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Why helium gas is used in balloons and air ships instead of hydrogen?
Wiki User
∙ 6y ago
Hydrogen combines with oxygen with explosive force in the presence of a spark. Helium is an inert gas that will not burn or explode, so is much safer to use in balloons and air ships instead of hydrogen.
The Hindenburg incident is a good example of why not to use hydrogen in a balloon. In the related links box below I posted an article on it.
Helium is more chemically stable than hydrogen and will not burn.
study island cheaters.
Hydrogen burns very easily and helium doesn't. Because hydrogen is extremely flammable or explosive, it is extremely dangerous to use it in this application. That's why we see helium, and inert gas, used in these lighter than air craft.
Because hydrogen is flamable and helium isnt. The airships need a fuel that isnt flamable because if there is a fire, the fuel with explode and cause a huge explosion that will put many peoples safety at risk. Therefore, the clearly safer option is helium
Hydrogen is highly combustible and is more reactive compared to helium, as helium is an inert gas.
I prefer hydrogen, it is cheaper and reactive. However Helium is often used because it is inert and doesn't burn.
Wiki User
∙ 6y ago
Wiki User
∙ 14y agoHydrogen is highly flammable. It is extremely dangerous and can cause fires and explosions from static electricity, sparks, lightning, etc. Hydrogen is more easily gathered and stored; it is cheaper; and it has greater lifting capacity. All of these advantages are negated by the danger of fire.
Wiki User
∙ 13y agoHydrogen is much more likely to ignite and cause a massive fire than helium (see Hindenburg disaster). Because Helium is much more stable than Hydrogen is is used in airships because it is a lot safer.
Wiki User
∙ 12y agoAlthough both Helium and Hydrogen are BOTH lighter than air, Hydrogen is extremely flammable, and Helium is a Noble Gas; meaning it has a full valence shell of electron making it a very stable element. Helium rarely reacts. For an example of why ballons do not contain hydrogen gas, take look at the Hindenburg Disaster of 1937.
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Helium is used to fill airships and balloons because?
So the blimp will stay aloft/still adn will float.
What chemical property of helium makes it a better choice than hydrogen for use in airships?
It's very light (only hydrogen gas is less dense than helium), it's relatively cheap, and (most importantly) it's not flammable (hydrogen gas is--the Hindenburg was filled with hydrogen gas).
What is a historical use of oxygen?
It is used in lighter than air ships, fuel cells, fuel when used with an oxidizer, and as an ingredient of fertilizer. Hydrogen gas was used as a gas that is lighter than air. The famous Hindenburg zeppelin was filled with hydrogen gas to keep it aloft, and met with disastrous consequences when the gas exploded. See the link listed to the left of this answer for more about the Hindenburg. Now most blimps are filled with helium instead, which is also lighter than air, but is not flammable. When hydrogen gas is burned, it forms pure water: 2H2 + O2 --> 2H2O It could have also been burned as a source of heat, but this did not happen on a large scale as coal, wood, oil, natural gas, and other materials also burn well and are much more readily obtainable. Hydrogen gas is not found naturally on Earth in any significant quantity. Water has 2 atoms of Hydrogen in every molecule so there is a huge amount available. Unfortunately, right now, it is not economical to retrieve it from water. More recently, we have discovered how to use hydrogen gas in a fuel cell to produce electricity. Here, H2 is combined with oxygen to produce electricity and water.
What can ships do to prevent global warming?
Yes, cruise ships contribute to global warming. Any transport that uses fossil fuels for power (coal, oil or natural gas) releases carbon emissions into the atmosphere. Cruise ships' engines are usually powered by diesel oil, a fossil fuel.
What are the determining factors in a ships seaworthiness?
stability
Is helium only used in balloons and air ships?
Helium is the most used gas for balloons; sometimes hot air and rarely hydrogen.
What gas is used in balloons and air ships?
Helium
Which gas can be used in air ships and weather balloons?
helium
What are helium's practical uses?
Helium is lighter than air. So balloons or air ships filled with helium will float.
The early dirigibles air ships such as the Hindenberg were filled with hydrogen but this was later changed to helium Why were they originally filled with hydrogen and why was the change made?
Hydrogen was a highly flammable gas but as they became aware of it they filled the dirigibles with helium instead, which is a non-flammable gas.
Helium is used to fill airships and balloons because?
So the blimp will stay aloft/still adn will float.
What chemical property of helium makes it a better choice than hydrogen for use in airships?
It's very light (only hydrogen gas is less dense than helium), it's relatively cheap, and (most importantly) it's not flammable (hydrogen gas is--the Hindenburg was filled with hydrogen gas).
How balloons and blimps are able to fly in oceans of air?
Balloons float because of the same principal as how ships float: bouyancy. A ship displaces a volume of water. If the ship's weight is less than the volume of water that it displaces, then it will float. Same is true for a balloon. It displaces a volume of air. If the Hydrogen or Helium in the balloon weighs less than the volume of air it displaces, then it will rise.
What gas was used to fill the first air ships?
Hydrogen was first used but was generally replaced with helium because of it's flammability.
Is there helium on ships?
no
Where do meteorologists collect weather data?
From balloons, satellites, ships, and weather stations.
Why do air ships use helium?
Because of its light weight
