so i'm new to hho. well i say new. i've never built a reactor but i've been reading and lurking different forums since around '08. now i think i'm comfortable enough with the technology and that reactors are now just on the edge of becoming efficient enough to offer some real benefits in the automotive world in addition to making some really cool torches. which are much safer than having bottle of explosive/toxic gas hanging around in the garage. (oxy acetylene, i'm looking at you)
but before i get to my questions. let me give you a little background. i run an internet based automotive enthusiast show called burnout radio. last week one of our listeners wrote in and asked us to talk about the use of hydrogen as a fuel source. which got me thinking about hho or hydroxy reactors. i think they are a crucial stepping stone to fully hydrogen powered cars, be they ICE engines burning straight hydrogen or some kind of fuel cell car. hydrogen is the perfect fuel and electrolysis is the best way i can think of to make that fuel viable.
so my goal is two part. first we are going to build a test reactor which will be turned in to a hydrogen torch as a proof of concept. second we will either be buying or building a reactor to install on our 1991 Mazda Miata project car. we are currently filming a resto/mod series of episodes for a new show we are airing called car care 101. so we think it would be a perfect fit to try and edge out a few more mpg's during the build process.
both of our shows are aimed at the main stream automotive enthusiast, not your stereotypical alternative fuels junkie, so it will be interesting to see what they have to say about a technology that has long been plagued by people trying to sell miracle "run your car on water" kits and has earned a snake oil reputation as a result. we will be publishing all our results on the show. as well as a fully documented build diary. so we'll see what if any gains can be made by todays more efficient dry cell reactors.
ok now that's out of the way. lets get to the questions at hand.
1: Plate Materials
2: Electrolyte
What materials make the best plates to use in the reactor? From what i've gathered Stainless Steel of the 316L variety is the most popular but it can release hexavalent chromium. So now Titanium is being touted as the greatest thing since sliced bread. and then i keep hearing grumblings about nickel plates, but i have yet to find someone who has actually used them. So cost aside (no platinum is not in my budget, we are building a miata not a ferrari after all.) which plates should i use to build the test reactor? Which ones are going to last the longest, and produce the best results? (i.e. the most efficient)
Electrolytes can be some down right nasty stuff. But it seems everyone has settle on using either KOH or NaOH. as their electolyte of choice. neither of which are that caustic in the grand scheme of things. meaning they won't instantly eat your face if you accidentally spill some. i'm leaning towards KOH as from what i have read is does not discolor the water and it tends to stay in the reactor solution as opposed to out gassing with the HHO. Which is a big plus, as i do not want to be sucking anything in to the intake manifold that could cause chemical reactions with the engine oils or internals.
so that it for now guys. in short my questions are:
which plate material - 316L SS | Ti | Ni
which electolyte - KOH | NaOH