Conclusion

 In conclusion we were able to produce hydrogen and oxygen using the chemical method which successfully entered the fuel cell and powered the motor. During the experiment we observed that the wheels that were run by the motor turned at about 10 revolutions per minute or 10 RPM. The amount of gas produced did not change the number of times the wheel revolved. This means that no matter how much gas you put into the fuel cell, it will still give off the same amount of energy for the given motor. This trend tells us that it does not make a difference when excessive hydrogen is fed into the fuel cell because the revolutions per minute will still stay the same. William and I now know that the excessive amounts of Hydrogen don’t make the RPM go higher.

            When water was used instead of hydrochloric acid, the same revolutions per minute were observed although it took a while before the motor started to revolve. A thick white paste was formed and the reaction took longer to stop. The advantage of using HCl is that calcium chloride can be recovered by evaporation and used as a road salt in winter.

            The main advantage of this experiment is that the hydrogen has been produced by a cheaper chemical method compared to electrolysis which uses electricity. The hydrogen fuel cell is a clean energy source which vital for the increasing carbon dioxide induced global warming.

Sources of error

 The original experiment was to build a wind mill that would generate electricity to electrolyze the water in order to produce hydrogen and oxygen for powering the fuel cell. We could not get the propeller on the dynamo to spin due to lack of enough wind force.  Future experiments should try to use large scale wind power with enough force to turn the dynamo.

Another source of error was in the corks and tubes used during the chemical method. There was leakage of gas at the beginning and the flasks had to be changed. The glass collecting tubes were delicate and hard to insert into the tubes and a few of them broke. Some Vaseline was used to allow easy insertion. All these caused delay in the experimental progress.

Another error would be using the wrong concentration of hydrochloric acid. When we used 0.1 moles/L acid, the hydrogen that was produced was not able to turn the motor.
 

Practical Applications

            There are many practical applications for our science experiment. The electricity produced could be used to replace fossil fuels in vehicles and power plants. It could also be used in farm machines, in heating and cooling houses as well as in manufacturing industries.  

The main significance of our results is that hydrogen can be produced and used immediately without being stored. This is an advantage since hydrogen is highly explosive.  The results of the experiment leads to the question of how to apply it in the commercial set up.

Future experiments include developing a system where the experiment can be performed by slow release of the chemicals. Also, a comparison between this method and production of hydrogen using solar or wind power could give efficiency of the method. Different types of acids and concentrations could also be investigated.

Dangers and Storage of Hydrogen

           Although hydrogen is very useful, it is also very dangerous.  If exposed to air and

a spark, a large explosion could occur.  This is the main reason carmakers are having

 

trouble making hydrogen-powered cars.  If there was any leak or a collision, the car

 

would explode, and if near other cars those would explode too.  One way of dealing

 

with this problem is making and using the hydrogen right away.  This way, the hydrogen

 

would be used as soon as it’s made, greatly reducing the chance of an explosion.

 

 Storage of hydrogen is also a problem, as too much heat can also cause it to explode. 

 

Storage of hydrogen must be in a highly monitored environment, under constant

 

temperature and valve regulations.