Readily Available Hydrogen Boosts Power, (Sometimes) Helps Save on Fuel!
A WHAT?I heard about 'em, did some research on 'em, and I decided to get one.
I do a lot of driving, and the benefits of getting one sounded attractive. A few days and a few dollars later, I was the proud recipient of a cardboard box with the product: a hydrogen gas generator.
See the pictures I have provided (here and here). As a plus, this baby produces pure oxygen gas also.
WHAT IS IT FOR?
Most cars work by burning a liquid fuel with oxygen. Fuel is squirted into a chamber with air, it evaporates into a gaseous mixture, it lights, the burning gases expand, which in turn produces motive power. Your car begins to move.
Problem: the fuel that makes all this happen is getting too dang expensive!
With these rising costs of gasoline and diesel fuel, I decided to try using hydrogen as a means of alternative power for my car. With a hydrogen generator, the idea is to replace some of the gasoline with hydrogen. Gaseous hydrogen burns readily and produces loads of power. The idea is that the extra boost (not replacement) in gasoline power from the hydrogen would cause a gasoline-burning engine to back off on using so much gasoline. This in turn should result in less gas being burned.
Less gas burned means cost savings on the fuel bills, eh? That's the idea. K?
HOW DOES IT WORK?
Just like the technology I wrote about in my solar tower article, a lot of this "new" technology is actually old hat.
The hydrogen generator I bought works on an ages-old process called electrolysis.
Without getting too fancy on technical terms, electrolysis is the conversion of water into its constituent components: pure hydrogen and oxygen. This is done by sending electricity through specially designed pieces of metal suspended in water. The "tension" caused by the electricity causes the water molecules to shear apart, and this results in the production of pure oxygen and hydrogen gas bubbles. In the hydrogen generator I have, these gas bubbles rise into a collection chamber. From there the gases travel through a tube that goes to where my car sucks up air before sending it into the engine.
Published by John Melendez - Featured Technology Contributor
Before starting a career as a writer, John Melendez acquired international business experience working in mainland China for A/S Det Østasiatiske Kompagni (EAC), a Danish trade company with offices worl... View profile
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- Running a "rich mixture" (heavy-on-fuel) cools the engine and uses more fuel.
- Running a "lean mixture" (light-on-fuel) uses less fuel but makes the engine run hot.
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