Has anybody out there tried this idea of splitting water into its component parts by using a Hydrogen Generator to produce Hydrogen which is then fed into your engine to increase power and reduce m.p.g and emissions.
I knoe running your moter on water sounds daft but a team from kent University is offering a system and I wondered if anyone had tried it.
Cheers
i made one of these about 8 or 9 years ago and put it on a 7.5 tonner. we saved 30% on fuel. the truck went like a rocket.
be carefull as water can get sucked into the air intake so stick a breather pipe on the genny.
On paper this looks good and the claims could be substantiated, but, insurance companies seem to put up a brick wall as soon as Hydrogen is mentioned, even though mixture of Hydrogen/Oxygen (where the danger lies) only takes place in the cylinders (which is where you want the bang). There is no storage of the gases other than whats in the connecting pipes and in the ‘generator’ itself. IMO it’s safer and more convenient than an LPG conversion, although you do have to run it with diesel, or convert to stainless valves, harder valve seats etc etc. If there was a W a n k e l (rotary) engine for a truck then that’d be a different matter.
Edit: auto censor thinks a rotary engine is rude.
Thanks for your input fella`s I will investigate further.
What’s the theory behind this?
Surely you have to put energy in to split the water into hydrogen and oxygen in the first place - and you are …um… unlikely to get more energy out than you put in, when the elements recombine…
Zetorpilot:
What’s the theory behind this?Surely you have to put energy in to split the water into hydrogen and oxygen in the first place - and you are …um… unlikely to get more energy out than you put in, when the elements recombine…
The energy required comes from your batteries. Your alernator is turning all the time so it makes sense to use it.
I’ts supposed to be in addition to diesel. Not a replacement.
If you tried to make hydrogen by using a generator then your right, It would require more energy to make it than you get out of it.
limeyphil:
Zetorpilot:
What’s the theory behind this?Surely you have to put energy in to split the water into hydrogen and oxygen in the first place - and you are …um… unlikely to get more energy out than you put in, when the elements recombine…
The energy required comes from your batteries. Your alernator is turning all the time so it makes sense to use it.
I’ts supposed to be in addition to diesel. Not a replacement.
If you tried to make hydrogen by using a generator then your right, It would require more energy to make it than you get out of it.
Using current from the alternator loads the engine more though doesn’t it? After all, the power in the batteries has got to come from somewhere - it comes from the alternator, which is turned by the engine, which is powered by the exploding fuel/air mixture in the cylinders, ie diesel.
I have a friend who used to race road going minis. He would remove the alternator belt for races. He got an extra few horsepower that way, and there was enough juice in the battery to provide the spark for the duration of a race.
I understand what your saying. But it worked for us on the 7.5 tonner. I would expect the alternator brushes to be change more often. But i think the torque difference between a mini and a truck is so much that an alernator under permanent load wouldn’t make any difference in the truck. But it does when racing a mini when a split second means win or loose.
Have a look here if you want to know about Hdrogen Generators.
Michael074.water4gas.hop.clickbank.net
Information for truckers is found there
limeyphil:
The energy required comes from your batteries. Your alernator is turning all the time so it makes sense to use it.
That only holds valid if you completely ignore the laws of physics. It is not physically possible to create a device that is more than 100% efficient, which is what you and others are trying to describe.
To explain further, it is not possible to use the engine to generate electricity to split water into hydrogen and oxygen which you then burn in the engine and get a bigger power gain than the amount of power needed to generate the electricity in the first place.
Whilst the alternator is turning all the time the amount of power needed to turn it depends on the load on it, if you add more load it’ll take more power to turn it, and the extra power needed will be MORE than the extra power you get from burning the hydrogen and oxygen that you have split.
Paul
repton:
limeyphil:
The energy required comes from your batteries. Your alernator is turning all the time so it makes sense to use it.That only holds valid if you completely ignore the laws of physics. It is not physically possible to create a device that is more than 100% efficient, which is what you and others are trying to describe.
To explain further, it is not possible to use the engine to generate electricity to split water into hydrogen and oxygen which you then burn in the engine and get a bigger power gain than the amount of power needed to generate the electricity in the first place.
Whilst the alternator is turning all the time the amount of power needed to turn it depends on the load on it, if you add more load it’ll take more power to turn it, and the extra power needed will be MORE than the extra power you get from burning the hydrogen and oxygen that you have split.
