Why can't we go total nuclear to water hydrolysis producing liquid hydrogen for fuel and avoid future wars?

Question

The nuke waste burial issue is less of a problem than war. Liquid hydrogen is the most compact and powerful chemical fuel known, and burning it produces water, not CO2.

Answer 1

Because we can't build any new energy sources in US due to activists and lawyers, the same reason we can't have waterwheels in rivers, wave or tide powered generators along the shores, or even wind powered generators.

Answer 2

One of the main physical (not political, environmental, etc.)reasons that the US cannot use nuclear power for the generation of hydrogen is that our current generation of reactors cannot generate the required heat. In a standard Light Water Reactor (LWR) or Boiling Water Reactor (BWR) the focus of the nuclear reaction is to heat a coolant (water usually). This coolant is then delivered to a heat exchanger which transfers the energy (with a thermodynamic loss) to a secondary coolant. This coolant is then fed (through a variety of process not germane to this discussion) to turbines which generate electricity.

While this setup is all well and good for straight electricity, hydrogen production requires a much more exotic approach. In order to generate hydrogen gas from water, the steam formed must reach temperatures in the range of 800-1000 centigrade. This type of temperature is would not be possible under current reactor designs. (Aside - for a BWR the temperature of the secondary coolant never really need exceed 100 centigrade. All they need to operate is a boiling secondary coolant.)

As it stands, these reactors do not exist yet. If you are interested in the current plans for these reactors, they are known collectively as Generation IV Reactors. Examples include the Very High Temperature Reactor (VHTR), the Gas-Cooled Fast Reactor* System (GFR) (*Fast reactors are different from common nuclear, or thermal, reactors as they utilize a different spectrum of neutrons to induce fission.) and the Lead Cooled Fast Reactor System (LFR).

Answer 3

For the same reason that the number of operational nuclear power plants in this country has gone down in the last 20 years. Many people (certainly NOT me) think they're too dangerous. In addition, hydrogen itself is extremely unstable, and very difficult to store.

Answer 4

Liquid hydrogen is extremely volatile and it currently takes more energy to store hydrogen in fuel cells than they produce.

Answer 5

www.permanentenergy.com has a better way! 100% clean fuel-less hydroelectric power that can be built anywhere. This kind of power is safe clean and when built in numbers able to make electricity overabundant! It' cheaper than any fueled process!

Answer 6

The oxygen at that stage can kill us if it's breathe in some seconds.