Hydrogen Fuel Cells - How It Works by Jon G. Michel

Hydrogen Fuel Cells - How It Works by Jon G. Michel
Alternative energy article

Converting your car to run on water is a technology based on splitting water on board a vehicle, and using the resulting gases not to drive the vehicle, but rather to boost the efficiency of its combustion. It is a do-it-yourself technology, specifically designed for beginners with no special tools and very limited budgets.

A working system can be built at home with basic hand tools for $20-$100, installed in minutes and removed in seconds. No modifications to the engine, computer or fuel injection systems is needed, so any backyard mechanic can install it easily.

The technology is age old... over 91 years, and all that's been done since then, is raise it from the dead and develop a simple structure based on low cost hardware. Basically, the hardware consists of an electrolyzer, bubbler and water reservoir which have all been combined into one super-simple device.

Another advantage is the employment of coiled/spiraled electrode wires - rather than flat plates or spiraled plates. The magnetic vortex created by the coil assists water splitting, so you don't need as much power from the car's electrical system, thus simplifying the system even further and lowering its cost.

Three major factors work together to cause water splitting; direct current flowing through the electrode wires to the water, the magnetic vortex created by the shape of the electrodes, and the vacuum provided by the engine itself.

The effects of this technology is lowered emissions and improved mileage, simply due to a more complete combustion. Today's internal combustion engines suffer from poor efficiency of 20%-25%, as any mechanic will tell you; 75%-80% of the gasoline, instead of being converted to forward motion, is instead converted to pollution and carbon deposits (unburned fuel), as well as heat (global warming), vibration and noise (knocking/pinging).

The main problem is oversized fuel droplets in the mixture . The hydrogen, being such a small particle, hits a droplet, cuts it into smaller droplets and attaches itself to the smaller droplets. Now the finer, hydrogen-enhanced mixture, is capable of burning more thoroughly. That basically explains hydrogen fuel cells and how they work.

On top of improved performance, the engine steam-cleans itself every day, and the resulting effect is smoother and quieter operation.
This technology is not capable of running a car on water alone. The aim is not to replace gasoline but to enhance it, and open the door and the mind to the possibilities of water to fuel technology. With correct fine tuning you can double the mileage, rendering a new energy balance... half gasoline, half water.

Very little water is used, in an economy car it's around 2700 miles per gallon of distilled water, together with 4-6 teaspoons of household baking soda as catalyst. Tests have demonstrated many times that the fuel consumption of a 4-stroke generator can also be cut in half with this technology.

Not all cars, loads and driving conditions will gain the same, obviously. For ethical reasons one would not build up expectations for more than 10%-50% improvement in fuel economy, however there are daily success stories from experimenters who are seeing gains of 80%-100% in various vehicles. For some, significant economy gains inflict a revelation that something can be done about it, while for others it's a life changing factor.

There are books that teach everything about the technology and how to manufacture it. Like in the Golden Age of Greece, we're in a period where one has to take advantage of this technology... before there's very little government and corporate america interference. Actually, from what I've heard, government is already making use of this technology in their army hummers. Plus their are contracts on the tables waiting to be signed from the big car manufacturers (hint).
All in all, with today's high prices in gas, this technology has become a buzzword for practicality and affordability. Now something can be done about gas prices, pollution and global warming... all three in one.

At the time of this writing the technology is only for gasoline and diesel cars and trucks. However many experimenters are working on adaptations to propane/LPG/CNG propelled vehicles, as well as boats and other applications such as stationary generators, lawnmowers etc.


About the Author
JG Michel webmaster and publisher, often writes about topics that improves people's lives, such as in this topic. Visit this site for more information on "how to convert your car to run on water"

Alternative energy article