Paul
I remember that from Tomorrows World when they were demonstrating Kinetic Energy 
Does anyone actually own anything they saw on Tomorrows World.
The only thing I bought was a blow up Maggie Philbin 
Repton.
Have a go at building one. Install it. Suprise yourself.
Like i said earlier, I’ve built and installed one. It works. However i certainly didn’t mention 100% efficiency. The hydrogen simply makes the diesel burn more efficiently. If it was 100% efficient then it would be an alternative to diesel. It gave us a fuel saving of about 30%.
Also if it was 100% efficient. The government would have coppers on the beach to make sure you didn’t nick the saltwater without paying duty on it.
limeyphil:
Repton.Have a go at building one. Install it. Suprise yourself.
Like i said earlier, I’ve built and installed one. It works. However i certainly didn’t mention 100% efficiency. The hydrogen simply makes the diesel burn more efficiently. If it was 100% efficient then it would be an alternative to diesel. It gave us a fuel saving of about 30%.
Also if it was 100% efficient. The government would have coppers on the beach to make sure you didn’t nick the saltwater without paying duty on it.
you should be doing it as a professional lm if you have already done it.
i emailed a few companies in the states about it,to find oput if they have irish or uk agents installing these.#
im off the transport for a while and taxiiing at the moment.
it would make some difference to my fuel bills/
would you like to make a start and have a go at my mondeo.i will bring it up to you.i was in your part of the world last night.
its only an hour away.
limeyphil:
The hydrogen simply makes the diesel burn more efficiently.
OK - now it starts to look interesting!
I checked the first website (the hydrogen boost one) and it seems that actually both the hydrogen and oxygen released from the water are used (I was going to ask if you just released the oxygen back to the atmosphere).
Just making something that electrolyzes water and feeds the gases into the motor’s air inlet shouldn’t be difficult to construct BUT that combination of hydrogen and oxygen in the ratio that you’d get would be a bit, um, explosive… also some form of control system would be required to produce the optimum amount of gas required at any given instant.
On a side note - what happened to the water injection systems popular in the 60’s - designed to improve the expansion ratio of the fuel air mixture (the same principle as an intercooler)? Are systems like this still used?
Greg 50.
I’m trying to get hold of some bits to make these to try on some old DAF’s.
Two of the problems are:
There are companies advertising on the internet selling kits. But i don’t think the kits will last. I’ve only started getting my head into it again recently so until i’ve got it dead right and can offer a realistic guarantee i wouldn’t want to do it commercially.
I’m sure it won’t take me long. Once i’m on a mission that’s it.
keep us posted phil.
i will be your first customer.
i dont mind a bit of spanner work myself.i am ok at mechanics,but this is way over my head.
i wouldnt touch it myself.
I started this discussion I wondered whether anybody was going to bring up the units that are on sale by a company called Oil Drum from Kent who claim to have their kits installed on Dodds and Mike Beer trucks .
Water injection was supposed to work for cooling to ensure a better burn on petrol engines dont know wether it works with diesel but seem to remember Williams F1 using it around Mansell`s time.
A hydrogen fuel cell car that emits only water from its exhaust pipe has started to come off a production line.
The first three Honda FCX Clarity cars were presented to American customers in Japan and about 70 a year will be produced.
Those using the car - likely to include actress Jamie Lee Curtis - will be involved in a three-year lease plan paying around £300 a month, including insurance.
At the heart of the FCX Clarity is a fuel cell stack - a device that uses an electrochemical reaction between hydrogen and oxygen to convert chemical energy into electrical energy to power a motor that drives the car’s wheels.
Honda’s FC stack simultaneously generates electricity and water, emitting no carbon dioxide or other harmful emissions.
“The arrival of the first hydrogen fuel cell car is particularly significant during this time of rapidly increasing oil prices,” said John Kingston, environment manager for Honda (UK).
“Honda is proud to offer an alternative energy solution that could reduce our dependence on fossil fuels and the effect of motoring on climate change.”
this is a clip from the virgin media home page.
coincidental to this topic.
On a side note - what happened to the water injection systems popular in the 60’s - designed to improve the expansion ratio of the fuel air mixture (the same principle as an intercooler)? Are systems like this still used?
alive & well. Very much used in the sport of Tractor Pulling.