Newbie Dissertation Idea

[Ford Capri]

Hello all!
I'm new here and I am currently doing a Motor-sport Engineering degree at Derby University, UK. I would like to base my final year dissertation on Hydrogen injection and run a series of tests to see if this could be a practical application for a motor-sport vehicle. I plan on doing this by buying an old diesel van (I know, not exactly a motor-sport vehicle but I'm on a student budget!) like a Ford Escort or equivalent, with a 1.8 NA diesel or around that.
I would also like to build my own electrolyser and system and plumb it in myself and run a series of before and after tests to prove/disprove the working of the system.

There is a lot of crap on the internet about it being BS and plenty of companies using this technology as "get rich quick" scams etc and I then found this forum which seems to kind of prove it's not all BS, now my question to you is, how complex, expensive and likely would it to be to get positive results to prove this technology?

Bare in mind that I will be using a 1.8 normally aspirated diesel from around the mid 90's and my budget is that of a student, so not much!

Any info and feedback would be brilliant, I have so many questions to ask but I think I will trawl through your forum to see if there are any threads which may answer them.
Many thanks, Guy

[myoldyourgold]

Build a 6 cell (7 plate) or 7 cell (8 plate) dry cell series reactor with 2 stacks. This is a 6 cell 2 stack reactor +nnnnn-nnnnn+.

Follow these three rules and you will be fine.

1. Not MORE than .5 amps/in² of active surface area on ONE plate.

2. Not MORE than 2.3 volts/cell (gap).

3. Not more than 500 ml/liter of engine size. Some engines require slightly more.

[adam001]

Hey,

Thought I would say hi...I am only a short hop away from you!!

I am at Loughborough University studying Automotive Engineering. I am planning to study hydrogen fumigation in diesel engines for my final year project!

I am building a 2 stack reactor. Using 13 plates with 2.33V across each cell most likely using KOH electrolyte.

Adam

[Ford Capri]

@ Adam, Ha! Odds of that eh?
What car are you planning on building yours on?

@ Myoldyourgold, are there any decent threads on this forum to bring me up to speed on the building and design of these systems? I have only just got the go ahead from my tutor and want to do some more research. But I will abide by your rules and hopefully get a decent result!

Are there any other engine modifications which will need to be done (other than wiring and fitting the unit)? I have read for some people that lambda's are a pain as the increase in oxygen readings means the ECU dumps more fuel in?

Thanks

[myoldyourgold]

Are there any other engine modifications which will need to be done (other than wiring and fitting the unit)? I have read for some people that lambda's are a pain as the increase in oxygen readings means the ECU dumps more fuel in?

I'll call you Ford if that is OK. The rules are a starting point. There are many variables each one possibly require some changes to the rules. It is not possible to come up with rules for every situation. Now if your diesel has an ECU this takes you to the next level. There is a lot to learn there. The best thing is to be able to reprogram the ECU. By this I mean the ability to change the amount of diesel going into the engine and change the time of injection. This is not possible for the average experimenter and so I will not get into that at any depth here. You first start by following the rules and see what happens with the car you are putting it on. At least run two tanks of fuel through it, if the thing is running go enough. It might consume more fuel during this time. These first two tanks should clean out the combustion chamber and injectors a little and help in performance. Next you will have to learn to trick the ECU to put less diesel in. To regurgitate all of this in even 10 posts will take more time than I have at the moment. The basic rule here to remember is that you will get little to no gain unless you somehow put less diesel in and replace it with HHO. Diesels are pretty efficient to begin with so just injecting HHO with out doing anything else might and might not give you a gain with out some adjustment, like an EFIE etc. You need to do a lot of study and when you get stumped come back and I will try and help you where I can.

[adam001]

My testing for my project will not involve any form of unit, I will be using bottled hydrogen and oxygen so it's all bang on.

But my series cell I'm putting on my defender

Adam

[Ford Capri]

OK, well without a mappable ECU, the only thing that i gather can be changed is the input sensors i assume, so is this where the EFIE comes into it? To adjust the voltage from the lambda sensor to correct the fuel mixture? And this I assume is adjusted manually until it is running at it's optimum? Sounds like an interesting project! Don't worry I will be doing plenty of research but just another question, roughly how much will this cost? Assuming I need to buy an EFIE of some sort.

Thanks again for the info, you have been very helpful.

[astrocady]

My testing for my project will not involve any form of unit, I will be using bottled hydrogen and oxygen so it's all bang on.

But my series cell I'm putting on my defender

Adam

Using bottled hydrogen and oxygen won't make any different, as far as what the O2 sensors reads. With HHO being introduced, the O2 sensors read more O2 present because there is less pollutants in the exhaust -- the HHO allows the fuel (either gas or diesel) to burn more completely leaving less pollutants behind. It wouldn't matter if the HHO came from bottles or from an electrolyzer. In fact, it would matter it you injected HHO or just hydrogen -- the results, as far as the O2 reading, would be the same.

However, I would be surprised if either of your vehicles even have O2 sensors. That needs to be the 1st thing y'all check. If they don't have O2 sensors, then you home free and you don't have to worry about it. On a diesel, you should see about 20% improvement without doing anything other than injecting HHO if the vehicle doesn't have any O2 sensors.

If they do have O2 sensors, then you MAY have to treat if with an effie or chip modifier. It depends on the engine. Carter is right -- run the vehicle for at least 2 tank fulls of fuel and see what happens.

[myoldyourgold]

Adam read my post on your thread for a lot more information. Ford you do the same. You guys should get together so we wont have to post in more than one spot. I answered there because of another post that needed answering.

[Ford Capri]

OK thanks again.