Alternative Fuel Energy

Alternative Fuel Energy for vehicles can be achieved in a variety of ways. Some examples are battery powered electrical motor vehicles, hydrogen fuel cell cars, which run just on liquefied hydrogen gas stored in special tanks and have to be kept at a constant temperature. There are also the hybrid vehicles which use a combination of the traditional internal combustion engine with its primary fuel source – gasoline or diesel, combined with another source to produce energy.


Presently the most common hybrid production car technology uses gasoline-electric hybrids to produce the required torque and power. These hybrid engines use less traditional fuel because of this dual source energy producer, having also less impact on exhaust emissions.


Unfortunately they are still unaffordable for people’s budget, specially when comparing the same production model, one being a hybrid, while the other is based  on petroleum spirit fuels.

These factors hinder most people from becoming hybrid owners, loosing on all hybrid efficiencies and beneficial factors in the long term, and their chance to contribute in a positive manner for lessening the greenhouse emissions.


Total petroleum-free engines which are in existence but are still not efficient enough as long distance tourers in some cases, these problematic factors are being addressed with updated and improved versions, like all existing technologies. Again, the fact remains they are prohibitively expensive to buy when compared to other options. Combine this with the associated problems facing these vehicles’ owners, if they were to buy right now in topping up their energy source. Typical examples are:

• “Where will they find hydrogen gas stations?”

Or….

• “Where can they plug and charge their vehicle?”

The good news is that we already have an alternative way of using our current internal combustion engine, by converting it to a hybrid engine. It is much more efficient and cost effective than purchasing a new hybrid vehicle, which most likely is going to depreciate in its market value faster than other new vehicles.
This usually occurs because the technology is always developing further, making the previous system obsolete.

Subaru R1e-electric motor		Ford Electric Motor

Another important consideration, leaving the ‘electrical’ and ‘hydrogen only’ routes out (because of the scarcity problem of recharging/refueling stations), current hybrid engines still use our typical fuels — gasoline or diesel.


So why buy a new vehicle when you can do a professional job yourself, or pay some specialist for a HHO generator installation?

The technology is there, the emissions are reduced drastically, often times beating newer hybrid cars which use electrical energy as their secondary source. The reason for this is simple. All engines, specially the older engines are not fuel efficient devices! Even the latest production engines face this problem as I am about to prove to you here right now.

The proof starts with a simple question:-

“Why are oxygen sensors, fitted to all new vehicles?”
Note: Most vehicles are now being equipped with four of them!

Oxygen sensors are there to monitor and give feedback to the PCM (Powertrain Controlled Module) or known in Europe as the ECU (Electronic Controlled Unit). These sensors monitor the amount of oxygen in the exhaust pathway, if too much is detected, the PCM will lean out the fuel flow. This is how less unburnt fuel exits the tailpipe and into the atmosphere from modern engines!


Granted, mechanical tolerances and materials have improved nearly beyond recognition compared to 20-30 year old engine technology, but the fact remains that even with EFI (electronic fuel injection) and distributor-less systems which are all achieved electronically and electrically through the PCM, there are still such fuel inefficiencies.


This is where our second fuel source, hydrogen on demand enters our equation. It is VERY important to understand that hydrogen is not totally replacing the primary fuel source, but is added with the fuel mixture to aid the combustion process, effectively burning all the fuel in the combustion chambers.
This increases the engines power as the fuel’s full potential is being released in the cylinders.


That amount of fuel is still wasted once it enters the chambers and eventually exits through the tailpipe, so it only makes more economic sense to use its full potential energy, giving more power in the process and leading to use less energy for the same work, once the initial required momentum energy is achieved.

Hydrogen Generators (HHO Generators) used as gas saving devices

HHO generators produce HHO gas, known as hydroxy gas. This gas is much more combustible than gasoline or diesel and when mixed with the engine’s primary source of fuel it generates a stronger explosion in the combustion chambers increasing the strength in the combustion process, meaning more efficiency.


There is an ongoing debate on the percentages of fuel energy efficiencies for modern engines. Some say that the engine is approximately 30% to 35% fuel efficient, the remaining 65% to 70% is fuel wastage, meaning that the fuel’s full potential is being released in the combustion process. While I’m not going deep into the subject of trying to conclude if these numbers are real or exaggerated, there is some fuel wastage, or else oxygen sensors would not be installed on modern engines which are constantly monitoring and sending data readings in volts to the PCM to rectify the fuel mixture.

How to produce “hydrogen on demand”

Producing hydrogen, unless it is managed to be captured from the atmosphere – which proves extremely difficult, a type of hydrogen generator will be needed. One way of doing so is using water and separating its molecules. A water molecule (H20) contains one oxygen and two hydrogen atoms. An electrolysis process can be used to separate the hydrogen atoms from the water, forming HHO (oxyhydrogen), also known as Brown’s Gas which was named after Professor Yull Brown’s discovery.


