How Do Hydrogen-Fueled Cars Work?
- Hydrogen is definitely explosive and another source of alternative fuel. The hydrogen-fueled Hindenburg airship crash in 1937 proved hydrogen's ability to burn. It is also simple to produce in small quantities, but to produce it in abundance to operate as a stand-alone fuel is much more difficult. A simple experiment with household products can be done easily. All that is needed is a stainless steel pot, a stainless steel spoon, a car battery or 12-volt source and two jumper wires with alligator clips and some water. The idea is to make the pan or cathode filled with water the positive and the spoon, isolated from touching the pan, the negative. Within seconds of attaching the power and ground from the battery to pan (positive) and the spoon (negative), bubbles will appear on the spoon as it creates hydrogen.
- The hydrogen fuel cell is usually located in front of the radiator and plumbed to the intake manifold. The fuel cell makes, depending on the system, 8 to 12 percent of the volume in the cylinders. This means that 8 to 12 percent of the conventional gasoline is expelled through the exhaust. As gasoline is injected into the intake manifold and burned in the cylinders, the oxygen sensors pick the expelled gas up as a rich mixture. The computer compensates by reducing the fuel at the injectors to keep the mixture as close to 14½ to 1 as possible, thereby using less gasoline. The combination of the hydrogen and the gasoline must equal 1 part to 14½ parts air.
- To make enough in quantity to be of any use, a complex system of a stainless cylinder with a multitude of stainless plates is needed. The plates must be isolated from the outer cylinder and from each other. A system of hoses and a dryer to separate the free water, along with a method of injection into the intake manifold, is needed. To enhance and speed up the process, the water is treated with different chemicals. All of the systems available from private parties are a supplement to the fuel system.
- On one hand, these systems do work and do, in fact, enhance fuel economy. It depends on the type of system and how much volume (of hydrogen) the system is capable of producing. Hydrogen, although an energy-producing gas through combustion, also has a byproduct of water. When hydrogen is burned, it releases water into the engine. This type of byproduct is a serious concern. The individuals using it have little concern for consequences over extended use. An automobile engine was never designed to encounter moisture and, as a result, none of the surfaces are either painted or resistant to rust.
- For the engine to operate for any amount of time, the rings on the pistons would have to be stainless as opposed to ductile iron so they don't rust to the cylinder. The valve seats and valves in the cast iron heads would have to be changed to stainless steel. The exhaust manifold and exhaust system would rust in no time with water running through it. The oxygen sensors are not designed for moisture in the exhaust. The oil will absorb all the moisture that passes the pistons as blow-by, thereby contaminating the oil quickly, causing it to have to be changed in short periods of time. That is just a few of the pitfalls, but they are not insurmountable with a little money invested. This is probably our next fuel alternative. Honda has produced the first fully hydrogen-operated vehicle, but it is not for sale in 2009 due to the high price.
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