A Feasibility Study Of A Silicon Enabled Hydrogen Fuel Economy

在目前的全球能源消费方式中，很大程度上依赖于使用化石燃料，而化石燃料燃烧后会向大气中释放所谓的温室气体——二氧化碳。虽然能源使用模式的改变，例如增加利用核能、太阳能和风能发电，可以减少这个问题，但人们对发展以氢为基础的能源经济仍有相当大的兴趣，这种经济是以氢与氧的反应为基础的，这种反应产生大量的能源，而且不会产生比水更有害的反应产物。据预测，在未来20年内，氢经济市场规模将达到万亿美元。氢可以用于发电系统，最明显的是用于车辆运输和分布式发电的燃料电池，但如果要实现氢经济，一个关键方面将是开发在使用点上的车载氢储存系统。与以液态存在的汽油不同，氢气是一种潜在的危险和爆炸性气体，因此氢气的大规模分布和储存充满了问题。本项目是一个新概念的可行性研究，以避免这种氢气分布问题。相反，纳米硅将通过减少二氧化硅（沙子）来生产，二氧化硅是地球地壳中最丰富的化合物之一，使用可持续能源，并分布在需要的地方。在需要的时候，纳米硅和水之间会自发反应，然后按需产生氢气。基本上，水被用作所谓的储氢化合物。唯一的反应副产物是硅（砂），很容易处理或回收。

In the present approach to global energy consumption, a large dependence is placed on the use of fossil fuels, which upon combustion release the so-called greenhouse gas, carbon dioxide, into the atmosphere. Although changes in energy usage patterns, such as increased exploitation of nuclear, solar and wind power for electricity generation could reduce this problem, there is considerable interest in the development of a hydrogen-based energy economy, based on the reaction of hydrogen with oxygen, which yields large amounts of energy and produces nothing more harmful than water as the reaction product. It has been estimated that the hydrogen economy market will grow into the trillion dollar regime within the next 20 years. Hydrogen can be utilized in electrical power-generation systems, most notably in fuel cells for both vehicular transportation and distributed electricity generation, but a crucial aspect will be to develop systems for the on-board' storage of hydrogen at point of use, if the hydrogen economy is to be realised. Unlike petrol which exists in liquid form, hydrogen is a potentially dangerous and explosive gas, so the large scale distribution and storage of hydrogen is fraught with problems.The present project is a feasibility study of a novel concept to avoid this hydrogen distribution problem. Instead, nanopowdered silicon will be produced, by the reduction of silica ( sand ), one of the most abundant compounds in the earth's accessible crust, using sustainable energy sources, and distributed where required. A spontaneous reaction between the nanosilicon and water at point of need, will then generate hydrogen on demand. Essentially water is being used as a so-called hydrogen storage compound . The only reaction by-product is silica ( sand ) which is easily disposed of or recycled.