Environmental Engineering Reference
In-Depth Information
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Hydrogen
Fuel Safety
Scientists and engineers are making sure that
hydrogen fuel will be safe to use. Hydrogen gas is very
fl ammable—in other words, it easily catches fi re. It
is really no more fl ammable, however, than gasoline,
which people have used safely for many years. As with
gasoline, the fi rst step to safe use of hydrogen fuel is
to make sure that there are no leaks in the storage
tanks. Scientists are testing different materials for
these tanks and believe that hydrogen fuel can be
safely stored.
There are very few hydrogen fuel fi lling stations
in the United States today. When these stations are
built, however, they will look very similar to today's
gas stations. The new fi lling stations will also have the
same safety rules:
• Turn off the vehicle when refueling.
• Do not smoke.
• Do not light a match.
• Do not use cell phones or anything else that can
create even a small electrical spark that might
cause the fuel to catch on fi re.
