US Army takes aim at stealthy hydrogen tanks

Is the proposed 'Hydrogen Economy' going to save the human race or is it all an energy sink that provides no viable answer?

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BritDownUnder
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US Army takes aim at stealthy hydrogen tanks

Post by BritDownUnder »

I liked the title of this story I found and it can be viewed within a totally serious context or less seriously. I think there needs to be a few light-hearted moments on this forum as well as the more serious business of doom. Adam mentioned the word stealth in another post recently and it must have stuck in my mind.

While hydrogen does have its drawbacks in terms of storage, volume per unit of energy and production efficiency, it is not a greenhouse gas in its own right (unless you count water vapour as the most potent greenhouse gas in the atmosphere at the moment).

Link here
The US Army is taking aim at developing stealthy hydrogen tanks.

Scientists from the Ground Vehicle Systems Center (GVSC) and US Army Research Laboratory are exploring the potential role of fuel cell technologies in powering the combat vehicles of the future.

The researchers believe hydrogen propulsion could enable “tactical advantages for ground vehicle systems� by generating electricity without producing smoke, noise, odor or heat.

They say this can offer stealthier capabilities and note “with an integrated approach, 1,000-metre non-detectability at 10 miles per hour is achievable.�

It is also expected to enable a reduction in the weight of combat vehicles, as well as an increase in range.

Hydrogen technology is also more energy-efficient than combustion engines and would result in less air pollution and greenhouse gas emissions being produced – although adopting such engines would reduce environmental damage, the army scientists are primarily interested in the ability of the clean gas to reduce oil dependency.

They say the fact hydrogen can be created from a variety of sources, including coffee, sports drinks and urine, means it is well suited to a battlefield where resources can be in short supply.
Could the next Gulf War (or wherever else the US may see fit to intervene) be fought with hydrogen tanks I wonder? Would they have an advantage over their fossil-fueled Russian or Chinese-made counterparts?
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adam2
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Re: US Army takes aim at stealthy hydrogen tanks

Post by adam2 »

Very silly idea.
A hydrogen tank would produce considerable heat, nearly as much as a diesel engine.
Hydrogen has a low energy density thereby requiring larger volumes.
Re-supply of hydrogen sounds problematic under battlefield conditions, Ultra high pressure tanks, hoses and tankers. Unlike diesel fuel which is easy to transport in jerry cans, drums, IBCs, or tankers. Diesel fuel can be transferred with a simple pump worked from the existing electrical system of either vehicle. Plan B is a hand pump. And if all else fails, plan C is to pick up the drum and pour the fuel by hand. Can not do that with hydrogen.
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Re: US Army takes aim at stealthy hydrogen tanks

Post by kenneal - lagger »

BritDownUnder wrote: 16 Oct 2019, 03:22 ......................................They say this can offer stealthier capabilities and note “with an integrated approach, 1,000-metre non-detectability at 10 miles per hour is achievable.�

It is also expected to enable a reduction in the weight of combat vehicles, as well as an increase in range.
The balloon used to store the hydrogen fuel might lighten the tank but it would be a bit of a give away even at 1000 metres!!

I have seen talk of using ammonia as a fuel, especially for ships and very large vehicles. With all those soldiers around surely there is plenty of urine that could be processed locally into ammonia fuel or is that just taking the p**s?
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