Hydrogen Generators?

Out here in the country, there are lots of tinkers/machinists/farmers that have plenty of know how. For instance, was at a machine shop yesterday so far back in the mountain that you have to pack a lunch to get there and back. In the shop is a 3D printer, 4 axis machining center and cnc laths. This place never ceases to surprise.

But this one's got me, a Hydrogen Generator to convert water to run an auto? One of my neighbors swears by the device, never heard of it before now. Will look forward to the back yard experiment he has started.

I don't know how well these work, but I have seen these online before : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u5nld6HzEjM

They don't work. They may generate some hydrogen, but to generate enough for the engine to run on would require more energy than it can put in to the system.
If an automaker could add this to a car and get a significant increase in MPG, they would.

liberals will never allowed wide spread use of such technology. Water shortages you know...

Keeping the Oxygen and the Hydrogen separate during the process is critical. If the generator does not do that then your efforts are futile. The question that cross my mind is cost effectiveness. The cost to get your vehicle to run on hydrogen and the cost per mile to drive it. The Cost of enough energy to make X number of liters per week, storage etc... The fact that it is ultra low in emissions is the kicker. I have heard that oil contamination is lower as well, additive package longevity notwithstanding, you may see longer intervals between changes. We all need to look into things like this.

I served aboard submarines when I was in the Navy back in the late 80's early 90's. We had oxygen generators that produced hydrogen as the main by-product which was diffused back into the sea as it was produced. The process the OP mentioned is probably very similar....The only problem is that we had a nuclear reactor to (eventually) power the process and it took quite a bit of power. Until we improve vastly upon that technology it will not be efficient enough to carry out on a small scale such as what you'd need for an automobile internal combustion engine. If they hydrogen could have been used for anything worth while we would have saved it.....but, at the time, it was of no use to us so overboard it went. Like solar power sooner or later we will master the process (I think) and we'll all be fighting over water.

Hydrogen as a fuel for reciprocating engines is problematic. It tends to blow typical engines to bits due to its very high energy potential. Diesel engines, designed to run on the carbon-oxygen cycle will sometimes convert to the hydrogen-oxygen cycle if leaned out enough. This conversion announces itself with a loud explosion under the hood, as happened to a friend driving a brand new Ford F-250. Took his foot off the gas pedal to exit a freeway and BOOM! No more engine.

Back in the 1940's guy by the name of Bourke living in Petaluma CA, developed a type of engine that did not employ the usual connecting rod to crank shaft design. His piston and rods moved in a straight line without articulation, different than as virtually all present designs do, and this is what allowed him to use the hydrogen present in low grade petroleum fuels available at the time.

By adjusting his carburetor to run extremely lean, his engine, once warm, would convert to the hydrogen oxygen cycle producing about one horsepower per cubic inch displacement.

He demonstrated that the hydrogen available in motor fuels is quite sufficient in quantity to run internal combustion engines. No hydrogen generators necessary.

His fuel of choice, as formulated by a Shell Chemist was a combination of Stove oil, Brown distillate (commonly available motor fuel of the time) and kerosene, IIRC. In case anyone is interested, I do have a copy of his notes stashed somewhere which I got from his Widow back in the 80's.

Bourkes engine died with him. Some say an effort by big business and the war dept. made sure his invention never went far. He did produce 50 engines called the Silver Eagle. It was a 50 cu inch design producing 50 hp.

IMHOP, the bottom line here is that in my experience, there is plenty of evidence to suggest that a properly designed engine fueled with commonly available diesel fuel could be used to power an electric generator to run a hybrid car quite efficiently using the hydrogen-oxygen cycle. But it will take the efforts of a very large company with a lot of political clout to fend off the market forces that will want to quash any design that greatly reduces reliance on the established petroleum industry.

great use of solar energy. Convert water to hydrogen and oxygen, collect and compress the hydrogen and save it for use at your need.

One way to store the sun's energy. That is the problem with solar. It is only available when the sun shines.

