen storage is a cryogenic liquid.

Storage in solid form as metal hydrides. Hydrogen has a third way of being stored that is typical and that does not exist in the case of other liquid or gaseous fuels. This element reacts with different metals or intermetallic compounds, thereby forming hydrides. These can store even more hydrogen per unit volume than liquid hydrogen. Since