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Hydrogen-Boost Newsletter 11-01-01
Following is the report filed with International Clean
Energy Consortium at the conclusion of Hydrogen-Boost performance tests in
Switzerland during the last week of October,2001.
Hydrogen-Boost
Gas Mileage Enhancement System
Switzerland Certification Tests
Summary of testing: Arrival of Fran Giroux on October
23, 2001. Original plan was to test an Opel Kadet station wagon.
Fran suggested testing a more modern version, one with multi-port fuel
injection. A larger Opel Ascona with 1.8 liter engine and 5-speed
manual transmission was selected. It wasn’t discovered until later that
this vehicle had no oxygen sensor and hence no automatic adjustment of the
injected fuel to compensate for the components of the system to be installed.
Wednesday morning October 24, 2001 a baseline test drive was
performed with Martin driving and Fran observing. For standardization
purposes it was agreed that the speed would be regulated by the speed limit
unless traffic prohibited. The chosen route was a 97 kilometer route from
Zollbruck to Ramsei to Hutwill to Willisau to Wolhusen to Langnau to
Zollbruck. On a few of the test drives additional kilometers were
driven. On one test drive a 9 kilometer navigation error from
Langnau toward Bern and back to Langnau was driven. Caution was taken to
keep the driving style the same except during two maximum efficieny test drives
by Fran during which he engaged driving techniques outlined in the
Hydrogen-Boost Operator’s Manual.
Wednesday afternoon the installation started on the Opel
Ascona with some difficulty obtaining and installing heater hose
connections. Regular garden hose was used and brass tees were fabricated
by Jacob. During installation the electrolyte (chemical brought by Fran
and “battery water” supplied by Jacob) inserted into the hydrogen-generator
leaked out because of a loose clamp on the lower rubber cap (this was left
loose for the airline flight in case during baggage inspection an inspector
needed to see inside, to insure the device was not a bomb. A second batch
of electrolyte depleted the supply of chemicals brought by Fran. When
installation was nearly complete it was discovered that no oxygen sensor
existed on the vehicle.
During supper Fran was briefed by a Volkswagen mechanic on
how the Mass Air Flow (MAF) sensor operated and could be adjusted. It was
advised that Fran should not attempt this without Jacob’s help. As it
turned out, after initially opening the top of the MAF, Jacob was busy each
time the help was needed and with the communication difficulties Fran risked
adjusting the MAF alone and succeeded in doing so with no damage to the
system.
Thursday morning after only adjusting the potentiometer of
the MAF (but not the spring tension) the Opel was ready for an initial test
drive with Hydrogen-Boost installed. There was no navigator available so
Fran navigated himself as he drove the course. Numerous gasoline leaks
were noticed by observing the “rainbow spots” on the wet pavement before and after
the test drive. No repair was made before the test drive because it was
thought that the leaking gasoline may have been from overflowing it during
fill-up. The results of the test drive were disappointing so more work
was done fixing leaks and figuring out how to adjust the MAF without
damage. Also during this test drive the bolt protruding out of the end of
the steering tie rod ripped a hole in the bottom rubber cap causing the
electrolyte to leak out again. Enough electrolyte was captured from the
two spills, including some that was scooped up from the floor with a shovel, to
fill the hydrogen generator one more time (some of the electrolyte having been
contaminated by the floor).
Friday morning another test drive was performed by Fran
alone with the contaminated electrolyte in a hydrogen generator which now had a
welded stainless steel bottom to prevent further leaks. This test
included the driving techniques outlined in the instruction manual. It
was also noticed that during the test drive that the current drawn by the
hydrogen generator decreased throughout the trip and at the end dropped to
about 1 amp. Inspection of the electrolyte showed a precipitate in every
sample of electrolyte mixed including the residual from each time we changed
the electrolyte. The results of the test were hard to calculate because
when filling the tank before the test there were two major leaks at the filling
station. Two and a half glass jars of leaking gasoline were collected
including some that was siphoned from the tank to bring the gasoline level down
below the leaks. These jars were carried in the vehicle during the test
and one spilled on the floor of the rear passenger side seat. When
returning to the filling station Fran brought a funnel a large container and the
three jars. By filling the jars to the level collected at the beginning
of the test, and refilling the tank it was calculated that 2 liters of gasoline
was spilled. Subtracting this from the 5.79 gallons it took to fill the
tank, it was calculated that 3.79 liters were used during the test. This was
ignoring the continuous two hours drip that was coming from a consistent leak
that was calculated to be about 0.1 liter. It also ignored the volume of
gasoline that landed on the pavement on the filling station (about 0.2
liters). Adjusting for these gives a total volume used during the test
drive of 3.49
liters.
