History of the "Hydrogen Beast"

WARNING! USED ELECTOLYTE CONTAINS HEXAVALENT CHROMIUM. Protect yourself! Go to the OSHA website below and read. http://www.osha.gov/SLTC/hexavalentchromium/index.html

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z4F3D6A0W3k

It's only 1 minute 27 seconds long but good for a chuckle.
This is where it all started. I felt that Detroit was doing it backwards. They make these huge HP engines then make them struggle with a load through their most inefficient rpm range to reach cruise speed. I thought why not spool a smaller motor up to it's most efficient rpm then slowly feed the load to it. A motor that produced enough power at cruise then just gear it down for the initial off the line push. Hence, I threw some stuff I had in the garage together and the darn thing worked.

I originally built the 6 HP Escort as a test for an electric car conversion. I figured if a 6 HP gas engine could move a 2300# car, then an 8 HP electric motor would do very well for around Westerville. (Electric motors are rated differently than gas motors and can produce 3 or 4 times their rated power for short durations - such as for off the line acceleration).
It was to be an in town car - just to get the kids to school, run to the store, nothing over 35 mph. The motor would spool up before the load just like the gas version. It was to be a 48 volt system and the batteries would charge up over night at a cost of about 80 cents a night.
I got interested in Hydrogen as a cost effective way to power a small engine instead of converting the car to electric for two reasons. Hydrogen cells would cost less to build initially and there would be less performance degradation as the batteries ran down (most small engines don't have alternators and it would still need batteries to power the cell. And, they would still have to charge over night).
I am certain that a small solar battery array could recharge the batteries at no cost. Once I get the car mobile - that will be my next endeavor.
Currently I have the Hydrogen Beauty (renamed from the Beast) that is a hybrid.
It has the original 4 cylinder engine. It will be retrofitted with the new Beast Cell as soon as ordered parts and electrolyte arrive. I expect with 1 Beast cell my wife will see 25% improvement. So I'll put 4 on it. We are going for double the mileage.
Stay tuned for pictures of the "New" Hydrogen Beast project (before, during, and after). Starting Saturday 6-14-08. Shots of the original vehicle and the new engine it will receive.

"Beast Cell" Developement

(Click on any image to veiw larger than life).
This is the first “Hydrogen Beast” cell core (left) next to the one I bought on the internet.
It has 500% more hydrogen generating area and draws 1/4th the amperage. The increased area comes from 2 additional neutral plates placed between the positive cylinder and the negative cylinder. This is a test cell to be used for measuring amperage draw and production within a stable temperature range. It is made from standard exhaust pipe which corrodes quickly but is fine for testing purposes and is cost effective to that end. Update: This cell served its purpose well. The data I collected is invaluable for the next generation of durable and reproducible results. It has been scraped, however, for a new more efficient Stainless steel model. Stay tuned for test results of the new final build of the “Hydrogen Beast” cell. It will be the most efficient cell possible with the most easily obtainable materials

Beast Cell Developement - 2

Electrolyte selection: (Upper) The electrolyte arrived and I wasted no time testing. The Winner was the Lithium Hydroxide as far as electrical conductivity goes. However, It was hard to get to go into solution. It beat out the Potassium Hydroxide by only 200 ohms. Here are the results:

Sodium Bicarbonate - 20,000 Ohms
Vinegar - 10,000 Ohms
Sodium Hydroxide - 2500 Ohms
Potassium Hydroxide - 2200 Ohms
Lithium Hydroxide - 2000 Ohms.

You would think with those resistance numbers that Hydroxy would be pouring off the cell. Especially, since I obtained 4/L/M with a smaller cell and Sodium Bicarbonate in full solution. Well, It didn't. Although, at first it looked like Lithium Hydroxide would make a good electrolyte, I do not recommend it. It forms a salt at the bottom of the cell that builds up and shorts out the plates and it will not stay in solution well enough to support good conductivity.

I did not understand electronegative values before, but now I do. The higher the Pauling number (see the hard metals chart in the research post) the harder it is for an outer shell electron to be pulled away from its nucleus. Potassium Hydroxide is the best choice. Even though it lagged behind Lithium in performance per unit, it has remarkable solubility in water which allows for extremely high concentrations and (as a result) extremely high conductivity also.
(Lower) Warming up the cell with 36v: I only obtained 2/L/M with 9 amps with the Lithium. That calculates out to be 79% efficient. The strange thing is, after I pulled power from the cell, it kept producing Hydrogen for 10 minutes. So if I had stored and measured that after flow, efficiency would be higher. As it turns out, this is a known phenomenon for Joe Cell technology. With the new Stainless Steel cell and Potassium Hydroxide we will see much better results, I am sure.

"SHE" Car Project (Small Hydrogen Engine)

(Top) This is the original 1.9 Liter 4 cylinder engine and automatic transmission that will be replaced with...(Middle) this 13 HP Honda single cylinder engine and this... (Lower) 5 speed transmission, adapter shaft and final gear sprocket.

SHE Car Project - 2

With the engine out, I can now install the 13 HP set up. This weekend I'll work on the new motor mount for the larger engine. Be aware that I have no control over the links that advertise on my pages. If you click on the Ad links, be careful of scams or inflated claims of performance.