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Home » Public Forums » GMCnet » Re: [GMCnet] Hydrogen Generator/ hinderburg/ HHO safety
Re: [GMCnet] Hydrogen Generator/ hinderburg/ HHO safety [message #165319] Wed, 04 April 2012 11:37 Go to previous message
Gary Casey is currently offline  Gary Casey   United States
Messages: 448
Registered: September 2009
Karma:
Senior Member
Rob,
Yes, helium could be used for generator cooling, as a stirling engine working fluid, or in dirigibles.  However, hydrogen has about half the molecular weight, so it is twice as "good" as a coolant.  Half the windage loss in the generator.  On the other hand it is only a little bit better than helium in a dirigible.  Helium is twice as heavy as hydrogen, but hydrogen is only a little bit lighter than helium :-).  Air has a molecular weight of 30, helium 4 and hydrogen 2.  So the buoyancy(the difference between air and the gas in the balloon) of helium is 26 and that of hydrogen is 28.  I read that Germany wanted to buy helium from us, but since we were mad at them we wouldn't sell it; that forced them to use hydrogen.  Wouldn't have helped the Hindenberg as it would have burned anyway, but there would have been fewer people on board - or maybe no piano.  As I understand it, most of the world's helium still comes from the U.S.
Gary

from Rob:
Gary,
Any idea why Helium wasn't used?
Regards,
Rob M.
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