Arrangements were made with Martin to obtain some alternate
chemical from a chemical distributor, which was mixed again with the battery
water supplied by Jacob. Again there was a precipitate in this new
solution so Fran suspected a mineral content in the “battery water” supplied by
Jacob. A new batch was mixed with rain water collected in a concrete
basin behind Jacob’s garage. This too was cloudy with some solids
floating on top but not as bad as the other samples.
The hydrogen generator was disassembled and thoroughly
cleaned. It was noticed that the positive side of each interior electrode
was now a golden brown color instead of the silvery stainless steel color as
before. It was suspected that the “battery water” contained a mineral
that electroplated onto the positive side of each electrode causing the color
change.
Friday afternoon another test drive was done by Fran
engaging the driving techniques in the operator’s manual. Results were
again as good as expected.
On Saturday morning Rolf drove a test drive with Fran
navigating , with no problems with the systems including the hydrogen
generator, electrolyte, leaks, or spills.
A tabulation of the test results follows:
Driver Navigator Distance Fuel
used l/100km improve
mpg improve driving style/notes
Martin Fran 98
7.24
7.38 base 30.0
base no
Fran none
107 6.09
5.69 -23.0 39.0
30% no/leaks, no MAF adjust
Fran none
97 3.49
3.60 -51.1 61.7
106% yes / leaks, spill
Fran none
98 3.52
3.59 -51.1 61.7
106% yes
Rolf Fran
100 4.69
4.69 -37% 50.1
58% no
Emissions Test Results
When the hydrogen boost system was installed and properly
adjusted, the hydrocarbon and carbon-monoxide emissions were greatly
reduced. No provision was available for testing NOx emissions at Jacob’s
garage but these tests are expected to be made at the Touring Club of
Switzerland testing facilities. The following is a tabulation of the
emissions tests performed at Jacob’s garage.
Test Hydrocarbons Carbon
Monoxide Carbon Dioxide
Baseline 200
PPM 2.00 %
12.9 % at 1000 RPM
After installation 97 PPM 0.18
% 6.7%
at 1000 RPM
After test drive 119 PPM 0.13
% 4.6%
at 1000 RPM
Before Sat. drive 90 PPM
0.72% 14.2%
at 2000 RPM
Before Sat. drive 89 PPM
0.44% 4.4%
at 1000 RPM
After Sat. drive 175 PPM
0.26% 13.5%
at 950 RPM
Conclusions: The Hydrogen-Boost Gas Mileage
Enhancement System was suitable for the Opel Ascona despite the antiquity of
the fuel management system on the engine. Although automatic adjustments
and compensations that are expected from a modern electronic fuel injection
system were not available on this vehicle, compromises were able to be made and
adjustments were adequate to achieve great reductions in fuel consumption and
hence great gains in distance traveled per liter/gallon. Emissions tests
also proved the Hydrogen-Boost System was well suited for this
vehicle. Note that Hydrocarbon emissions were basically cut in half and
Carbon Monoxide emissions were reduced by as much as 90%. Hydrocarbon
emissions could have been further reduced with the use of another component that
was not included in this installation. This component, called a PCV jar,
is placed in the hose between the PCV valve and the intake manifold, and
collects the heavy oily hydrocarbon molecules that now pass on to the intake
manifold and are incompletely burned. Collecting these molecules in the
PCV jar prevents the HC emissions caused by their combustion in the engine.
Description of the Components of the
Hydrogen-Boost System
Hydrogen Generator
The Hydrogen-Boost System’s hydrogen generator is of
proprietary design and electrolyte. Any divulgence of the design of the
hydrogen generator or the composition of the electrolyte is strictly prohibited
by the licensing agreement. The hydrogen generator operates on 12-14
volts DC and is compatible with any 12 volt vehicle electrical system.
The hydrogen generator is switched on by a 30 amp relay with signal from the
fuel pump relay or fuel injector circuit that is on only when the engine is
running. The hydrogen generator produces between one and two liters of
gas (hydrogen and oxygen mixed) per minute depending on electrolyte
concentration, current flow, and cleanness of the electrodes. Under high
output conditions the hydrogen generator will also produce water vapor and a
water mist that may contain a minute amount of electrolyte which is filtered
out by the engine’s air filter, when properly installed. The purpose of
the hydrogen injected into the engine is to accelerate the flame front from the
spark plug to the outer reaches of the combustion chamber so that more of the
fuel/air mix is combusted during the early portion of the power stroke when it
can be used to push the piston.
