Car + Hydrogen = Better Mileage? We're not quite ready to drop the cash on one of those under hood mileage boosters being sold all over the web.. but using water electrolysis to produce Hydrogen sounded like a good first step!
Hydrogen + Car = Better Mileage?
Back in Episode 29 we pointed out that -a lot- of Systm viewers are majorly curious about the under-hood kits that feed Hydrogen and Oxygen into your intake... and claim they can boost your mileage 25-50%.
We've seen 'em for sale on eBay, and Craigstlist, and all over the Net.
Typically, they cost close to a grand... so, of course, you want -us- to buy one (or build one) and install it on our car to see what happens.
OK.
First off, let's say that the theory is sound on some level: diesel engines are commonly paired with Propane injection to improve overall mileage. (Side note: Hydrogen, per volume, has a -lot- less energy than Propane or LG, or Gasoline, or Diesel.)
We decided to start this one slow... by playing around with water electrolysis and seeing how much Hydrogen we can generate with our car battery and bits and pieces culled from local hardware stores; pretty much what we're seeing in these $600-$1000 kits.
We definitely made a tiny bit of Hydrogen... but not nearly enough, we think, to much impact your mileage.
Part of that might be that our electrode design sucked: it needs a major increase in surface area... we were too concerned with not contaminating things (ala the Platinum electrodes in a Hofman voltameter) and graphite is a good third after Platinum and Gold there. We should have gone with lots of stainless steel.
We also should have captured both the Hydrogen and the Oxygen generated by the electrolysis... depending on where you're looking, it's called OxyHydrogen, or Brown's Gas, or Hydrox, or, Hydrogan and Oxygen.
Still, tho, we're not convinced you can produce enough Oxygen and Hydrogen to impact your mileage... we'll tweak our design, and finish up picking one of the under-hood kits and see if what happens to our test vehicle.
Should be fun!
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Posted by highlanderjames on 03/30/2008 at 01:03:33 am in Systm
i wonder,gas + propane in a car.
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Posted by Hklax on 03/27/2008 at 03:00:58 am in Systm
"Just watch the video and read the schematic, but please don't read the website it is gawd awful. Filled with nonsense and conspiracy theories, but the pdf is pretty well written with no political agenda."
Weird how people with great ideas and proven inventions mysteriously die, and is ridiculed by people that haven't even looked into the technology, and just accept what their "experts" often say, the same experts which were taught to think within a box, of course they say things outside the box they think within is impossible. A good example of this is the scholars that still meant that the earth was the center of the solar system, even though there was good evidence that it wasn't. I find it odd that rational people who draw conclusions using the famous sherlock holmes' techniques are called conspiracy theorists while people that blindly believe that there is a man floating in the sky are sane people.
"it would be better to pick up a hydrogen tank and use that instead of trying to make it on the go. think of it more like buying a nos system and just leaking it in to the motor then filling up the tank when its empty"
No, In fact it wouldn't. A Hydrogen-tank is pricey, Hydrogen is by today's default expensive to produce. Meyer's invention creates Hydrogen On the go, cheaply.
"Let's see you get the currant from the battery it comes from the alternator which gets its power from the motor changing the gas to motion. Closed loop, all energy comes from gasoline, back to:Energy cannot be created nor can it be destroyed."
No, It cannot, no-one said it could, the thing is... the "over-unity" energy isn't created, we just aren't so sure where it comes from. Which makes the inventions "dodgy" as no-one would like to use something that might use energy coming from someone's ass. :P
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Posted by ymmatt on 02/03/2008 at 08:44:31 am in Systm
Ok, not sure if this is the venue to keep asking, but I really want to see what you guys do with this. Are you still planning on doing a second episode?
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Posted by ymmatt on 01/17/2008 at 11:26:55 am in Systm
After even more research I've learned that Better World Technologies is behind a lot of the "Hydro Booster" stuff that is out there. If you do even a modest search on this company you will see a long list of scams that have taken advantage of loads of people. Their newest 'invention' is the PICC, it would be great to see this thing work, but their track record isn't good.
