Problem of Overheating for HHO Generators

We have tested quite a few HHO generators – whether commercial or home-built devices – all have the same big problem: OVERHEATING! Most can reach the boiling point within an hour of operation if the current is 10A or higher.

We have tried adding neutral plates, but it did not work well. At one time, I used seven (yes, 7) neutral plates and still the temperature reached to 80 degrees C in an hour in a cell made from a black PVC pipe. The commercial SL50 device we bought works better as it has a casing made of stainless steel which makes the heat dissipate better than PVC or any other non-metal materials. But still it becomes very hot. The temperature outside the casing is measured around 50 degrees C – we taped the temperature probe to the SS casing – the inside temperature must be at least 60 degrees.

Using square-wave or pulse to power the HHO cell does not work too well because the critical issue is that the cell is enclosed and heat does not get dissipated easily from the cell even though the power cuts by 50% or lower using pulse.

Anyway, after trying many things including testing various commercial devices, we have made one conclusion…

All the enclosed cells where the electrode assembly is submerged in electrolyte – let us call them “wet cells” – have this overheating problem. And the problem can go out of control as higher the temperature is, higher the current will become, which in return will drive temperature even higher. Making the casing with stainless steel can minimize the problem but will not eliminate it completely – and it is just too expensive to make the casing all with stainless steel. What is the solution then?

We find there is only one solution… go DRY CELL!

A dry cell lets electrolyte pass through between adjacent plates and the gases generated cause electrolyte to rise and go to a container which is located higher than the cell. The container has an opening at the bottom to allow the electrolyte to flow back to the cell. As a result, a flow and circulation of electrolyte takes place, which cools off the whole thing to the greatest extent. In our tests of home-built dry cells (one small and one big), the temperature of electrolyte was maintained at around 50 degrees C – this was not the exterior cell temperature, it was the actual temperature of the electrolyte we measured with accuracy. Here is a typical dry cell we built in operation – the cell is installed on our 2006 Dodge Sprinter 2500 cargo van at the back of the passenger seat and the reservoir and bubbler are placed at a higher level between the passenger and driver seats:

Here is another picture we took when we were testing this dry cell system on the bench before we installed it in our Sprinter van:

Right now, we are dealing with the issue of frozen solution in winter when the weather reaches -25 degrees C or lower. We will report if there is any progress.

Update (March 28, 2009): We did some tests with windshield washer fluid and the rubbing alcohol. See the test results posted at the end of this article here: http://autofuelsaving.com/info/frozen-water-issue-in-hho-generators-in-winter/

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