Fuel Heater
Two styles of fuel heaters are available from
Hydrogen-Boost, one installed inside the upper radiator hose and the other
spliced into the heater hose circuit. The heater hose external heater was
installed in the Opel. The purpose of the fuel heater is to add extra
energy to the fuel so that when it is injected into the engine, more of it is
vaporized. This causes more complete combustion at the early part of the
power stroke and thereby reducing the amount of fuel needed to produce the
power needed.
Fuel Vaporization Circuit and Canister
The vaporization circuit is a small, valve metered, metal
fuel line (2-3mm OD) that is teed into the fuel line after the fuel heater and
is routed to a source of high heat which vaporizes the fuel and routs it
through a slightly larger metal tube to a jar where any liquid droplets are
also vaporized. These vapors are then routed to the intake manifold for
entry into the combustion chamber. This circuit simply vaporizes an
additional amount of fuel than what is vaporized inside the engine. Of
course with this additional vapor, some means of reducing the amount of liquid
fuel being injected must be implemented. With most modern vehicles this
is done automatically by the ECU (electronic control unit). On the tested
Opel this adjustment had to be done by adjusting the MAF sensor.
Compromises had to be made such that any idling under 1000 RPM indicated a
fuel/air mix that was too rich. With most oxygen sensor controlled ECU’s
the HC emissions would have been further reduced at idle.
EFIE Device (electronic fuel injection enhancer)
This device is normally used to add an adjustable amount of
voltage, usually less than 500 mili-amps, to the signal from the oxygen
sensor. This is used as a method of leaning out the fuel/air mixture in
oxygen sensor controlled ECU vehicles. This device was not used in the
Opel installation because there was no oxygen sensor. Note that normally
when the EFIE device is used alone, power is lost because of the extra lean
mixture.
XCEL Plus Engine Treatment
Excel Plus is an engine treatment that has been verified to
reduce internal engine friction. It come in two parts, one installed in
the gasoline and the other installed in the engine oil. The oil added
component is good for 80,000 kilometers and the gasoline added portion is good
for 25,000 kilometers. XCEL Plus is not a Teflon oil additive, which does
not work at decreasing internal engine friction.
Amsoil Series 2000 0w-30 Motor Oil.
This engine oil further reduces the friction and the
internal engine drag caused by oil viscosity. Other brands of synthetic
oil have not been tested by Hydrogen-Boost and may work as well. Note
that this is not a synthetic blend oil, which is one part synthetic oil and
four parts regular petroleum oil. This is a 100% synthetic oil which does
not need to be changed every 5000 kilometers. Change interval is 35,000
miles It is more expensive but it lasts longer and it saves fuel.
Other Synthetic Lubricants
Transmission oil, rear end differential gear oil and grease
can be replaced with synthetic equivalents that will further reduce drive train
drag and friction. This installation did not include these lubricants,
which would have caused further improvements in efficiency.
Increased Tire Pressure
This installation used a tire pressure of 50 psi (pounds per
square inch, 3.5 atmosphere/bar), which some people will complain about.
For those who cannot bring themselves to drive on normal tires with 50 psi, I
suggest they purchase low rolling resistance tires available with recommended
pressures of 40-50 psi. (one atmosphere equals 14.7 psi, normal pressure
is 2 atmospheres, Hydrogen-Boost operates at 3.5 atmospheres).
Driving Habits (Human Behavior)
As can be seen in the tabulated test results above, driving
habits can make a big difference in fuel efficiency (3.6 liters/100 km versus
4.7 liters/100 km). When reporting test drive results
Hydrogen-Boost usually reports whether driving habits were incorporated into a
test drive. In this report results of both conditions are reported and
noted.
Effects of Each Component of
The Hydrogen-Boost System
Effects of each component of the Hydrogen-Boost System will
vary with the vehicle upon which it is installed. Some components have an
independent effect and some components work together to have an accumulative
effect that is greater than the effects of each of the individual components
combined. The accumulative effect will be greater than the mathematical
sum of the indivdual effects of the components. For instance the fuel
heater, the vaporization circuit and canister, and the hydrogen generator work
together to produce an effect greater than the sum of their individual
effects.
An illustration will help you understand this concept.
Let’s look at a farmer, a plow and an ox. The ox will not do much plowing
by itself and neither will the plow, likewise neither will the farmer.
