Quote:
Originally Posted by bugs  HHO is two atoms of hydrogen and one of oxygen. H2O. Water. The author of that illustration either made a mistake, doesn't know what he's talking about, or is a shyster.
Also, if you're using juice from the battery, it needs to be replaced by engine power. Minus mechanical inefficiencies. Net gain is a loss.
It just doesn't add up.
But from what I've read so far, the algae look really promising. I'm impressed. |
HHO is non-scientific shorthand that's been used a long time to denote water split into it's elements, but it's usually been in the context of a fictitious state of matter called magnegases, which are made of
magnecules. Most of the cars that "run on water!!" are descendants of this original discredited concept. There needs to be a better term for discussing this stuff since the associations are so negative (and rightfully so).
Anyhow, the H2/O2 gas is produced by excess capacity of the alternator, not the battery. The theory is that once you start your car, and after the battery is fully charged (saturated), the alternator will still be producing current. Even if running several electrical loads (A/C, lights, radio), most automotive alternators provide 70-100 amps of power which is plenty to handle them. Roughly 2 amps are required to maintain the proper field current (this is controlled by a voltage regulator). The field current determines the output voltage at the stator, and since we want that to be 12 volts the regulator varies the field current as needed to maintain that number.
Since the H2/O2 generator is claimed to draw only a few amps (1-3), the alternator is well within it's capacity to run your car's electrical system and supply the gas generator. The more current we draw off our alternator, the more the field current needs to be increased, and this results in 'resistance' against turning the alternator. Here the
resistance is physical, not electrical. I built a battery charger using an alternator and an old mountain bike (using a belt around the rear wheel attached to the alternator). I was cranking along happily for awhile, thinking "Wow this is so easy, look how fast I can spin it!" Then I tested the battery and saw no voltage gain at all. I'd forgotten to attach the field current wire, which I mounted to a switch so I could turn it on or off. When I had it all together correctly, I got on and started pedaling. When I had the RPM's fairly high, I flipped the switch and it was suddenly hard to maintain even a quarter of the RPM's I could with the switch off. But I was finally charging my battery!
The above experience is the basis of my questions about this gas generator. As I draw more power from the alternator (even a few amps), an increase in the field current is required, though as we can see this is a very small amount compared to the resultant output (otherwise alternators would not work at all). So if the numbers add up, this gas generator will work in the sense that H2 and O2 will be produced by electrolysis and the car's battery will not be drained in the process (so long as the engine is running).
What is less clear is if the amperage drawn by the jar is sufficient to produce enough gas to make any real difference at all. At 2000 RPM, a 2.5 liter engine sucks in 2500 liters of air/fuel mix every minute. What I would like to know is if it's possible to create enough gas fast enough with this system to make a difference, or maybe if the H2/O2 gas is powerful enough to have a measurable effect at such small ratios.