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Old 12-02-2009, 02:25 PM   #1
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Hydrogen Fuel Booster?

I ran across these fellows the other day at our local "Earthfest".
http://www.HamptonRoadsHydrogen.com

It looks intriguing, but fragile. Has anyone here used hydrogen to boost their fuel economy? These guys claim a 10% to 60% fuel savings. Seems almost too good to be true. And definitely not something to use in colder climates. Too much risk of freezing.

Just curious what those with more mechanical knowledge thought about this concept.

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Old 12-02-2009, 06:43 PM   #2
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Re: Hydrogen Fuel Booster?

Quote:
Originally Posted by Iceni John
At best, hydrogen is an energy storage medium, not an energy source per se.
What he said.

Since burning pure hydrogen produces only water vapor in the exhaust, it may be useful in a micro-climate where absolute clean is required, but in a macro-economy the energy expended to isolate it, and the diesel to deliver it outweigh the benefit.

(Note to self: Call gas company tomorrow to retrieve hydrogen tanks from "free" fuel cells, and call electrician to reconnect propane generator.)

Edit: I looked at the website, and the "hydrogen generator" he sells has a little thing called "electricity" introduced in the block diagram. He later states this is from "excess electricity" produced by the vehicle's alternator. The alternator produces "excess electricity" by a process known as "burning excess fuel." Some gas mileage freaks go as far as removing their alternators to get better fuel mileage, and only recharging their batteries at home.
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Old 12-02-2009, 11:28 PM   #3
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Re: Hydrogen Fuel Booster?

didnt mythbusters do this one once? haha. its a crock. i wish it werent, but it aret.
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Old 12-03-2009, 07:03 AM   #4
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Re: Hydrogen Fuel Booster?

Awesome responses guys. Thanks for the input.

But, did I read the website wrong? I thought this was supposed to be an "add on" to suppliment and boost the fuel, not replace it. Did I totally misunderstand the writeup?
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Old 12-03-2009, 09:56 AM   #5
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Re: Hydrogen Fuel Booster?

I didnt read the write up but think I know what you are referring to. Apparantly the idea is to lean the motor and use the hydrogen to stop predetonation. Either way it doesnt work. Dont laugh, the company I work for got swindled into installing these stupid things and didnt do their research beforehand. There was a local company selling these things and touting them as an all new idea despite the fact they have been around a long long time. I believe you can debunk these things by searching for browns gas. As far as generating hydrogen and running a vehicle strictly off of the hydrogen can not be done for the reasons said above. That would be pretty much be a perpetual motion machine and defies the law of conservation of energy which cant be done.
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Old 12-04-2009, 08:22 PM   #6
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Re: Hydrogen Fuel Booster?

Quote:
Originally Posted by kamoo
As far as generating hydrogen and running a vehicle strictly off of the hydrogen can not be done for the reasons said above. That would be pretty much be a perpetual motion machine and defies the law of conservation of energy which cant be done.
To be clear, vehicles CAN run on hydrogen alone when it is generated elsewhere and pumped into the vehicle like gasoline, diesel, LPG or CNG. I've seen a demo car fueling at the H2 pump. What they cannot do is generate hydrogen using power from the source they are trying to boost, and return a net gain. You will always use more power generating the hydrogen than it will return when it is burned.

TC, you did read it correctly. It claims to be a "booster," not a sole fuel source.
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Old 12-04-2009, 08:35 PM   #7
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Re: Hydrogen Fuel Booster?

Same goes for acetone as a fuel additive. I experimented with that for a year and found no real difference in fuel mileage. What did work remarkably well on my Jeep, and what will probably work extremely well on a bus at highway speeds, is an air dam that goes almost down to the road. The air dam that I put on my Jeep increased my mileage by 16% to 20%, depending on speed. I tested that over several years, and the results were constant. If I drove at 50 mph in a steady state condition, with the air dam on the front of the car I could routinely get 28 mpg in a 4 cylinder Jeep. At 75 mph I got about 23 mpg. If you have an air dam and get behind the right truck (drafting), you can get even better mileage.

I'd put an air dam on my bus, but it won't go fast enough to make a difference. They are only effective starting at the 45-50 mph range, and my bus only goes 50 on a downhill straightaway.

This discussion is essentially what got me kicked out of Arky's Yahoo group.
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Old 12-04-2009, 09:31 PM   #8
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Re: Hydrogen Fuel Booster?

Quote:
Originally Posted by Eric von Kleist
This discussion is essentially what got me kicked out of Arky's Yahoo group.
I am SO glad you guys are a helpful and relatively sane group, instead of paranoid gutter snipes!

Thanks for being a good bunch of folks!!!
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