Introduction

• Hydrogen is the simplest, lightest element in the Universe. It is made up of one proton & one electron.
• It is light as it scatters immediately upward in the air.
• It is non polluting.
• It is a energy carrier It is not energy it self, but requires energy to produce it.
• It has more energy per weight, but less energy per volume than any other fuel.
• It is normal gaseous state it is colourless, odourless, tasteless & non toxic.

Sources

• Natural gas (Methane) is the primary source for producing hydrogen by SMR (Steam Methane Reformation)
• There are other renewable methods through live stock waste, land fill biomas, waste water sludge, chemical reactions and electricity from solar, wind and water power, fossil fuel.
• It can also be prepared from water through Electrolysis process

Uses

• In preparation of Ammonia (NHY), Methanol, gasoline, heating oil, rocket fuel.
• Used to make fertilizers, glam, refined metals, vitamins, cosmetics, semi conductors, circuits, soaps, lubricants, cleaners & even margraine and peanut butter

SafetyAlthough any fuel we use is inflammable & dangerous but hydrogen is non toxic, light so it scatters immediately upward when there is a leak, rather than pooling about polluting ground water soaking in to clothes. So if handled with care, it is safer than fuels in standard use.
Negative aspectsStorage : Since Hydrogen is light, it is difficult to store a lot of it in a small tank.
Distribution : There is not a wide spread distribution channel like other channels for other fuels. New infra structure is needed to put in place.
Cost :Hydrogen is much more expensive than gasoline since other resources are reaching there peak, the gases will come at par.
Danger : It is flammable & even explosives under certain conditions.
Safety
Gaseous HydrogenGeneral
Hydrogen is a colorless, odorless, tasteless, highly flammable gas. It is also the lightest-weight gas. Since hydrogen is noncorrosive, special materials of construction are not usually required. However, embrittlement occurs in some metals at elevated temperatures and pressures. Stationary vessels and piping should be designed to the American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME) code and the American National Standards Institute (ANSI) Pressure Piping code for the pressures and temperature involved. Vessels used for transportation must be designed to meet the Department of Transportation (DOT) code.Gaseous hydrogen may be supplied in tube trailers and cylinders. Hydrogen is usually compressed into gas cylinders by oil-lubricated compressors. The amount of gas in a cylinder is determined by the pressure, temperature, cylinder size, and cylinder pressure rating.
The molecular symbol for hydrogen is H2.
HealthHydrogen gas is odorless and nontoxic but may induce suffocation by diluting the concentration of oxygen in air below levels necessary to support life.
Caution :The amount of hydrogen gas necessary to produce oxygen-deficient atmospheres is well within the flammable range, making fire and explosion the primary hazards associated with hydrogen and air atmospheres.
FlammabilityThe wide flammability range, 4% to 74% in air, and the small amount of energy required for ignition necessitate special handling to prevent the inadvertent mixing of hydrogen with air. Care should be taken to eliminate sources of ignition such as sparks from electrical equipment, static electricity sparks, open flames, or any extremely hot objects

Hydrogen and air mixtures, within the flammable range, can explode and may burn with a pale blue, almost invisible flame.