Slashdot Mirror
Increasing Fuel Mileage With Hydrogen?
cr0sh asks: "I was recently looking into the costs and availabilty associated with small, hydrogen fuel cells (results: they are still expensive), when I came across this site about the Hydrogen-Boost [Warning: Pop-ups]. Looking at this site, it seemed like just another in the long line of scamming 'get more mileage/power' engine products out there, but it intrigued me enough to continue looking into it. I eventually came upon another site on
hydrogen experiments. A little more searching revealed this one about constructing your own Hydro-Boost device, which goes into detail about how you would build such a system. None of these sites answered the big questions, however: 'does it work?', and 'if so, how well?'. I also wanted something a little more authoritative. So, back to digging...which came up with this paper from OSTI [PDF]. The very first line of the abstract of this paper reads 'It is well known that hydrogen addition to spark-ignited (SI) engines can reduce exhaust emissions and increase efficiency.' This paper seems to advance the notion that such a system like the 'Hydrogen Boost' system may actually work. Does Slashdot think such a system would work? If so, how it could be improved, especially given today's rapidly rising gasoline prices, here in America?"
"On the experiments site, via the link to 'Hydrogen Experiments Part 2', the author references the first site. He ultimately decides to 'home-brew' his own system instead, and gives enough detail for anybody to do so. I was hoping the author had more details on the effects caused by dumping hydrogen into his engine, but that doesn't appear to be.
A notable observation on the Hydro Boost Device is that instead of using a stainless steel mesh as the other guy uses (which would seem to be a superior material to use, though difficult to find), this design uses galvanized steel bolts for the electrodes, making it something that can be built from materials found at a local building materials warehouse."
Hahahahhahahahahahahaa
Gawd thats such a goofy argument.
First, with the SUV crap thats going around.
I have a 2001 GMC Jimmy that gets 22 mpg. I see plenty of rusted, piece of shit honda civics being driven by piss-poor college students, with greenpeace stickers on the bumpers. I guarantee they use more fuel than I do. And they'd be riding the bus if they really cared about oil conservation and the environment.
The actual fuel consumption differences between an 'economy car' and a full sized sedan are insignificant.
And the actual amount of oil that goes into cars engines is insignificant as well.
Know why gas is pricy right now? Nope, it's not the middle east or Iraq. It's been a cold, cold fucking winter and the refinery industry focused on heating oil production. Couple that with the fact no refineries have been built in 30 years, you have less supply. Increasing demand + diminishing supply = higher cost.
Besides, the big hydrogen producing plants of your utopian future wont be in america. They'll be filthy environmental nightmares. Let the 3rd world have 'em.
I can't believe that Americans on here are complaining about fuel prices when they pay the least amount for fuel of any country that I can find data for.
:)
In the UK (and I think in most of Europe) we pay UKP 0.80/liter for fuel. That's USD 1.24/liter or USD 4.72 / US gallon. I'm not sure what you guys actually pay, but I bet it's nothing like as much as 4.72/gallon.
It now costs me UKP 40 (USD 62) to fill my Ford Focus with fuel and that's only good for 300 miles.
Perhaps if they didn't all drive massively heavy cars with enormous engines they'd reduce pollution and them themselves money. They'd also end up with nicer cars which don't handle like tanks and require notice in writing to stop in time for pedestrians. I've only driven a couple of American cars (a Buick Centry and an Oldsmobile Sierra Cutlass or something - scuse if I've got the names wrong) and they were both extremely heavy/slow (despite massive 3 liter V6 engines!) and handled unbelieveably badly compared to my Focus. No wonder you have such slow speed limits; There's no way of safely controlling the average 'yank-tank' when it gets much beyond 50-60 mph. My Focus handles fine upto about 100mph. Even at 120mph it seemed fairly stable - I just wouldn't want to try turning much at that speed
I'm sure you'd have more fun driving if you had ligher more efficent cars. You'd also lose your status as the biggest polluter of the planet per capita by quite a long way.
Nick...