HHO project for high school (vx?)

[Ryland]

Originally Posted by gijoe985

I have mpguino for the civic .

With a MPGuino you should be set! maybe add some more meters on, like an amp meter and volt meter on the battery so you can see all of the electrical energy being used, also of course check the battery voltage before and after the runs to make sure you end up with the same state of charge.

in an ideal world you'd have cruse control as well, so you could set a speed and switch the device on or off to see the real time fuel mileage gauge change, but that is not as easy without cruse control so you will just have to pick a route and a speed and take note of wind and temp.

For a control test you could always run a gas generator with a few 100 watt light bulbs and a measured amount of fuel.

[ChazInMT]

Uh, GI Joe.....My understanding of HHO aside (It's a galactic waste of time), have you considered the liability ramifications of the shop teacher playing with a high electric current device to generate a potentially explosive gas (boom & fire) using ramshackle plumbing, and hardware, in a vehicle that people are going to take to the public roadway in?

Granted, risks can be minimized, but, if things go horribly wrong, how would you explain that to people (administrators & parents) that you were experimenting with a hydrogen generator inside the engine compartment of a car? Is it worth the risk?

Most people are woefully ignorant about aerodynamics, you could do a ton of good there by researching that and applying some modifications to a car to test. Also, driving habits are a huge area for fuel efficiency to be gained, simply teaching your students how to apply the knowledge of a BSFC curve to their daily driving routine could save an honest 10% in fuel economy with ease, whereby an HHO system can't possibly return anything and has the potential to do a lot of damage.

I was raised by parents who are very cautious when it comes to liability issues, I guess it has been rooted in me as well. If I found out my son were taking a class in school in which the teacher wanted to experiment with hydrogen gas in an automobile, I'd pull him from the class toot-sweet and ensure the principal and superintendent knew the potential risks and zero rewards of HHO generators under the hood of a car.

[gijoe985]

Thanks for the thoughts guys. For the carbureted car, we might try the external tank. It'd be easier than draining the regular one. As for the VX, with MPGuino and a vacuum gauge, I think it'd be easy to get an accurate reading. And I think I could get a reading over a much shorter drive.

Old Tele man ...typically, "burnt fingers" teach far more than book-learning "theory."

I could not agree more! For a split second I was trying to figure out where to click "like" on your comment.

Okay how about first trying to quantify the efficiency of the vehicles alternator.

As of right now, I think we'll be doing a hands on experiment. Realistically, if we come back with more/less fuel used, and the battery at full charge, then calculating alternator outputs is a mute point. I understand that in theory it would be important, but in the end, it's about the gas used.

And ChazInMT- I've already got an excited administration behind me. Considering the design of the system we are using and the ultra small amounts of hydrogen needed, (Only .5lpm for the vx) I don't think we'll have any safety problems. Testing would be after school with me driving anyway. But thanks for your concerns, I'll make sure parents are aware if their kids will be participating.

[bryn]

i would think a better test could be done without any vehicle.

a lawnmower motor driving an alternator. a few headlights for load and a very small battery.
the kids could actually do some hands on tests, connect and disconnect things in real time. measure currant and flow watch the bubbles. fill up some balloons to light with a candle on a stick.

it could be lots of fun and you might get some results that would save some time and plumbing parts from your honda.

[gone-ot]

Originally Posted by gijoe985

I could not agree more! For a split second I was trying to figure out where to click "like" on your comment. administration behind me.

Ex-adjunct college ('74-'81) instructor here..."Electronic Ignition Systems."

[ChazInMT]

GiJoe,
Thanks, I see you're talking hydrogen addition from a tank, that is vastly different than a bubbling, burbling tank of water short circuited to the electric system. Hope you and your charge's get some interesting results.
Charlie

[ConnClark]

Originally Posted by gijoe985

As of right now, I think we'll be doing a hands on experiment. Realistically, if we come back with more/less fuel used, and the battery at full charge, then calculating alternator outputs is a mute point. I understand that in theory it would be important, but in the end, it's about the gas used.

When you look at how little hydrogen you will produce to compared to what it takes to run an engine you will find your going to be in the margin of error. One stoplight or waiting for traffic will through the whole experiment's results out the window.

And ChazInMT- I've already got an excited administration behind me. Considering the design of the system we are using and the ultra small amounts of hydrogen needed, (Only .5lpm for the vx) I don't think we'll have any safety problems. Testing would be after school with me driving anyway. But thanks for your concerns, I'll make sure parents are aware if their kids will be participating.

I'd be more concerned about some parent griping about indoctrinating kids into believing in something that was taken off the market by the FTC for fraud.

[gijoe985]

ConnClark- We'll have to swing by and see you if it works. It's Grandview High School...

And hopefully with MPGuino we can have some instant results...