A Quick Look at Different Fuels and How They Work

899 Words2 Pages
bulb-icon

Recommended: technology advancement

Technology has evolved in various ways over time. As many of us know medicine is a huge part of our lives that chemistry has advanced, along with various other things we need. Another thing chemistry has improved is batteries or fuel cells, like what is in a TV remote or a car. Also chemistry has helped improve gasoline for automobiles and other necessities for everyday use. This includes gasoline, jet fuel, kerosene, and diesel. A hydrogen fuel cell is what converts chemical stored energy by hydrogen fuel into electricity. Hydrogen fuel is very similar to normal batteries like what we would find in a car or a clock, but differences are present between the two. Like a battery, the fuel cells using hydrogen and oxygen are used to power devices that use electricity. While both batteries and fuel cells convert chemical energy to electrical energy, batteries store the chemical energy inside the battery. This may be efficient if you plan to recharge a battery, but the creators of fuel cells had other plans of more efficient ways to supply electricity; of course using fuel cells. The big difference between fuel cells and batteries is they do not need recharging. Rather than storing energy inside itself, a hydrogen fuel cell uses a supply of chemical energy from outside! This is stored in the hydrogen that is supplied to the anode. The fuel cells consume hydrogen and oxygen, and when continually supplied, (waste product being water, which of course, is removed) electricity is successfully generated! Before the discovery of the hydrogen fuel cells, or before they were put into use, everyone was forced to store energy in a regular battery and keep recharging to get electricity. Hydrogen fuel cells are not extremely popular now because t... ... middle of paper ... ...Biodiesel is usually made from plant oils and animal fats with lots of chemical reactions. It is non-toxic and renewable making this a huge asset. Biodiesel comes from plants and animals so it is easy to renew it from farming and recycling. Biodiesel can be used straight through a regular diesel engine. It is most efficient if it is blended with diesel at certain percentage. It is expressed as Bxx where xx is biodiesel. The most common blend is B20. If the blend was B100 that would mean 100 percent of biodiesel is used. Chemistry has had a tremendous impact on society, ranging from medicines all the way to fuels and batteries. All the things scientists, chemists and other researchers have found through chemistry is crucial to today and how society is run. Fuel cells and all other fuels such as gasoline and diesel fuels have impacted the world in very positive ways.

Show More
Related

  • Chemist Jose Mario Molina and the Discovery of How Chlorofluorocarbons Affect the Ozone Layer

    581 Words  | 2 Pages

    Chemists are the specialists in chemistry, that interact with chemical properties, and reactions. The earth is made up of different gases. Some of this gases are needed for life in the planet but other gases can be harmful to the living. Gas’s use in regular quantities are favorable to the earth. The world started to become more advance and had to use more of this gases to produce everyday objects and inventions by men. Little did we knew this chemicals we going to affect us in our life. Chemist Jose Mario Molina actually discovered that chlorofluorocarbons were affecting the ozone layer.

    Read More

  • Fossil Fuels: The Pros And Cons Of Hydrogen

    1412 Words  | 3 Pages

    Hydrogen lies in one of the copious replacements for gasoline. It is not an energy source such as oil, but an energy carrier that is produced instead of digging and finding it underground. Though replacing fossil fuels by hydrogen fuel cell is very hard and costs a great deal, for the most part, hydrogen fuel cell is a zero carbon emission fuel which highly reduces the carbon emissions that causes pandemic global warming. Hydrogen is very helpful for nature by cause of replacing fossil fuels with hydrogen fuel cells might end global warming once and for all.

    Read More

  • Storing the Impossible: Hydrogen

    1276 Words  | 3 Pages

    In most cases, hydrogen cannot be stored by itself. Because of this, hydrogen is usually stored in forms of hydrides. One example of a hydride is called a fuel cell. Although other forms of storing hydrogen are found to be difficult, Eisenstien (2000) has found that the cell is not a very complicated device (Eisenstien, 2000, p.22). This is because all that there is to do is to pump hydrogen into one side and then pump oxygen on the other (Eisenstien, March 2000, p.22). This results to the gases combining to form energy and water vapor, which can be used to run electric motors (Eisenstien, March 2000, p.22). Another type of hydride is called a reformer. A reformer is simply a chemical pla...

    Read More

  • Invention and Inlfuence of the Microscope

    795 Words  | 2 Pages

    The topic for my essay is going to talking about Chemistry and Technology, and has a focused on the invention and influence on the microscope. Chemistry has helped people look at technology in a different way, such as by the way we use it and how easy it is to find data faster. Technology has also changed Chemistry several ways. Some examples are finding new viruses and finding cures to prevent diseases from spreading around the world and.

    Read More

  • Chemistry: The Molecular Formula of Fuel and the Combustion of Fuel

    1620 Words  | 4 Pages

    Chemistry is not used only in a lab environment, but it is used for every aspect of life. One way to look into a more in-depth view of chemistry is to apply it to a hobby, or something that may personally affect your everyday life. One of the biggest parts of my life and my main hobby is flying. Ever since I was little, I have always wanted to become a pilot. I am currently working towards my private pilot’s license and I am also attending the U.S. Air Force Academy starting in June to study aeronautical engineering. Since flying is such a large aspect of my life and is important to me, I wanted to break it down into an aspect of chemistry. I chose this topic because flying is very important to me and it will continue to be a large part of my life as it will end up being my career in the Air Force. Not only will researching the topic of aviation fuel help me to become a more knowledgeable pilot, but it will also help me to understand more about chemistry and expand on the concepts we have learned this semester. Chemistry is extremely important to planes and pilots. One of the most obvious aspects of flying that deals directly with chemistry is fuel. Without fuel, aircraft would not be able to run. The molecular formula of fuel and the combustion of fuel are just some parts that play into how fuel makes an aircraft run.

