Getting Energy from Hydrogen

Question 1

How energy obtained from hydrogen?

Answer 1

By reacting hydrogen and oxygen together - the reaction is exothermic so it gives out energy.

Question 2

What is an advantage of burning hydrogen to power vehicles?

Answer 2

Hydrogen + oxygen —> water

So the reaction is clean.

Question 3

What are 3 disadvantages of burning hydrogen to power vehicles?

Answer 3

1) need a special, expensive engine
2) to get hydrogen from water, we need energy from another source to make it
3) it is very explosive, so is hard to store safely

Question 4

What is a fuel cell?

Answer 4

A fuel cell is an electrical cell that’s supplied with a fuel and oxygen and use energy from the reaction between them to generate electricity.

Question 5

What are some advantages of using a fuel cell to generate electrical energy? (4 points)

Answer 5

1) more practical than solar cells
2) safer than nuclear power
3) doesn’t run down or need recharging
4) will energy in the form of electricity and heat as long as fuel in supplied

Question 6

Why are car companies developing fuel cells for their cars? (2 points)

Answer 6

1) they don’t produce pollutants (no greenhouse gases, no sulfur dioxide, no carbon monoxide) so there would be less pollution in cities
2) countries can become less dependant on crude oil

Question 7

Why will conventional power stations be unlikely to shut down even if we can use fuel cells in our cars? (3 points)

Answer 7

1) hydrogen is a gas so takes up more space to store than liquids (petrol, diesel etc)
2) very explosive so difficult to store safely
3) hydrogen fuel is often made from hydrocarbons (from fossil fuels) or electrolysis (which uses electricity from fossil fuels)