From: jeff.findley@ugs.nojunk.com   
      
    wrote in message   
   news:1134509904.059395.104300@z14g2000cwz.googlegroups.com...   
   > How come the commercial airlines use jet fuel rather than LOX/H2?  I   
   > would have thought LOX/H2 would be lighter and would give the planes a   
   > longer range.  Is petroleum just cheaper?   
      
   First of all, why bother with LOX, when you're flying through air, which is   
   20% O2?   
      
   Second of all, have you ever looked at the density difference between LH2   
   and kerosene?  The LH2 tanks on a jet aircraft would be huge.  Compressed   
   H2's tanks would be extremely heavy and impractical for an aircraft (or just   
   about any other transport) to use.   
      
   Lastly, commercial LH2 is typically made from petroleum.  As such, it's more   
   expensive to manufacture, store, and handle than petroleum products, partly   
   because it's cryogenic.  LH2 made from electrolysis of water is even more   
   expensive, partly because most electricity comes from burning petroleum   
   products.   
      
   Jeff   
   --   
   Remove icky phrase from email address to get a valid address.   
      
   --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05   
    * Origin: you cannot sedate... all the things you hate (1:229/2)