"...That is the problem with solar...."
That is the problem with electricity as an energy medium in general-it spoils really fast.
Keep in mind that using electrolysis requires a greater energy input than is captured in the hydrogen.
So for small scale, solar powered operation, it's produces less energy via hydrogen than the solar grid supplies directly as electricity, and there's an energy requirement for compressing but you do gain storage capability, and contrary to some, H is a much safer gas when stored than most liquid fuels and all the fuel gases as well. For a sustained process, something on the scale of a nuclear reactor would work well. The French were doing that decades ago. And it shoots down all the carbo-phobics/ global warming types.


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Without inspection...the contraption is about the size of a two liter soda bottle with a fiber core and water filling, no storage tank. Runs off the auto battery? Babcock Wilcox is busy with small scale nuke generators.

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Originally Posted by Texas10

Hydrogen as a fuel for reciprocating engines is problematic. It tends to blow typical engines to bits due to its very high energy potential. Diesel engines, designed to run on the carbon-oxygen cycle will sometimes convert to the hydrogen-oxygen cycle if leaned out enough. This conversion announces itself with a loud explosion under the hood, as happened to a friend driving a brand new Ford F-250. Took his foot off the gas pedal to exit a freeway and BOOM! No more engine.

Back in the 1940's guy by the name of Bourke living in Petaluma CA, developed a type of engine that did not employ the usual connecting rod to crank shaft design. His piston and rods moved in a straight line without articulation, different than as virtually all present designs do, and this is what allowed him to use the hydrogen present in low grade petroleum fuels available at the time.

By adjusting his carburetor to run extremely lean, his engine, once warm, would convert to the hydrogen oxygen cycle producing about one horsepower per cubic inch displacement.

He demonstrated that the hydrogen available in motor fuels is quite sufficient in quantity to run internal combustion engines. No hydrogen generators necessary.

His fuel of choice, as formulated by a Shell Chemist was a combination of Stove oil, Brown distillate (commonly available motor fuel of the time) and kerosene, IIRC. In case anyone is interested, I do have a copy of his notes stashed somewhere which I got from his Widow back in the 80's.

Bourkes engine died with him. Some say an effort by big business and the war dept. made sure his invention never went far. He did produce 50 engines called the Silver Eagle. It was a 50 cu inch design producing 50 hp.

IMHOP, the bottom line here is that in my experience, there is plenty of evidence to suggest that a properly designed engine fueled with commonly available diesel fuel could be used to power an electric generator to run a hybrid car quite efficiently using the hydrogen-oxygen cycle. But it will take the efforts of a very large company with a lot of political clout to fend off the market forces that will want to quash any design that greatly reduces reliance on the established petroleum industry.

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Have not heard the name Bourke since my brother became an adult and stopped following him in the 70's. He had pictures of the engine on two walls of his room and talked about building an engine most of his teenage years.

I visited Louise Bourke in 1980 and bought one of the few autographed and colorized copies of his book. She had arthritis so bad she could hardly walk, but was still quite spry in the mind. Quite a character!

She lent me his original production notes on the engine, which I copied and returned, and showed me photos of him and his engines. She had a lot to say about the "taking" of his engine by his "partners" in the venture. It was quite a story of greed and corruption. This was just before or just after Pearl Harbor, as I recall.

I have contacted various interested individuals over the years who have built one of his engines, and always asked what fuel they were using. Regular mo-gas was always the answer to which I responded with the formula he developed. It's not in his book, so no one had heard of it. No one it seemed could get an engine to run in the hydrogen-oxygen cycle like he did.

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Originally Posted by m12lrs

great use of solar energy. Convert water to hydrogen and oxygen, collect and compress the hydrogen and save it for use at your need.

One way to store the sun's energy. That is the problem with solar. It is only available when the sun shines.

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The sun is the source of ALL energy.

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Originally Posted by sharpshooter

The sun is the source of ALL energy.

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Well if that's true, and since I live in the sunshine state, how come I don't have any?

