Hydrogen production technology for powering civil and industrial systems : a review
Partial use of alternative energy exemplified by hydrogen energy is expected to reduce negative impacts associated with the current dependence on fossil energy and bring net gain to regional and national economies. Hydrogen has emission levels that are far below the existing and possibly, future standards. Hydrogen energy may enhance energy security and perhaps allay concerns some concerns about global climatic change, environmental issues, energy efficiency, and infrastructure development. Since the production of hydrogen is energy-intensive, a production technique that negates this disadvantage with a high volume output within a reasonable time, is desirable.
PLASMA REFORMING OF DIESEL FUEL
The use of a plasma reformer for the generation of hydrogen rich gas from diesel fuel has been investigated. A system that is normally used for investigating natural gas reforming has been modified in order to investigate the reforming of heavy liquid fuels. The composition of the reformate has been investigated as a function of the composition of the reagents. The use of a one-step reformer/water shifter was studied. Good reforming, with no noticeable soot production, was obtained. The specific energy consumption was equal to that previously obtained with methane reforming, with much reduced concentration of methane in the reformate.
Hobbes and the Reception of Leviathan
Although there has been much discussion of the reception of Hobbes’s work, Hobbes’s response to his own reception has rarely received much consideration. This article looks at Hobbes’s engagements with his critics. Far from being rearguard actions by a philosopher under siege, or disingenuous attempts to curry favour with those in power, they can be read as moments when Hobbes in fact sought to convert what he saw as the “truth of speculation into the utility of practice.”