Experimenting with 10"x10" nickle cell

[b1jetmech]

Well I to was wondering what happened to the sight...glad it's back in operation.

I switched plates in my "trucker" cell from the 316 SS to nickle. The cell's encasement is machined for 10"x10" so I sized the nickle plates to that.

Plate orientation is +NNNNNN- with 28% KOH.

The cell works great. At 14.5V the amp draw so far is at 45.

When the SS plates were in with the same plate orientation the amp draw was 15 at 13.8V. When the voltage is brought down to 13.5-8V the amp draw is at 12. I figure with nickle it would draw more at the same amps. However, nickle can go higher then SS when the current is greatly induced.

So far I'm thinking...nickle is good for "top" end performance but at standard voltage from a car both nickle and seem to have the same output.

When the SS version was running it put out 1.25 LPM at 15 amps..not bad. Haven't done a bottle test on nickle yet.

Here are some pics.

The first end plate and first encasement with a plate and gasket.




Some mods were done to the encasement to open up the tank area.




Here it is in action


Chase

[keiththevp]

Nice build, what do you use on the power tabs coming out the side so that they do not leak? Also at 70 amps does that thing heat up real bad? I saw the video description of 105 degrees after an hour, but most semi's run 8-12 hours so have you done a long term test to see what the temp tops out at?

[b1jetmech]

The video shows the it with -NNNN+NNNN- configuration. The temp shown was the highest it achieved during that duration run. Since then it had a +NNNNN- configuration and that is still too much. It still pulling 70-80 amps with 5N's at 25% KOH.

I added a 6th N plate and the amp draw came down to 15 from 80.

Chase

[Roland Jacques]

Nice build, what do you use on the power tabs coming out the side so that they do not leak? Also at 70 amps does that thing heat up real bad? I saw the video description of 105 degrees after an hour, but most semi's run 8-12 hours so have you done a long term test to see what the temp tops out at?

Yeah His Tucker cell is a great design.

I wondered about the tabs leaking also. A similar design i had the tabs just sealed from the gasket material but that was with very thin electrodes (and thick soft gaskets). I was thinking using thicker electrodes, you could simple bevel the sides of the tabs at a 60 -70 degree angle to a knife edge, and they might seal without any sealant.

b1jetmech,
I really like that cell to have a reservoir and cell together is real practical to me.
Do you think the beveling might work for a seal with out sealant?
Do you think your MMW is the same for nickle and SS?

[b1jetmech]

Oops! The in order to seal the tabs I have had great luck with "Marine Goop" and had no leaks. However, I don't know how well the long term affects are if it holds up.

[b1jetmech]

Yeah His Tucker cell is a great design.

I wondered about the tabs leaking also. A similar design i had the tabs just sealed from the gasket material but that was with very thin electrodes (and thick soft gaskets). I was thinking using thicker electrodes, you could simple bevel the sides of the tabs at a 60 -70 degree angle to a knife edge, and they might seal without any sealant.

b1jetmech,
I really like that cell to have a reservoir and cell together is real practical to me.
Do you think the beveling might work for a seal with out sealant?
Do you think your MMW is the same for nickle and SS?

Hey Roland,

Marine goop seals the tabs nicely. The electrode material is .075 thick so there is .030 gag between the electrode tabs and encasement. The thinner the gap the better to a certain point. But no leaks out of the tabs.

As far beveling, I don't know it's worth a try. one less thing to go wrong.

I like this design, the only draw back is the more gasket material needed as well as hardware.

I need to run an MMW test but need the cell to "run" for a while.

Chase

[b1jetmech]

b1,
That's a great looking cell (design) if only I had access to tools to fabricate a cell with that precise result. If I may ask what type of machinery are you using to cut or mill your gasket and the channeling for the solution passage. That would work great for the big motor homes.

Thanks Ben,

Sorry to break it to you...I had the parts machined at a plastic place where I live

I did the drawings then had them transferred to CAD the company then machined each plate from .250" UHMW. The cost ran me $35 dollars per encasement so all the pieces set me back $650 dollars but it's a good experiment.

I was going to go with something like this design for production but later realized I didn't want all the hardware and large gaskets.

Oh' the gaskets were cut from shower pan gasket from Home Depot which is horrible for this application especially when it's cold, HDPE would be alot better but I'm too lazy to cut all them gaskets out...LOL!

If you want something made I can hook you up with the plastic company. They are super easy to work with as well friendly! No job is too small for them.

Let me know,

Chase

[b1jetmech]

Here are some results with nickel.

Volt Amp

13.8v 30.48
13.9v 32.75
14.0v 35.30
14.1v 39.10
14.2v 40.25
14.3v 42.30
14.4v 44.80
14.5v 47.80
14.6v 51.00
14.7v 53.40


These results are with 10"x10" size plates with 6N's
(+NNNNNN-) plate orientation. 6 neutrals really make a difference. With nickle it's able to produce higher then SS at room temperature.

Nickle doesn't warm up the water like SS does. SS increases in current draw as the water warms but Nickle stays put...interesting.

I'm doing some tests with SS again.

Chase

[Stevo]

Where did you get your Nickel?

[b1jetmech]

Where did you get your Nickel?

OOps! sorry for not responding in a swift manner. I got from "MegaMex" in Houston, Tx.

It comes in 3' x 8' sheet at .031" thick. The cost...$1000 so be ready.