Quote:
Originally Posted by NeilBlanchard
Another point of contention with this is the myth that an alternator always produces a set amount of electricity, and if you don't use it then it just goes to waste. So, the thinking goes, you might as well use it to make hydrogen.
But as we all know, alternators do not always make electricity, and their output varies based on the load - so you cannot get something for nothing.
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And I can show how you can take 144 Watts of power and use the output in something as inefficient as an electrolysis machine to change the combustion mixture to extract more of the energy inherent in the fuel - energy that is largely wasted by all accounts. The energy lost in hydrogen production is miniscule compared to the massive energy lost in waste heat. Capturing or minimizing this lost energy is a goal of many engine researchers. I do not think anyone would argue that this is not a legitimate goal.
Under the right conditions, the small output ( 1 or 2 liters per minute of gas output ) can concentrate the heat release of the fuel resulting in a greater pressure rise across the piston crown over the effective crank angle. If you use simple brake-mean-effective-pressure (BMEP) calculations, you can see that a small 1 or 2% rise in BMEP can yield significant power gains. Gains that are greater than what went into the electrolysis generator.