Will water power replace petrochemicals?

beachart
beachart Forum Participant Posts: 2
edited August 2017 in Towcars & Towing #1

Worried about losing petro-chemical power? It does not have to be replaced by batteries....

Has anyone seen the developments in water power? I know of 2 main types so far, one developed by Nanoflowcell involves using sea water or salt water passed through a chemical membrane that develops electrical energy to drive a series of electric motors. The US Government have also been playing around with this technology. The car used had a range of over 350miles. The other involves a process that splits the H2O molecule and uses the H2 developed to run a combustion engine - there have been many attempts to do this over the years and it is a very challenging process that defies physics and will probably result in sacrificing some catalytic material to create the H2, so really a water hybrid. 

However it is early days in these areas and I think we should watch this space to see what scientists and engineers can create. (Assuming the all powerful petrochemical industry lets them of course).

Has anyone else seen something like this?

Comments

  • brue
    brue Forum Participant Posts: 21,176 ✭✭✭✭✭
    1000 Comments
    edited August 2017 #2

    Not me  personally but my OH is aware of this as it's been done in the past. It's not new but could be another alternative.

  • cyberyacht
    cyberyacht Forum Participant Posts: 10,218
    1000 Comments
    edited August 2017 #3

    ISTR this from forty odd years ago. There was a play on the name when some wag said his latest car was a 2 'zeta'.

  • ChemicalJasper
    ChemicalJasper Forum Participant Posts: 437
    edited August 2017 #4

    A "challenging process that defies physics"

    ...probably tells you all you need to know about why it is still a "concept"!

    Nothing defies that laws of physics or thermodynamics !smile

    Energy cannot be created or destroyed, it can only be converted. The efficiency of that conversion is always key.

     

     

  • Tigi
    Tigi Forum Participant Posts: 1,038
    500 Comments
    edited August 2017 #5

    Umm should I delay my next new car just in case?

  • DougS
    DougS Forum Participant Posts: 327
    edited August 2017 #6