Let's Colonize Titan

Re:Let's Colonize Titan by ChuckMcM on Sunday November 27, 2016 @06:52PM (#13052383)

I don't disagree with your red flag, I do however note that there are other ways of getting electricity out of hydrocarbons without cracking water. Specifically a the use of fuel cells. If you feed methane to a Bloom Energy fuel cell after initially filling it with some liquid water, it will generate 250kW of power as long as you feed in methane.

[ Parent | on HN ]

Re:Let's Colonize Titan by stcredzero on Sunday November 27, 2016 @07:02PM (#13052447)

That would be awesome for colonizing Titan!

http://www.bloomenergy.com/clean-energy/

[ Parent | on HN ]

Re:Let's Colonize Titan by foobarian on Sunday November 27, 2016 @09:40PM (#13053033)

But... where does it get the oxygen?

[ Parent | on HN ]

Re:Let's Colonize Titan by ChuckMcM on Sunday November 27, 2016 @11:29PM (#13053407)

From the water using steam reforming as I understand it, which is recovered 100% when the cell is generating power. The only consumable ends up being the methane.

[ Parent | on HN ]

Re:Let's Colonize Titan by foobarian on Monday November 28, 2016 @12:48AM (#13053663)

Looks like a standard solid oxide cell, going by their glitzy info page [1]. The water is used in reforming the methane but it's not a source of oxygen; that comes from the air.

[1] http://www.bloomenergy.com/fuel-cell/solid-oxide-fuel-cell-a...

[ Parent | on HN ]

Re:Let's Colonize Titan by ChuckMcM on Monday November 28, 2016 @03:19AM (#13054121)

You are correct sir. That kind of sucks then.

[ Parent | on HN ]