The technology of using hydrogen as a combustion enhancement in internal combustion engines has been researched and proven for many years. The benefits are factual and well documented. However its still has its sceptics.
Does it work?
Independent studies, at different universities, using various fuels, have shown that flame speeds increase when small amounts of hydrogen are added to air-fuel mixtures.
Hydrogen generating systems for trucks or cars has been around for some time. Mounted on a vehicle, small amounts of hydrogen and oxygen are fed into the engine’s air intake manifold. The energy to power the electrolysis units comes from the alternators. The motor industry is not devoid of hoaxes and as engineers are sceptics by training, it’s therefore no surprise that a few of them say the idea can’t work. The 2nd law of thermodynamics is a likely source of their postulation. Meaning …the law – would lead you to believe that you can’ get more out than you put in. i.e. the resulting energy balance should be negative. On the other hand, if hydrogen shortens the burn time of the main fuel-air mix, putting more pressure on the piston through a longer effective power stroke, and in doing so takes more work out, and then this system does make sense.
The addition of small quantities of gaseous hydrogen to the primary fuel significantly reduces CO and NOx exhaust emissions while improving engine thermal efficiency.
The addition of some hydrogen speeds up the rates of initiation and subsequent propagation of flames over the whole combustible mixture range, including for very fast flowing mixtures. This enhancement of flame initiation and subsequent flame propagation reduces the ignition delay and combustion period in both spark ignition and compression ignition engines which should lead to noticeable improvements in the combustion process and performance.
Electrolysis produces “nascent” hydrogen, and oxygen, which may or may not reach the engine as nascent. It is more probable that high temperature in the combustion chamber breaks down the oxygen and hydrogen molecules into free radicals (i.e. nascent). The chain reaction initiated by those free radicals will cause a simultaneous ignition of all the primary fuel. As it all ignites at once, no flame front can exist and without it there is no pressure wave to create knock.
Power gained from increased thermal efficiency, less the power to the electrolysis unit, is the measure of real gain or loss. It follows from the foregoing paragraph that even a modest gain in thermal efficiency will be greater than the power used by an electrolysis unit. The net result should therefore be positive. Thus onboard electrolysis systems supplying hydrogen and oxygen to internal combustion engines, fuelled by diesel, gasoline, or propane should substantially increase efficiencies.
While the auto industry searches for the perfect means of eliminating harmful emissions, consideration should be given to what these systems can do now. Almost all unburned hydrocarbons, CO and NO, are eliminated.
