Quote:
Originally Posted by ITGuy
The alternator spins all the time when the engine is running ... whether at 0% duty cycle or 100% duty cycle ... the charge controller determines whether charging happens or not. An alternator spinning at less 100% duty cycle is wasting fossil fuel energy. This explains why efficient HHO boosters installed on my car, two family members and an office mate noticed extra power.
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Spins, yes. But you are aware that it is much much more difficult to spin an alt that is actively charging, right? An alt that is providing no power is pretty much just another pulley the belt goes around. There's some parasitic loss, but not a lot.
For your acquaintances to notice extra power does not speak to fuel efficiency at all. I don't remember where I read it, but as I understand it the electrolysis of water into HHO is really not very efficient at all, highest number I recall associated with it being 70% efficient. Considering a good charging system will get as much as 90% of its electricity into the battery, and then get 90% back out again, your fuel burn for HHO vs. fuel burn for an equivalent value of amp-hrs in the battery is a net loss.
Does the HHO system make your car feel more powerful? That's difficult to determine. You're using a seat of the pants testing method, and any psychologist will tell you that expected results will be favored in a subjective test. Get the people out of the car and put it on a dyno. It may actually be delivering more power. But the question is whether it's actually doing that while using the same amount or less fuel, and that I sincerely doubt. It would require a violation of physics, and I don't think you have the proper permits for that.