Making Water –
This short video clip is part of a hands-on science demonstration on fuel cells which I developed a few years ago. Additional modules to follow if there is interest, and as time permits.
A small PEM electrolyser is used to break water into its components: hydrogen and oxygen. The hydrogen is stored by displacing water. Watch as the hydrogen displaces the water, pushing the water into the upper storage tank. For safety reasons, the oxygen was vented into the air.
A tube runs from the side of the hydrogen tank to a beaker containing soap bubble solution. When the clamp is loosened, hydrogen flows into the soap solution, forming bubbles.
These are not, however, normal soap bubbles. They are filled with HYDROGEN! Hydrogen is a colorless, odorless, and highly flammable gas. A spark gun (gas appliance igniter) was used to ignite the hydrogen bubbles. The hydrogen combines with oxygen from the air, forming water vapor, and releasing energy.
Safety note: Mixtures of hydrogen and oxygen are extremely flammable and can be very dangerous. NEVER store a hydrogen – oxygen mixture in a sealed container, not even a small one. Even static electricity can set it off. In this demonstration, the hydrogen was stored in soap bubbles, and the oxygen limited to that available from the air, providing a relatively safe explosion.
Note: This video clip was filmed at my camera’s maximum resolution, 720×480. Using Vegas Studio, the clip was then padded to 854×480 (ie: 16×9), and finally saved (and uploaded) at 1280×720. As a result, 3 versions of the clip are available: Normal, High Quality, and pseudo-HD (much higher quality). Currently, to view the latter, add &fmt=22 to the end of the URL.
Music by Kevin MacLeod