|
Hi all. I thought I'd try to resurrect a mythical unicorn.
Anyhow, although I do believe the HHO/Brown's gas concept of putting an electrolisis device on a vehicle ran by the alternator has always been a joke, I did think of one area where it possibly could improve efficiency. Of course someone would have to test it to find out if it's true or not.
My theory is this.
As I'm driving along in my 1985 VW diesel getting 50mph or better I realize that diesel engines get better fuel efficiency because of 1) the higher compression ratio and 2) lack of pumping losses through a partially closed throttle.
So when applying the number 2 principle to a gasoline powered engine we know that a gasoline won't run if it's too lean, which is why there's a throttle valve to limit air. If you could ignite the gasoline at any air/fuel ratio then the throttle valve could be eliminated and throttling would be regulated by means of changing the air/fuel ratio like in a diesel engine.
Well there are engines that can run on leaner air/fuel ratios, like the Hondas that run on a stratified charge. Also running a stronger induction ignition system along with bigger sparkplug gaps also helps in any car. Engine quench may help too.
BUT, what about adding another gas to help start and spread the combustion throughout the combustion chamber. Apparently hydrogen has great properties for this. 1) It ignites very easily, 2) it mixes with air very well and 3) it can burn at very low air/fuel ratios.
So the experiment would be to add a tank with water, electrodes, electrolytes and such to produce hydrogen and oxygen through electrolysis in order aid combustion in order to run an ajustable air/fuel ratio carburetor so that very lean, low power air/fuel ratios can be attained and the throttle, for the most part, be left wide open.
There are a few technical difficulties. Although at very lean air/fuel ratios the combustion temps should be low enough to avoid problems, as air/fuel ratios increase close to stoichiometric they can cause the engine to detonate. So there needs to be a way to go from super lean, to rich, with no in-between. Or simply keep air/fuel ratios extremely lean and add acceleration through something like an electric hybrid system.
There's also the question on how this would affect timing. Timing would need to be controlled by some other means than the normal intake manifold pressure sensing that is normally used. It would likely need to advance as the air/fuel ratio gets leaner.
Well, this was just an idea that passed through my head. No idea if it would work or not.
|