I 'generate' hydrogen (and other gases) under the covers, when I sleep (according to my wife that is).......:o

I used a Missouri wind and solar dual pma to make a self powering generator. one side of the pma I use to run a 1200 watt inverter that powers a harbor freight electric motor with a 4 inch pully on it. I put a 1.5 inch pully on the pma along with a fan. the second side runs a 1200 watt inveter that we run our deer cabin off of. we have a l.e.d. tv, ceiling fan, lights and a out house we run. I plan to add a shower house cause we are b.f.e. where we are. I have a water filter I hall in every year because I use it at home as well. I run 99.9% of my home off grid. I have solar and I have wind turbines. we live a normal life. I made sure my system would support the way of life we lived. our stove, water heater, frig and deep freezes run off propane. my system is four times what most people who live off grid use because I have a teen aged child. he isn't mine but I treat like he is!! my daughter is 5. she loves how we live. she chases chickens, goats and tries to walk my dog(pitbull who allows her to walk her).

I live a daily life style many on here wish they did. we eat a lot of deer meat, goat meat(we raise), rabbit meat(we raise), chicken meat(we raise), pork meat(we raise) and beef(we raise) we take off our own land. I can every thing out of my garden. the family helps pick it, but old dad here runs the canners.

life is great when you get off the grid and have a job to boot!!

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Originally Posted by nobody

I used a Missouri wind and solar dual pma to make a self powering generator. one side of the pma I use to run a 1200 watt inverter that powers a harbor freight electric motor with a 4 inch pully on it. I put a 1.5 inch pully on the pma along with a fan. the second side runs a 1200 watt inveter that we run our deer cabin off of. we have a l.e.d. tv, ceiling fan, lights and a out house we run. I plan to add a shower house cause we are b.f.e. where we are. I have a water filter I hall in every year because I use it at home as well. I run 99.9% of my home off grid. I have solar and I have wind turbines. we live a normal life. I made sure my system would support the way of life we lived. our stove, water heater, frig and deep freezes run off propane. my system is four times what most people who live off grid use because I have a teen aged child. he isn't mine but I treat like he is!! my daughter is 5. she loves how we live. she chases chickens, goats and tries to walk my dog(pitbull who allows her to walk her).

I live a daily life style many on here wish they did. we eat a lot of deer meat, goat meat(we raise), rabbit meat(we raise), chicken meat(we raise), pork meat(we raise) and beef(we raise) we take off our own land. I can every thing out of my garden. the family helps pick it, but old dad here runs the canners.

life is great when you get off the grid and have a job to boot!!

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God bless you and yours. I wish I would have done what you're doing 30 years ago!

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Originally Posted by EFBell

God bless you and yours. I wish I would have done what you're doing 30 years ago!

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it is easy to do. you just have to look at the amish for cooking, refrigeration, deep freezes and water heater. we have a propain clothes drier to. after that a 120 voltage house hold is easy to run off the grid. I have 10,000 watts of solar(cheap if you buy right) and 15,000 watts of wind power(not that many turbines if you buy right). I have a battery bank that is still just 12 volts. in a shtf spot I can use c.b. radios, and everything a r.v. has!! the battery bank is the high end part. last winter we has 16 inches of snow on the solar with low winds. we went 3 weeks before I had to clean the first set of solar panels off the recharge the battery bank. could have made it another week, but why push it?

^^^^^That's cool. All of it.

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Originally Posted by yobuck

Well if that's true, and since I live in the sunshine state, how come I don't have any?

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Everybody knows that "older" batteries won't hold a charge like newer ones....;)

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Originally Posted by yobuck

Well if that's true, and since I live in the sunshine state, how come I don't have any?

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Milton Friedman has your answer: "If you put the federal government in charge of the Sahara Desert, in 5 years there'd be a shortage of sand.
Read more at: http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/quotes/m/miltonfrie387252.html"

And here's for the 'shortage' of water in the sunshine state. http://joeforamerica.com/2015/04/cal...ater-shortage/