Hydrogen has various commercial and scientific applications, including refining crude oil, producing margarine, and cooling rotors. It was once used in airships but is now disfavored due to its combustible nature. Hydrogen isotopes are used in nuclear reactors, and hydrogen is being explored as a clean fuel source.
Hydrogen is the lightest element in the periodic table and has been used for a variety of purposes. Petroleum and chemical companies use it to access and refine crude oil and in creating commercial products such as margarine. At one time, companies used it to elevate blimps and zeppelins, but its combustible nature has led to disfavor in this application. Different forms of hydrogen have been used for a wide range of scientific applications and could be a clean or low-emissions source of energy in the future.
Commercial and consumer uses
Companies in the petroleum and chemical industries often use hydrogen in significant quantities. In a petrochemical plant, it can be used for hydrodesulfurization, which removes sulfur from other natural gases, and hydrocracking, a process by which complex chemicals are broken down into simpler components. Food companies often use it to hydrogenate oils or fats, which allows the production of margarine from liquid vegetable oil. Chemists also use it to make methanol and hydrochloric acid, both of which can be used commercially or as part of consumer products.
Past use in aviation
In the early 20th century, hydrogen was used as a lift gas for airships. This ended in the 20th, however, when the Hindenburg disaster effectively ended airships for commercial travel. While the exact cause of the disaster remains unknown, some individuals have blamed it on the fuel. Modern zeppelins and dirigibles use helium or heated air.
Applications in science and manufacturing
Hydrogen also has applications in physics and engineering. It is used as a welding shielding gas, insulating the welding site from atmospheric gases such as oxygen and nitrogen. Some companies use it to cool rotors in electric power generators due to its high thermal conductivity. In its liquid form, it is colder than 14° Kelvin (K), so scientists have used it for cryogenics and superconductivity research.
Hydrogen isotopes, especially deuterium, are used in nuclear reactors. Deuterium can be used as a neutron moderator for fission reactions, where an atom is split, or as a fuel for fusion reactions, where atoms are combined. Tritium, another isotope, acts as a source of radiation in luminous paints and is a component of some bombs.
Clean fuel and energy
In the early 21st century, the use of hydrogen as a clean fuel became an increasingly attractive prospect. It is so light, however, that all atmospheric hydrogen has evaporated into space, meaning it must be artificially created. The ecological nature of its use to create fuel cells was somewhat questionable, since large quantities of fossil fuels can be consumed to generate it. As technology has improved, new methods have been developed to create these fuel cells that make them more convenient and ‘cleaner’ than using fossil fuels directly.
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