Once this HHO gas is produced it is injected into the engine’s intake manifold with the rest of the air/fuel mix ratio. The spark ignites this combination of HHO, fuel and air mixture as it would normally do if HHO gas was not present, generating the combustion cycle.


The only difference now is that with the explosive power of hydrogen in the mix much less fuel is needed for the same amount of power generated under traditional fuel, meaning that the fuel can be leaned out (less fuel).


Another beneficial property of hydrogen is that it starts off as water and ends up as water when the whole cycle is complete. The exhaust temperature is adequately high enough to produce vapor gas during the combustion process so the engine internals and the exhaust are in a typical dry state, preventing oxidation and rust. The vapor becomes water at the exhaust’s end bore, where it meets up with the ambient air temperature.

Why “hydrogen on demand” as opposed to a large hydrogen fuel cell?

Hydrogen storage can be very dangerous in case of severe accidents and the cell ruptures. It is still considered unsafe in confined spaces like closed or underground parking spaces.
More information about this can be found on the US Dept. of Energy under Hydrogen Storage.

It is also critical to keep the hydrogen cell at a certain level of temperature at all times during its liquefied storage state. The challenges of storing hydrogen safely to be used in a commercialized form are substantial.

Detailed information of hydrogen storage can be found on the US Dept. of Energy – Hydrogen Storage Challenges.

Scarcity of hydrogen filling stations right now is another problem. It is useless having a hydrogen vehicle if you cannot find adequate hydrogen stations across your traveling sites. Probably you will end up being on a recovery-truck using diesel power as its energy source!

Benefits using hydrogen on demand

Less Fuel Consumption
The fuel consumption is reduced from at least 10% for the smallest generators up to 35-45% or more depending on the efficiency of the hydrogen generator being used.


Less Carbon Production
Another important and destroying factor in normal combustion fuels is the carbon produced during the process. This is both harmful for all the engine’s internal moving parts and to the atmosphere. Using much less fuel in the mixture automatically reduces carbon and the hydrogen gas acts as an internal steam washer. Various reports show proof of a much cleaner valves, ports and chambers and catalytic blockages.


Emissions Reduction
Exhaust emissions are reduced drastically (even on worn engines) because less fuel is being used in the combustion process. The steam cleaning process takes place when the exhaust is being emitted out of the system, so carbon build-up on older engines is being removed. There are commercial machine systems that use a similar process to clear the engine’s excessive carbon without opening the engine and scrapping the carbon off the head chambers, valves, ports and exhaust manifolds.


Less Engine Wear
Engine wear is reduced because of the cooler operating temperature of the engine and because of the dreaded carbon which acts like grinding paste on all moving parts.


Smoother Engine
Engine runs much smoother as it is not under constant strain to produce the power because of the burning efficiency increase.


Power Increase
Power is increased because the fuel is much more efficient and can be used to its maximum potential with much less energy wastage.


Cooler Engine’s Operating Temperature
The hydroxy gas mixture, once burnt turns into water and immediately absorbs the heat generation that is created during the engine’s operating cycles. This combustion temperatures range in about 350 -450 F and is enough to turn the converted water (after combustion) into hot dry steam, acting as a heat carrier in the process. This has dual benefits: engine temperature runs cooler because of this heat transfer from engine to the exhaust and it keeps the engine’s components dry, including the exhaust pipes, excluding any rust issues.


Oil Preservation
Engine oil will last longer because of the reduced carbon deposits which contaminate the oil and because of the reduced engine operating temperature envelope.


No Storage Risks
Using a system where hydrogen on demand is only produced when needed there is no hydrogen storage risks. The fuel tank of the vehicle poses a greater risk than the generator itself.


System is totally reversible
The alternative fuel energy saving device system can be installed and removed without any internal engine modifications. If vehicle is going to be sold without the hydrogen system it will work as it used to before installation and the generator can be installed onto your new vehicle.


Less Dependability
Using less fuel will save cash flow on fuel bills while reducing the your oil footprint.


Hybrid Tax Credit
Depending where you live you can claim your hybrid tax credit back, providing you can prove that the installation is professionally installed and is indeed reducing the exhaust emissions within the hybrid parameters. This will need to be certified accordingly for approval.


We have choices of automotive alternative fuel energy systems that already exist, some might be beyond our financial budget, but we still have got other ways around excessive fuel consumption. Each person might have to consider wisely their particular needs and finances before a final decision is made. For the majority though, the easiest and most sensible route is to utilize what resources they already have.  This means either:

1.    Building up their own HHO generator after purchasing a guide.

                [See our Top Rated recommendations]

2.    Purchasing a tested ready-made kit — installation is all that’s needed.

                [See our recommendation]

3.    Have their engine converted by a professional HHO installer with a drive-in and drive-out

                service.

Thanks for your interest in our site. We hope you have found our resources useful and have encouraged you enough in becoming an aspiring “green energy” leader while becoming less dependable on crude oil. The best part is you will have a bigger return on investment in the long-term with your green energy decisions.

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