Even the ox and the farmer will do little together without the plow, and
neither will the farmer and the plow without the ox, and so forth. But if
you put all three together you’ll be able to plow a whole field in a day.
Likewise with the hydrogen generator and the fuel heater and the vaporizer.
Following is an estimate of the effects of the individual
components of the Hydrogen-Boost System. Remember some can work alone and
some work together.
Hydrogen Generator
-5% to 25% increase in mpg (+4% to -10% improvement in fuel consumption)
The hydrogen generator depends on vaporized fuel to do its
job. On engines that have a provision for adequate vaporization of fuel,
the hydrogen generator will make improvements by itself. However on some
engines the hydrogen does nothing by itself except use electrical power that
must be generated by the alternator, hence the negative improvement
possibility. Also on any engine that does not have the ability to automatically
adjust or compensate for the effects caused by the hydrogen generator there
will likely be a decrease in efficiency. Such was the case with the Opel
above until the MAF was adjusted.
Fuel Heater
0 % to 15% increase in mpg (0 % to -8% improvement in fuel consumption)
On an engine that already has adequate fuel heating, the
addition of an external fuel heater will likely do nothing for you.
However most engines have very little provision for fuel heating. With
these a modest improvement can be obtained but the real improvements come with
the use of the fuel heater with the hydrogen generator together.
Vaporization Circuit and Canister
-5% to 25% increase in mpg (+4% to -10% improvement in fuel consumption)
Once again there is a possibility of a negative gain.
On an engine that has no ability to adjust or compensate for the extra fuel
being taken into the engine in the form of vapor, a vaporizer is only going to
make you fuel/air mixture more rich, which will not only waste fuel but dirty
up the inside of your engine. On some modern vehicles the EFIE device
might have to be used with the vaporizer or the fuel heater or the hydrogen
generator.
Amsoil Series 2000 0w-30 Motor Oil
2 % to 5% increase in mpg (-1% to -3% improvement in fuel consumption)
Here is a component that will work by itself even without
the other components but again this component will work even better in
conjunction with XCEL Plus engine treatment. When used on an engine that
has been poorly maintained and contains black gritty oil, this component will
make a big difference. A little less improvement will be obtained with an
engine that is well maintained but still the synthetic oil will do better than
the petroleum based oil in any engine.
EXCEL Plus Engine Treatment
3% to 10% increase in mpg (-1% to -5% improvement in fuel consumption)
Again this product will absolutely work by itself to cause
improvements, more so on a worn engine or a new engine. On a mid-life
engine that is fairly slippery or on one that might have already had a real
engine treatment, the improvement will be less obvious. Again this
component will likely work better in conjunction with other components.
Increased Tire Pressure
3% to 15% increase in mpg (-1% to -8% improvement in fuel consumption)
Increased tire pressure can improve your efficiency a great
deal if you are willing to use it. Tires with little tread will encounter
the greatest improvements. Tires with deep tread will encounter less
improvement because the drag caused by those tires is caused mostly by the
tread, especially when they are properly inflated.
Driving Habits (Human Behavior)
10% to 50% increase in mpg (-5% to -20% improvement in fuel consumption)
Driving habits are the biggest and only truly independent
contributor to efficiency. Almost everyone would benefit by reading and
applying the driving and maintenance tips in the Hydrogen-Boost Operator’s
manual. The only people who probably know of and apply the tips already
are those who compete in efficiency contests. Most people contacted by
Hydrogen-Boost who claim to be efficient drivers don’t even apply half of what
is in the manual and could probably increase their mileage by 20% more than
their present efficient habits. When used with the rest of the
Hydrogen-Boost System there are very few vehicles that can’t double their city
mileage over that which is reported by EPA.
Summary
Many of the components of the Hydrogen-Boost System work
best in conjunction with other components. Don’t expect to be able to
leave out a major component without suffering more than the individual
improvement of that component. The Hydrogen-Boost System is a system, not
a device, and like most systems will not work without its major
components. The best investment you can make is to incorporate the whole
system to any vehicle you drive.
End of report
In the above report a component was referred to that had not
previously been a part of the Hydrogen-Boost System. This component, the
vaporization circuit and canister, will be incorporated soon into the product
line at www.hydrogen-boost.com and will likely sell for less then $100,
depending on final design and equipment included.
Hydrogen-Boost web
pages and all information contained therein are hereby copyrighted.
Reproduction,
alteration, or any other use of the information (in part or in entirety)
contained on these pages
is strictly forbidden without express written permission of the author.