I know theres a few around here. might as well construct one for the hell of it..

quite possibly have the diesel down pat (almost). now its gas' turn.

7/14/2008 12:46:45 AM

Been thinking seriously about trying it. I have access to a little bit of stainless steel for the plates.

You know, just for the hell of it.

7/14/2008 8:32:09 AM

we're in the same boat (thinking wise).

been talkin with a few parties about getting one up and running. apparently its really easy, which it sounds.. but some say the costs are high, other say under $100.

i might just buy a hydrogen tank

7/14/2008 8:44:27 AM

I think it can be done for under a hundred bux.

I can get good plates for under 30 dolla for the number I'd need to do a Smack or something like it.

7/14/2008 8:48:44 AM

I vaguely recollect from 412 that water injection doesnt live up to the hype. But that was 7 years ago. Damn i am getting old.

7/14/2008 10:12:15 AM

well ive got the basics down. seems like it can be done for fairly cheap.

they sell books on how to make one for like $50.

ive got a friend with the book. but he said it will be a few hundred $.

7/14/2008 10:22:21 AM

Quote :

"I vaguely recollect from 412 that water injection doesnt live up to the hype. But that was 7 years ago. Damn i am getting old."

Not water injection. hydroxy gas (Brown's gas).

Lots of internet hype on this one. It really sounds kinda fishy, but you know...just for the hell of it, I'd like to try building a hydroxy gas generator.

Working on a homebrew water injection setup already. Just for the hell of it...it's not costing me much to do.

7/14/2008 11:00:24 AM

yeah, this is one thing that kinda makes sense. haha.

its no intake supercharger spiral hype tho.

7/14/2008 11:55:08 AM

i would love for you to tell me how this makes sense

7/14/2008 12:19:34 PM

well my dear watson, i cant get scientific, although i should be able to.. haha

i mean, the process seems fairly simple to setup (although i dont know the details), pretty much put an electrode into water to charge it, separate the 2 H molecules from the O, which get injected into the intake mani which binds with gasoline and helps it burn more efficient.

easier said than done. you cant really find detail instructions without buying something, but from what i remember during chemistry years, shouldnt be too hard to put a coil into water and hood a batt'ry up to it, attach a hose to your intake and lets roll. hahaha

but im no fysisit, or kemist.

i mean, its like building a motor from the ground up. i guess

[Edited on July 14, 2008 at 12:34 PM. Reason : ]

7/14/2008 12:33:22 PM

just make sure you dont use stainless in your little set up. Somewhere along in the process you end up with heavy metals, cant remember if its in solution or gas, but I think yall are talking about the same process as when you chemically remove rust from old iron.

7/14/2008 12:46:14 PM

Most of the forums recommend using stainless, specifically 316L because of its intergranular corrosion resistance. My guess is that the "heavy metals" you speak of, Ben, are really hexavalent chromium, which is of course a known carcinogen. Not really a heavy metal, but dangerous nonetheless...and it would be found in solution.

There are no other metals in contact with the electrolyte solution, and the solution itself should be comprised of distilled water and either potassium hydroxide or sodium hydroxide (potassium hydroxide preferred). Ionization of either in distilled water (which has by itself almost NO conductivity) allows electrolysis to occur readily without dangerous gaseous byproducts. Standard table salt (NaCl), on the other hand, while providing excellent ionization in the electrolyte solution, results in the production of toxic chlorine gas.


BTW, this is roughly the same procedure as used to electrolytically de-rust steel and iron parts, though you don't use a sacrificial anode, such as iron or conventional carbon steel.

And another BTW...Ben...how the hell are you?
The key is to add enough of the KOH or NaOH to allow and sustain a certain amount of current flow through the electrolyte. Not enough, and electrolysis occurs too slowly. Too much, and much of the current passed through the electrolyte generates excessive heat, which in turn boils off the water in the electrolyte solution and may even create enough heat to damage the (usually) plastic containers that most folks are using.

According to many of the blogs I've read, the design and count of the individual electrolytic "cells" plays a large part in the total production of hydroxy gas and wasted heat energy, as well as the total current draw (which can be fine-tuned by varying electrolyte concentration or by pulse width modulation if so desired).

Interesting stuff...though I am definitely a little skeptical. It really seems difficult to believe that electrolysis can occur at a sufficient rate to bolster combustion by accelerating the propagation of the flame front in the combustion chamber. Evidently, it only takes a small amount to make a noticeable difference. Whether this has to deal with the diffusion rate of molecular hydrogen throughout the mixture, as well as a little extra oxygen, and hydrogen's high combustability...well, I don't know. I do know that hydrogen, either in monatomic or diatomic form, contains less potential energy than a comparable amount of hydrocarbon fuel per unit weight.

I'm no ChemE, so a lot of this stuff is a little beyond my grasp.

[Edited on July 14, 2008 at 2:16 PM. Reason : BTWs]

7/14/2008 2:14:19 PM

Dan, life is interesting as always, when you find the perfect job, see if you can find 2.

Back on topic, i went back and read a little more, yes you are correct on the hexivent chromnium being the chemical i was referring to. Basically the electrolyte you use becomes contaminated, and the h.c. can be readily absorbed through the skin on contact with the solution or inhaled as vapor. The biggest problem assuming you can get around touching the crap is how you responsibly dispose of the little environmental disaster you just created with the stainless. My understanding is that you can get the same effect without the toxicity using graphite instead of ss.

7/14/2008 3:00:20 PM

the hell with 316L, go with hastelloy or titanium

7/14/2008 3:43:05 PM

i can sum all this business up in two words: snake oil.

when either of you get this going, let me know and i'll throw in some $$ towards the financial backing of producing kits and we'll make millions.

7/14/2008 5:30:39 PM

Quote :

"the hell with 316L, go with hastelloy or titanium"

I think we might have some Hastelloy somewhere at work. Not that it's been used in years.

7/14/2008 8:21:11 PM