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Old 07-11-2014, 03:52 PM   #38 (permalink)
some_other_dave
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Quote:
Originally Posted by backpacker3 View Post
...therefore using the HHO gas as a substitute for actual gasoline.
That, in particular, is absolutely a loss in efficiency. You simply cannot produce enough hydrogen gas to substitute for any meaningful amount of fuel using on-board electrolysis. And if you try to even produce nearly enough, you will be loading the electrical system enough that your alternator will take more power and fuel to run than you would be creating.

Nobody even slightly credible will argue that point. (If they want to, they will have to re-write the laws of thermodynamics to do it.)


The argument here is that you can change the combustion (NOT "DETONATION"--the combustion process is controlled while detonation is uncontrolled!) process by adding the right amount of hydrogen and/or oxygen while doing other stuff to the engine, and allow it to make the appropriate amount of power while using less fuel. The chemistry is way over my head, so all I can say on that is that it doesn't sound completely impossible to me. (Which doesn't say that it is possible; I am not even close to knowledgeable about combustion.)


Using hydrogen to replace fuel is a net loss in fuel economy. Using it to modify the combustion process may be a net gain, or may not.

-soD
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