Water gas is a method of hydrogen production that combines steam and coke gas In the following chemical reaction: Hydrogen production is done in bulk today from hydrocarbon fossil fuels via a chemical path. ... It has been suggested that this article be split into articles entitled steam and water vapor, accessible from a disambiguation page. ... Coke is a solid carbonaceous residue derived from low-ash, low-sulfur bituminous coal. ... A chemical reaction occurs when vapours of hydrogen chloride in a beaker and ammonia in a test tube meet to form a cloud of a new substance, ammonium chloride A chemical reaction is a process that results in the interconversion of chemical substances [1]. The substance or substances initially involved...

CO + H₂O → CO₂ + H₂

In 1873, Professor Thaddeus S. C. Lowe developed and patented a process by which large amounts of hydrogen gas could be generated for residential and commercial use in heating and lighting. Unlike the common coal gas, or coke gas which was used in municipal service, water gas provided a more efficient heating fuel. Thaddeus Sobieski Constantine Lowe (1832-1913) Thaddeus Sobieski Constantine Lowe (August 20, 1832 – January 16, 1913) was an American aeronaut, scientist and inventor. ... This article is about the chemistry of hydrogen. ...

The process was discovered by the passing of high-pressure steam over hot coal, the major source of coke gas. Lowe's process improved upon the chimney systems by which the coal could remain superheated thereby maintaining a consistently high supply of the gas. This process created a thermo-chemical reaction of applying hydrogen, in the steam, to carbon monoxide, in the coke gas. The reaction produced carbon dioxide and pure hydrogen which after a process of cooling and "scrubbing," passing through water vapor, left just a pure hydrogen gas. Coal Coal (IPA: ) is a fossil fuel extracted from the ground by coal mining, either underground mining or open-pit mining (surface mining). ... Carbon monoxide, with the chemical formula CO, is a colourless, odourless, and tasteless gas. ... It has been suggested that this article or section be merged with steam. ...

The process spurred on the industry of gas manufacturing, and gasification plants were established quickly along the Eastern seaboard of the United States. Similar processes, like the Haber Process, led to the manufacture of ammonia (NH₃) by the combining of nitrogen, found in air, with high volumes of hydrogen. This spurred on the refrigeration industry which long used ammonia as its refrigerant. Prof. Lowe also held several patents on artificial ice making machines, and was able to run successful businesses in cold storage as well as products which operated on hydrogen gas. For the water carbonator, see Gasogene. ... The Haber Process (also known as Haber–Bosch process) is the reaction of nitrogen and hydrogen to produce ammonia. ... Ammonia is a compound with the formula NH3. ... General Name, Symbol, Number nitrogen, N, 7 Chemical series nonmetals Group, Period, Block 15, 2, p Appearance colorless gas Atomic mass 14. ... Layers of Atmosphere (NOAA) Air redirects here. ... Refrigeration is the process of removing heat from an enclosed space, or from a substance, and rejecting it elsewhere for the primary purpose of lowering the temperature of the enclosed space or substance and then maintaining that lower temperature. ... A refrigerant is a compound used in a heat cycle that undergoes a phase change from a gas to a liquid and back. ...

UK Usage

It appears that the term Water Gas has different meanings in the USA and the UK. In the UK it means a mixture of carbon monoxide and hydrogen obtained by passing steam over red-hot coke: Carbon monoxide, with the chemical formula CO, is a colourless, odourless, and tasteless gas. ... This article is about the chemistry of hydrogen. ...

C + H₂O → CO + H₂

The reaction is endothermic so the coke must be continually re-heated to keep the reaction going. This was usually done by alternating the steam stream with an air stream. In thermodynamics, the word endothermic describes a process or reaction that absorbs energy in the form of heat. ...

UK water gas had a lower calorific value than coal gas so the calorific value was often boosted by passing the gas through a heated retort into which oil was sprayed. The resulting mixed gas was called carburetted water gas. Heating value (or calorific value) is used to define the amount of heat released during the combustion of a fuel or food. ... Syngas (from synthesis gas) is the name given to gasses of varying composition that are generated in coal gasification and some types of waste-to-energy facilities. ...

These are useful gases but require careful handling because of the risk of Carbon monoxide poisoning. Carbon monoxide poisoning occurs after the inhalation of carbon monoxide gas. ...

See also

• Syngas
• Town gas
• Water gas shift reaction
• Wood gas