Hydrogen is used in the production of ammonia, hydrogen chloride, methanol, in natural hydrocarbons hydrocracking (cracking in hydrogen atmosphere), as a reductant for producing of some metals. It is also used in solidifying natural oils by hydrogenation to make margarine. Liquid hydrogen is used in engines of the launch vehicles as well as a refrigerant and in mixture of hydrogen and oxygen for gas welding.
Recently the reaction of hydrogen combustion has been widely discussed, as a possible source of energy in the near future which would have replaced environmentally unwelcome fossil fuel energy sources (such as coal, petroleum etc.). It was supposed that hydrogen could be produced in greater scale from water using the process of electrolysis, but this process is presently significantly expensive. However it was anticipated that hydrogen-propelled fuel cells would be based on average-temperature heat (500°C-600°C) which radiates from nuclear power reactors. Its application of this heat is limited and extraction of this heat would create possibilities in solving environmental problems (hydrogen combustion produces least amount of environmentally harmful gases) as well as the problem of utilizing of the average-temperature heat.
Atomic hydrogen is used for atomic hydrogen welding. |