I am still very curious to see whether the technology will work or not, and hope that Systm will test it to prove whether or not it will work. However, I strongly suggest that you research which company supplies the one that you purchase and not to support this company.
I may be wrong, and the government may be trying to cover up everything good that Better World Technologies are trying to do, and their claims that God is behind them may really be true, but I have my doubts.
I would love to be proved wrong, but I have my doubts.
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Posted by ymmatt on 01/14/2008 at 10:40:51 am in Systm
It seems that people need to pay a little better attention, or do some more research. (Systm told you this in the video)
The gains aren't solely in the combustion properties of Hydrogen, no one is claiming to make more energy out of less, they are in how much gasoline is combusted.
I don't need to go into the details as you can do the research, but the gains are that more of the gasoline that you dump into the cylinder is burned. This means that you can Run on a leaner gas-air mixture, which is where you get the real MPG gains.
Instead of sending the un-burnt gasoline out the tailpipe you are converting it into energy to run your vehicle, and turn that alternator.
I for one am very excited to see them spend the money, I really want to know if this works and am chomping at the bit for the next episode!
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Posted by Hklax on 01/14/2008 at 12:32:47 am in Systm
No-one said you converted gasoline into hydrogen, you convert water into hydrogen and feed this hydrogen into the engine, this burns and creates steam, the power is drawn from the battery which is charged by the alternator, which is driven by the explosions of hydrogen and oxygen.
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Posted by Mr. T. The other one on 01/13/2008 at 12:08:19 pm in Systm
I think I've heard all this hydrogen stuff 40-45 years ago and if I recall my physics and chemistry somewhere around my AS and BS degrees. Energy cannot be created nor can it be destroyed....
So if you bare with me a moment.
Let's see you get the currant from the battery it comes from the alternator which gets its power from the motor changing the gas to motion. Closed loop, all energy comes from gasoline, back to:Energy cannot be created nor can it be destroyed.
Ergo, you cannot convert gasoline to Hydrogen and then improve gas mileage, unless you use dilithium crystals.
T
PS: Patrick can correct my grammar any time.:D
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Posted by Nerdtek on 01/10/2008 at 07:35:08 pm in Systm
Since this was a hack, as Patrick mentioned of course not much gas was produced. The key is using compartmentalized cells and using both the oxygen and the hydrogen produced in the correct ratios (that is 2 parts hydrogen and 1 parts oxygen) Electrolysis produces the correct ratio. This is known as a stoichiometric mixture because the amounts are in proportion to their chemical formula. The resulting gas is called oxyhydrogen
Because the amount of current is constant in the case of a vehicle the only way that more gas can be produced per minute is by increasing the surface area of the electrodes (anode and cathode) So by using multiple electrodes one can increase the surface area and produce both oxygen and hydrogen. Simply allowing the gases to mix and then feeding the gas into the fuel injector/carborator.
I would be curious as to how much gas could be produced with larger electrode surface areas.
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Posted by nextgenxbox on 01/09/2008 at 12:46:27 am in Systm
Great episode. I like how the episode was shot handheld instead of with the tripod. The handheld looks gives it a more personal, interactive type feel. I'm diggin' it. Good job Roger!
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Posted by gotspeed on 01/08/2008 at 07:37:15 pm in Systm
"
gotspeed: They said that they made this show to show how "Normal" electrolysis is done, they also specified that this way of making hydrogen and oxygen could be used, and also they encuraged the users on the forums to help them look for alternative ways of making hydrogen and oxygen out of water..."
but to make it well your on the move driving your gas mileage will go down b/c of the heavy load on the alternator thats all im saying.
its the same thing when u jump a car the good car has to have the rpm a little higher so the alternator can make as much power as it can
a alternator doesnt give u free power it turns hp (gas) in to electricity. a pully kit all it does it turn the alternator slower it makes the power it needs but when your driving around its making the power from the rpm's and not the load like a stock pully.
it would be better to pick up a hydrogen tank and use that instead of trying to make it on the go. think of it more like buying a nos system and just leaking it in to the motor then filling up the tank when its empty
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