Former NASA manager reconsiders the role of hydrogen in the 1937 disaster
Dr. Addison Bain has spent 20 years researching and testing a new theory behind the incident that almost tarnished hydrogen's reputation: the Hindenburg airship disaster in 1937. This renowned author --- and manager of rocket fuel for NASA, now retired --- thinks that hydrogen has received unfair blame for the Hindenburg disaster, which in turn leads him to suggest its use as an energy source.
After spending many years in research, testing his new theory about the source and fuel for the 1937 fire on the Hindenburg Zeppelin, he now believes that hydrogen probably is no more dangerous than gasoline (petrol) when handled safely and has real potential as a source of energy for a variety of uses.
His new book, "The Freedom Element : Living with Hydrogen" suggests that hydrogen may, indeed, be a perfect fuel and energy carrier and producer. Bain presents a still controversial theory, still unaccepted by many historians, scientists, and those searching for safe alternative fuels.
Dr. Bain believes that hydrogen was not the villain causing the Hindenburg's conflagration, although it may have been a factor in the intensity of the blaze that resulted. Indeed, Bain refers to hydrogen as the perfect fuel and energy carrier, and has tested this theory well enough to feel safe throughout its use as a rocket fuel. Surprisingly, hydrogen had apparently been considered as a fuel in the early days of the automobile; surprisingly, but even less well known, is its potential use in fuel cells. This latter technological breakthrough relies on its use in fuel cells to produce electricity right on board the vehicle, negating the need for traveling along paths where the auto (or other vehicle) can rely on a source of constant recharging of its batteries.
There is even talk of using liquid hydrogen in aircraft engines.
Hydrogen contains three times as much energy as the equivalent amount of gasoline, but when it burns under control, instead of the vile hydrocarbon compounds emitted by the gasoline engine, its exhaust consists of nothing more toxic than water vapor --- incorrectly tagged as "steam".
Where can hydrogen be obtained commercially? It is often falsely tagged as consuming more power to "refine" --- obtain --- from its sources than it can produce in practical use.
Currently, it can be obtained commercially from two sources : natural gas, of which it is a major component, and the hydrolysis (splitting and extracting) it from plain water. The space program that Dr. Bain's managed obtained it from the natural gas that occurs so abundantly buried in the earth in the Gulf of Mexico area around New Orleans.
Dr. Bain pointed out that all three main engines on the very successful space shuttle ran on a mix of liquid hydrogen, carried in an external tank, and liquid oxygen.
When asked whether it was practical to use hydrogen as an automobile fuel, Bain explained that he had rigged his car to run on the hydrogen hydrolyzed (split) from his household water supply. After extracting the hydrogen, he compressed it, mixed it with compressed natural gas, and ran his Ford Crown Victoria on it, obtaining 150 miles from a tankful, although he admits he used gasoline as a backup. .
When pressed about the Hindenburg fire, he referred to two separate Boards of Inquiry, in Germany and in the United States, which studied the incident very thoroughly. Although they initially named hydrogen as the culprit, they never resolved the issue of how the fire started. The Smithsonian Institution even placarded its Hindenburg display by alleging that "Its hydrogen exploded".
Dr. Bain began his refutation of that theory by explaining that the oxygen required to support a fire of that nature and size would have not allowed the Zeppelin to fly, as the flight of LTA airships requires a certain percentage of lighter-than-air gas (hydrogen), and that would have precluded enough oxygen to support combustion.
Dr, Bain's independent investigation concluded that the outer covering of the airship's hull contained ingredients that were very highly flammable when mixed --- powdered aluminum and iron oxide. In fact, they are the very ingredients of a commercial product called Thermite. To point up the flammability and high temperature of its combustion, we can recall that Thermite is used industrially and commercially for on-site welding of railroad tracks at rail joints to melt the steel so that it forms a seamless joint.
However, powdered aluminum and iron oxide do not conduct electricity, and this allowed a charge of static electricity to build up on the outer surface of the airship. We also recall that one of the reasons for the delay in the Hindenburg's landing at Lakehurst was that there was a powerful thunderstorm over the Lakehurst area, typical for that time of year and season along the New Jersey shore. Those were the classic conditions for the buildup of electricity on surfaces that creates the necessary and sufficient conditions for lightning --- a powerful manifestation of static electrical buildup.
Germany had done similar testing in the years immediately following the disaster, and concluded that a static discharge within the fabric could ignite it without any hydrogen at all. Once the fabric was ignited by the static electricity, the hydrogen could well have accelerated the burning. Hydrogen is a sensitive fuel, and must be handled almost as carefully as gasoline (petrol).
Independent laboratories tested the fabric, after obtaining actual samples, and determined that it was coated with a butyl-based substance.
Remember that the Hindenburg had previously compiled a safety record of 62 flights before that fateful day in 1937. Of those flights, many were long flights across the Atlantic Ocean, some continued on to South America.
Unfortunately, for this particular Lakehurst landing, the Hindenburg came in at a high landing altitude, almost three times its usual (normal) altitude. It is a meteorological reality that the electrical charge on a surface is a function of the altitude. That static charge actually increases by a value of 300 volts for every three feet of altitude.
All the situation required was a source of ignition. A backfire was reported from one of the engines, and Bain believes that this could have been the proximate cause. If readers will recall the days of the old auto engines installed in 1930's cars, the noisy --- and common --- engine backfire often emitted very hot particulates from the exhaust, If, as is now believed, that hot particle flew over the top of the airship, it flew right into a set of explosive conditions and could have acted as the trigger.
Although no one will ever be able to prove the actual cause, that theory seems to hold more water, seems to have more of the pre-conditions necessary. Recall that this was the one of the first, most viewed explosions and fires. It was caught on news cameras of the day, with provocative commentary by a distraught newscaster whose on-air comments have gone down in history. This meant that it had extraordinary impact in those days before computers and the Internet.
The casualties numbered in the thirties; more are reported in automobile accidents every weekend in newscasts today, but have become so routine that we don't even pause in our Internet surfing.
Sadly, however, that newsreel footage provided the circumstances that ruled out lighter-than-air airships as passenger carriers for almost 70 years, although there is now a resurgence of interest in their use because of their many unique advantages.
Fortunately, because of the tireless dedication of men such as Dr. Bain, seeking the truth, and who are very cognizant of their massive responsibilities in the American space program, the real truth is in the process of emerging from the morass of speculation, ignorance, and downright obfuscation surrounding the Hindenburg disaster.
No comments:
Post a Comment