Hydrogen, Tomorrow’s Fuel Today

Hydrogen as the fuel of the post-fossil fuel era was predicted more than a hundred years ago by that great forecaster of the future, Jules Verne, in his novel “The Mysterious Island”

“Water decomposed into its primitive elements, and decomposed doubtless by electricity, which will then have become a power and manageable force . . . Yes, my friends, I believe that water will one day be employed as fuel, that hydrogen and oxygen, which constitute it, used singly or together will furnish an inexhaustible source of heat and light of an intensity of which coal is not capable . . . I believe, then, that when the deposits of coal are exhausted, we shall heat and warm ourselves with water. Water will be thecoal of the future. ” Jules Verne. 1868.

Today, July 6th, 1977, I have witnessed probably the greatest single thing that I am ever to observe during my time on this planet. I watched a man weld aluminium together using water – yes, everyday tao water – as the fuel. No ox­ ygen bottles, no special shielded gases – Iust water. Not sim­ ple straight foreward steel welding but highly specialised aluminium welding, and to top it off, this man is a rank amateur welder with no protessiona1 training whatsoever! Like I said, it was indeed the most incredible thing I have ever seen. Not that I am particularly interested in the welding of metals – what really won me was when this gentleman ran a test-bed Holden car engine for some time, also using water as the only fuel. The exhaust was a rather dry, warm steam and the otherwise standard Holden 179 engine ran only a modified carburettor.

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