Comments on: Building Oxy Hydrogen Generators Using Fruit Canning Jars

By: Ray

Ray — Wed, 28 Jan 2009 15:50:23 +0000

9.5) Why are hydrogen-powered cars not available?
The Hindenburg.

The technology to operate IC engines on hydrogen has been investigated in depth since before the turn of the century. One attraction was to use the hydrogen in airships to fuel the engines instead of venting it. Hydrogen has a very high flame speed ( 3.24 – 4.40 m/s ), wide flammability limits ( 4.0 – 75 vol% ), low ignition energy ( 0.017 mJ ), high autoignition temperature ( 520C ), and flame temperature of 2050 C. Hydrogen has a very high specific energy ( 120.0 MJ/kg ), making it very desirable as a transportation fuel. The problem has been to develop a storage system that will pass all safety concerns, and yet still be light enough for automotive use. Although hydrogen can be mixed with oxygen and combusted more efficiently, most proposals use air [114,119,121-124].

Unfortunately the flame temperature is sufficiently high to dissociate atmospheric nitrogen and form undesirable NOx emissions. The high flame speeds mean that ignition timing is at TDC, except when running lean, when the ignition timing is advanced 10 degrees. The high flame speed, coupled with a very small quenching distance mean that the flame can sneak past inlet narrow inlet valve openings and cause backflash. This can be mitigated by the induction of fine mist of water, which also has the benefit of increasing thermal efficiency ( although the water lowers the combustion temperature, the phase change creases voluminous gases that increase pressure ) and reducing NOx [124]. An alternative technique is to use direct cylinder induction, which injects hydrogen once the cylinder has filled with an air charge, and because the volume required is so large, modern engines have two inlet valves, one for hydrogen and one for air [124]. The advantage of a wide range of mixture strengths and high thermal efficiencies are matched by the disadvantages of pre-ignition and knock unless weak mixtures, clean engines, and cool operation are used.

Interested readers are referred to the group sci.energy.hydrogen and the ” Hydrogen Energy” monograph in the Kirk Othmer Encyclopedia of Chemical Technology [124], for recent information about this fuel.

By: Ray

Ray — Mon, 12 Jan 2009 22:24:14 +0000

Hydrogen Use In Internal Combustion Engines

http://www1.eere.energy.gov/hydrogenandfuelcells/tech_validation/pdfs/fcm03r0.pdf

By: Ray

Ray — Tue, 06 Jan 2009 17:34:03 +0000

Here’s an interesting forum site for building a graphite plate generator:

http://forum.beawindhog.com/cgi-bin/forum/Blah.pl?m-1218515372/s-0/

By: Ray

Ray — Mon, 05 Jan 2009 14:45:05 +0000

Using a braided battery ground cable or the equivalent, connect the cold side of the thermoelectric module to the metal body of the vehicle. This will make the metal body a cold side heat sink. Lighter colors or reflective coatings will make the vehicle body colder.

By: Ray

Ray — Fri, 26 Dec 2008 15:22:11 +0000

These cells, electrolytic capacitors, ultra capacitors and wet cell batteries are all closely related in design.

By: Ray

Ray — Thu, 25 Dec 2008 14:08:36 +0000

Larger electrode surface area will produce more gas. Use woven plastic fabric, coated with graphite, for your electrodes and woven plastic fabric as insulators. The insulating fabric needs to be wider than the electrodes. Wind in a roll and secure using plastic cable ties. Plastic landscape fabric works.

By: Ray

Ray — Wed, 24 Dec 2008 11:21:31 +0000

If you only want to use the hydrogen, only one clear plastic tube is needed. Coat both surfaces, inside and outside, with graphite paint. Graphite glue your negative wire to the inside surface and graphite glue your positive wire to the outside surface. The gas inside the tube will only be hydrogen. To get the largest electrode surface area, wind the tube as a linear coil inside your electrolyte container. The oxygen must then have a way to escape to the air.

By: Ray

Ray — Sun, 21 Dec 2008 17:43:11 +0000

Here’s a quote form Wikipedia “When palladium is at room temperature and atmospheric pressure, it can absorb up to 900 times its own volume of hydrogen, which makes palladium an efficient and safe storage medium for hydrogen and hydrogen isotopes.” Experiment using palladium nanopowder.

By: Ray

Ray — Sat, 20 Dec 2008 03:14:12 +0000

A safer cell can be made by separating the hydrogen and the oxygen gas. This can be easily done by using two clear flexible tubes, about one inch in diameter. Coat the insides of the tubes with graphite paint, the same distance as the depth of your electrolyte. Run 12 gauge insulated wires through the tubes, strip the ends of insulation and graphite glue the stripped wires to the graphite coated inside surface. A properly coated tube should be completely black. Using plastic tape, tape the tubes together at the electrolyte end. The tubes can even be flattened some. Insert the tubes in an electrolyte and apply voltage. The negative tube will be hydrogen and the positive tube will be oxygen. Either both tubes can be combined at the point of use by using a “T” fitting or just the hydrogen tube can be used with the oxygen tube possibly routed to the passenger compartment to augment the air.

By: Ray

Ray — Mon, 15 Dec 2008 20:34:45 +0000

Here’s a versatile worm drive clamp:

http://www.breezeclamps.com/makeaclamp.htm