When using a fuel cell what goes in is hydrogen and oxygen right?
What comes out is water(h2o) and electricity right?
What if you could spilt the water back into hydrogen and oxygen and repeat the cycle?
You would never need more chemicals and you would keep gettting electicity?
Would this idea work?
2006-12-28 03:59:31 · 7 answers · asked by Anonymous in Science & Mathematics ➔ Chemistry
It takes *energy* to split the water. This is often provided by electricity in an electrolytic decomposition cell.
Some of that energy is lost as heat (entropy) in each cycle, so your scheme is not "endless".
If you use the energy from the fuel cell to produce electricity, some of that energy has to go back into producing more fuel, some goes out the grid where it is converted to heat, light, and other non-retrievable forms.
Chemistry is all about accounting. Mass-energy is conserved AND entropy is a fact. All that ends up meaning that 100% efficiency and "endless" schemes are not possible.
2006-12-28 04:17:38 · answer #1 · answered by Jerry P 6 · 1⤊ 0⤋
The problem with this is that it takes more energy to separate the hydrogen and oxygen out of water than can be produced from the Hydrogen.
That is why the only successful hydrogen fuel plants are those near a fixed energy source such as geothermal energy.
2006-12-28 12:02:47 · answer #2 · answered by Mr 51 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
No, first of all endless energy will really never exist. People call
"endless" because it can last for a long time (billions of years). About fuel cells, lots of energy is required to seperate water into hydrogen and oxygen.
2006-12-28 13:07:33 · answer #3 · answered by gooeyjim 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Scientists in California have reached an important milestone in nuclear fusion research; generating more energy from a fusion reaction than transferred to the nuclear fuel. The holy grail of ignition remains elusive, but each step brings the world closer to a virtually limitless nuclear energy source with no emissions and negligible waste.
2014-04-04 08:55:02 · answer #4 · answered by Alex 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Grate idea, thanks, I am going to patent it... ahhh haaa...
Just Kidding, its not such a good idea. If it was, water would have been a fule long ago.
Since as you would need an external source of energy, (which is actually grater than that produce) to split the water back to H2 and O2 it defeats the whole purpose and is a wastse of money. Good try.
There is actually a way to produce perpetual enery... Not kidding
2006-12-28 13:43:57 · answer #5 · answered by Dr Knight M.D 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
no.
you are using up electricity to make the hydrogen and the oxygen from water, and you are using up more than you get back out. second law of thermodynamics.
2006-12-28 12:02:00 · answer #6 · answered by Nick C 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
no of course not
2006-12-28 12:28:10 · answer #7 · answered by rachit t 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