Electrode configuration

[danihxh]

Hello everyone!

I’m doing a research project about Hydrogen and its applications, especially the energetic ones, and I’m planning to build a Dry Cell due to demonstrate some of them, but I’ve a few questions…

First of all you should know that I want to build a cell to be powered with about 12v, so that I can use it both in a car (connected to its battery) or connected to a PWM circuit with a AC/DC converter. I want to be able to regulate the gas production by limiting the current that goes through the cell but not changing the voltage so that I can use the cell for different aplications that require differents amounts of gas: a car (if it’s possible and works well), a welding torch (so that I’ll need a flashback arrestor and all that stuff)…

Well, so now the questions… The first one is that what would be the best plate configuration to achieve a good production? I’ve read that a Dry Cell is better than a Bath Cell because they don’t have leakage due to the edges are not in the solution and about the configuration I’ve to achieve about 1,4v - 2v per gap, so I think the best configuration would be -NNNNN+, so what do you thing about that? And how many blocks like that I should put together to achieve enough production? Maybe -NNNNN+NNNNN-NNNNN+NNNNN- will be enough?

Oh, I nearly forgotten… My plates are made of steel and measure 10cm x 15cm x 1mm.

Now my second question. This is about how to build the cell. I’ve seen that a lot of Dry Cells are built in a similar way: The plates have a soft PVC or polycarbonate separator or something like that between them and a hole in the middle to allow the water flow; the two closing covers are made of methacrylate and one has a water input in the bottom and the other has a gas output in the top... and all that is packed together with long screws. So I have two different questions about all this: First, I want to know what would be better to use: soft PVC or polycarbonate; and the second one is if the following design is better than the one I’ve just explained.



And the last two questions: How can I measure the HHO production? And is there anybody who can help me with the circuit? I don’t know how to start with that… I’ve seen Patrick J. Kelly’s circuit ant it seems very confusing.

Well… I hope anyone can help me with that. Thanks in advance

[lhazleton]

Welcome to the forum. The design you have pictured above is a wet-cell reactor. Not worth the trouble.
You need to do a bit of research, as the answers to all of your questions are already covered numerous times in here.
We're all here to help, but really don't like repeating ourselves, answering the same questions over and over again.
The dry-cell reactor setup you mentioned sounds good. Basically what most of us use.
Good luck & keep us posted.

[myoldyourgold]

Lee, this could be a dry-cell if the edges and the bottom are sealed. That is a trick in its self and has been tried many times and found they leak. The other problem, if this is a dry-cell, is that the only way to keep the cells balanced is by flooding thus current leakage at the top. As the water gets used up the fill system shown would not put the same amount of water in each cell creating heat, and uneven production in the cells. Your advise of doing more research is right on.

[lhazleton]

Carter,
There is a 'gas reservoir', consisting of the top of the container, and you can clearly see that the plates sit in an open bath. There's even a friggin' sensor to keep the e/lyte from filling more than half way.
What a waste of plate area!
All I see is an inefficient wet cell that'll leak both gas and e/lyte.

[myoldyourgold]

You are right Lee, based on the drawing it is ridicules and a poor open bath reactor. I thought sense he mentioned a dry cell reactor it was just drawn poorly, and wanted to point out that even if it was a "dry-cell" it was still a piece of fecal mater. Is that clearer?

[danihxh]

Sorry, I couldn't post a photo before... The drawing is not very good.



The idea of that cell is good if it could work ideally, but it doesn’t. The case has some kind of guides cut on it where all the plates can be fitted in so they stay separated and no edges are in contact with the solution, so no leakages either, but the problem is the water distribution since, despite the water should come from the thin top tube which has a few holes drilled on the bottom, won’t be regular, so some cells will have more water than others, resulting on a possible water overflow in some of them and a drain of others.

Well, I certainly won’t build a cell like that.

[lhazleton]

You are right Lee,

Carter,
Have you EVER known me to be WRONG?????????????????? LOL