DIY Hydrogen additive...?

[RustyLugNut]

Originally Posted by cRiPpLe_rOoStEr

Energy can be retained or transformed, not created. And there is some energy dissipation throughout the electrolysis process. You know, for example, a voltaic arc is quite hot, which means it's converting a part of the electric energy into thermal energy that is harder to recover. So, in the end there will be some waste of energy throughout the whole process.

I am proposing the expenditure ( chemical to electrical then back to chemical ) so that the resulting chemical ( hydrogen and oxygen ) can effect the combustion process and improve to some degree the losses always involved in a spark ignited engine. These losses are numerous. In my experiments, I used an electrolysis array of 4 cells. A water jacket from the engine coolant heated the cell array to reduce over-voltage ( the voltage needed to drive the dissociation of water ). This improves the electrolysis efficiency dramatically allowing greater gas production with no increase in power input as that power input is augmented by the waste heat of the engine. This is common knowledge in the thermodynamics of electrolysis and is used in the extreme in high temperature electrolysis. It is still a wasteful process as more fuel energy is needed than can be gained from the simple fuel energy of the hydrogen gas. However, if I can modify certain parameters, I can use the interaction of the hydrogen being present at the start of combustion to accelerate said combustion so that ignition lead time is greatly reduced as well as an improvement in COV ( co-efficient of variability ) which is a measure of combustion stability.

If a lean burn engine needs 60 degrees of ignition lead time before top dead center (TDC), the pressure rise before TDC is lost energy or negative work. I think this is common knowledge. If I can reduce this ignition lead to 30 degrees before TDC, I think you will agree that the engine will produce less negative work and will provide more useful power for a given amount of fuel and air. By adding a minuscule amount of hydrogen and oxygen ( which has a percent of ozone in the stream created by impurities in the electrolyte ) you can significantly accelerate the combustion flame and reduce the ignition lead. If you can gain several horsepower from this while expending one horsepower in electrolysis generation ( including all losses ) you will come out ahead power wise and thus efficiency is increased.

Yes, you can do the same thing with manipulation of variables such as increasing effective compression, increasing the intake air temperature ( increased heat before combustion increases the reactivity of the mixture ) and adding turbulence via design of the engine intake and head/chamber relationships and even the addition of hot exhaust gas recirculation ( versus cooled exhaust which has lost most of any remaining combustion radicals ). Using a turbo with no inter-cooler and running lean prevents detonation and allows you to extend the flame limits tremendously since the above conditions would be met by such a set up. That area before detonation provides the most power per unit of fuel. But it is a fine balancing act as many will attest. HHO can allow you to stay well below the threshold of detonation but allow you the benefits but in a much more controlled manner.

[oil pan 4]

Crap, I wasn't running any where near 60 degrees on my lean burn 7.4L engine.
I nearly doubled my GMC suburbans fuel milage with lean burn, no need to waste any time with HHO.
I didn't even get the timing dialed in for lean burn I advanced it to a max of about 38 to 40 degrees and it felt like it needed more, I probably would have gone to 45 degrees max.
At 60 degrees if I posted my reaults I probably would have murdered by the deep state oil men.

[RustyLugNut]

Originally Posted by oil pan 4

Crap, I wasn't running any where near 60 degrees on my lean burn 7.4L engine.
I nearly doubled my GMC suburbans fuel milage with lean burn, no need to waste any time with HHO.
I didn't even get the timing dialed in for lean burn I advanced it to a max of about 38 to 40 degrees and it felt like it needed more, I probably would have gone to 45 degrees max.
At 60 degrees if I posted my reaults I probably would have murdered by the deep state oil men.

If your engine needs to increase your ignition lead time to maximize your torque, it can benefit from HHO or any parameter changes that increase flame speed and combustion consistency.

Do you have any idea what your AFRs were before and after you tuned for lean burn?

[teoman]

But is it really the hydrogen that is beneficial? Or would you get similar results with cng or lpg

[oil pan 4]

In a gasoline powered vehicle LP and natural gas get burned up as if it were regular fuel.

[teoman]

I was thinking more that it is relative to the reactivity and also flame speed of the additional fuel.

Hydrogen flame speed seems to be fairly high so while traveling it can help start the combustion of other fuels.

https://link.springer.com/article/10...705-010-0515-8

[RustyLugNut]

Originally Posted by teoman

But is it really the hydrogen that is beneficial? Or would you get similar results with cng or lpg

It is not a hydrocarbon and thus easily decomposes to form the radicals such as HOOH which effect the combustion right from the start. CNG has to go through a much more complex path of decomposition to get to the radical production stage and that is why it, and most hydrocarbons, have a flame speed roughly a tenth that of hydrogen.

[teoman]

So the flame speed is the cruicial parameter.

I suppose combustability/reactability percentages are also important.

I remember that above %4 and below %96 hydrogen concentration it will have a reaction. I.e it can do its thing in very lean conditions.

[hayden55]

It sounds like a great idea. So you start with 35% efficiency engine, then a 65% efficient alternator, and then you have a 30% efficient electric fuel cell. Sounds like 6.825% efficiency being added back to the engine... but i forgot to add in the free energy so with that added in its more like 120% efficiency.

[RedDevil]

In some unique cases you can get lightly better economy by introducing water mist, but not if you have to split the hydrogen from the oxygen to merge them later on again.

Unicorn corral, you're needed.