ABSTRACT
The first practical application of hydrogen as a fuel took place during World War II. Hydrogen was produced by reaction of water vapor with iron for barrage balloons. An officer and an engineer B.I. Shelisch in blocked Leningrad offered to use the residual hydrogen from barrage balloons, which lost their volatility, as a fuel for small trucks instead of gasoline. Hydrogen from the balloon was supplied to the suction manifold of the engine through the flow tube to the working cylinders bypassing the carburetor. The dosage of hydrogen and air were provided with the throttle valve or accelerator pedal. The further activity in hydrogen-powered vehicles with internal combustion engines was mainly concentrated in hydrogen additions to the gasoline. The main goal was a decrease of toxic wastes. In 2005, a mini-bus “Gazel” using such a mixture was demonstrated at one of the conferences of Russian Academy of Sciences.
