Q.Write a few lines on the utility of hydrogen as a fuel.
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Start your 14-day free trial to unlock the full solution →Hydrogen is a clean, high-energy fuel: it has the highest calorific value of any fuel and burns to give only water, so it causes no pollution; it is used in rockets and in fuel cells.
Utility of hydrogen as a fuel:
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High energy release: Hydrogen has the highest calorific value of all fuels, about 143 kJ per gram (much higher than petrol or LPG per unit mass). So a small mass of hydrogen releases a large amount of energy.
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Pollution-free (clean) combustion: When hydrogen burns in oxygen, the only product is water:
2H2 + O2 -> 2H2O
Unlike fossil fuels, it produces no CO, CO2, oxides of sulphur or unburnt hydrocarbons, so it does not pollute the air or add to the greenhouse effect.
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Uses as a fuel:
- As liquid hydrogen (with liquid oxygen) it is used as rocket fuel because of its very high energy output.
- In hydrogen-oxygen fuel cells, the chemical energy of hydrogen is converted directly into electricity, with water as the only product; these are used in spacecraft and are being developed for vehicles. …
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