    Read More

  • Gasoline and Alternative Fuel Solutions

    2100 Words  | 5 Pages

    Gasoline and the economy, the impact it has on the society. The current gas prices have a larger impact on consumer spending, however not so much on the percent of gasoline purchased, after all people still have to drive themselves places. (consumer psychologist.com) A major increase in cost will be necessary to lessen the quantity demanded. Gasoline is too costly and harmful to the economy and the environment thereby society needs to find alternative fuels, which best serve, the society.

    Read More

  • Biofuel and The Racing Industry

    1086 Words  | 3 Pages

    Secondly, the use of biofuels is not a cost effective option as they are more expensive than fossil fuels. According to the County Commissions of the US Department of Agriculture and North Dakota State University, there are around seven biodiesel producers in the US. Biodiesel is the mix of biofuel and diesel in 20:80 ratio, which means that the cost of biodiesel will be around 20$ more ...

    Read More

  • Biodiesel Essay

    548 Words  | 2 Pages

    Biodiesel is considered an environmentally friendly alternative because it reduces the amount many toxic substances. Plants such as soybeans require carbon dioxide from the air to produce their stems, roots and leaves. During biodiesel production from soybean oil, carbon dioxide is produced and released in the atmosphere. Carbon dioxide is considered a green house gas (GHG). However, this cycle of GHG emission does not neccersarily contribute to the atmospheric carbon dioxide levels. This is because the next soybean crop will reuse the carbon dioxide emitted for its growth. Another important environmental benefit is that biodiesel reduces particulate matter (PM), hydrocarbon (HC) and carbon monoxide (CO) emissions. These benefits occur because biodiesel contains 11% oxygen by weight. Oxygen allows the fuel to burn better, resulting in fewer emissions from unburned fuel. And lastly, biodiesel fuels do not contain any sulfur and does not have an unpleasant smell when it is emitted from vehicles.

    Read More

  • Technology Introducs Lithium-Ion Batteries

    1196 Words  | 3 Pages

    Some other reasons for the popularity of Lithium-Ion Batteries is that they hold their charge over a long period of time. A Lithium-Ion Battery loses only 5% of the battery’s charge per month while a Nickel-Metal Hydride Battery loses 20% of the battery’s charge per month. Finally, Lithium-Ion Batteries are designed so they can be charged at any time, even if the battery was not at zero percent to begin with (Howstuffworks, 2009).

    Read More

  • The History Of Molecules

    1298 Words  | 3 Pages

    Chemistry is a branch of natural science that deals principally with the properties of substances, the changes they undergo, and the natural laws that describe these changes. (University of Idaho, 2014) Molecules, as small as they seem, is in the food that we eat and present in our daily lives. Today, scientists would likely know about the history of chemistry but not how chemistry has impacted history. Many would not wonder if these molecules go beyond the chemistry concepts that they have learned. For example, would the world have been different if piperine (molecule) present in pepper had not led to the discovery of the United States? The interesting fact is that molecules have and will continue to shape the world today. In this book, the authors explain in detail how 17 specific molecules had a significant impact on the history of the world. On a whole, this book is very intriguing and very suitable for chemistry lovers as well as the general public.

    Read More

  • Persuasive Essay On Clean Diesel

    1679 Words  | 4 Pages

    The diesel we use today is much “cleaner” than previous types. Clean diesel is a type of diesel fuel that is often referred to as ULSD. This acronym stands for Ultra Low Sulfur Diesel. This type of fuel is a more refined fuel than previous standard types of diesel. Although it is not the same as biodiesel, many people do not actually know the difference between “biodiesel” and “clean diesel”. Biodiesel is a fuel derived from biological substances which can include plants, plant oil, and animal fat. Even though biodiesel and clean diesel are two different things, they are usually mixed

    Read More

  • Overview of Fuel Cells

    865 Words  | 2 Pages

    In the search engine “Google dictionary” the author announces, “Fuel cell: a cell producing an electric current directly from a chemical reaction.” Fuel cells were thought of in 1839 by Sir William Grove who was known as “Father of the Fuel Cell.” In the article “History of

    Read More

  • Careers in Chemistry

    1363 Words  | 3 Pages

    ...ree careers make sure that every day activities do not lead to the degradation of the environment. For these reasons, it is clear that chemistry is beneficial to the way of mankind.

    Read More

  • Hydrogen Car Power of the Future

    1788 Words  | 4 Pages

    Recent years have shown an increasingly large need for a practical renewable energy source for such reasons as diminishing fossil fuels and increases in greenhouse gasses. Hydrogen appears to be a way out of this gasoline-dug hole, or at least, a way out in the future. Hydrogen fuel cell cars are being engineered as we speak as the technologies to refuel them cleanly are being proposed. Unfortunately, most of the technologies associated with hydrogen are still in the prototype/pre-production stages and require better enhancements before becoming mainstream. This paper assesses the practicality of hydrogen power in cars both now and in the future while explicating the actual process of how a hydrogen fuel cell works.

    Read More

  • Hydrogen Energy Essay

    589 Words  | 2 Pages

    Hydrogen would be one of the easiest sources of renewable energy to incorporate into our current energy infrastructure. Since hydrogen is a gas of normal temperature, it is possible to have it be used as a fuel in vehicles similar to current ones. For example, Hydrogen could be introduced into the vehicle as a gas, stored...

    Read More

More about A Quick Look at Different Fuels and How They Work

Open Document