Hydrogen

Applications

Large quantities of hydrogen are needed in the chemical and petrolium industries, notably in the Haber process for the production of ammonia, which by mass ranks as the world's fifth most highly produced industrial compound. Hydrogen is used in the hydrogenation of fats and oils (into items such as margarine), and in the production of methanol. Hydrogen is used in hydrodealkylation, hydrodesulfurization, and hydrocracking.{{ref|periodic.lanl.gov}} The element has several other important uses.

Related Topics:
Haber process - Ammonia - Hydrogenation - Fat - Oil - Margarine - Methanol - Hydrodealkylation - Hydrodesulfurization - Hydrocracking

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• The element is used in the manufacture of hydrochloric acid, in welding processes, and in the reduction of metallic ores.
• It is an ingredient in rocket fuels.
• It is used as the rotor coolant in electrical generators at power stations, because it has the highest thermal conductivity of any gas.
• Liquid hydrogen is used in cryogenic research, including superconductivity studies.
• Since hydrogen is 14.5 times lighter than air, it was once widely used as a lifting agent in balloons and airships. However, this use was curtailed when the Hindenburg disaster convinced the public that the gas was too dangerous for this purpose.
• Deuterium, an isotope of hydrogen (hydrogen-2), is used in nuclear fission applications as a moderator to slow neutrons, and in nuclear fusion reactions. Deuterium compounds have applications in chemistry and biology in studies of reaction isotope effects.
• Tritium (hydrogen-3), produced in nuclear reactors, is used in the production of hydrogen bombs, as an isotopic label in the biosciences, and as a radiation source in luminous paints.

Hydrogen can be burned in internal combustion engines, an approach advocated by BMW's experimental hydrogen car). Hydrogen fuel cells are being investigated as mobile power sources with lower emissions than hydrogen-burning internal combustion engines. The low emissions of hydrogen in internal combustion engines and fuel cells are currently offset by the pollution created by hydrogen production. This may change if the substantial amounts of electricity required for water electrolysis can be generated primarily from renewable sources. Research is being conducted on hydrogen as a replacement for fossil fuels. It could become the link between a range of energy sources, carriers

Related Topics:
Internal combustion engine - Hydrogen car - Fuel cell - Power - Electrolysis - Bio-fuel - Natural gas - Diesel

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