Posted this elsewhere on the forum, but here goes anyhow:
The Nature of HHO...
I have yet to see anyone speak to the fact that using HHO in an engine allows for the extraction of more energy from gasoline/diesel fuels by reducing waste.
This seems to be the main point that a lot of folks are missing out on, IMHO.
HHO doesn't create energy so much as liberate it. Under normal conditions, only about 25% of the energy stored in petroleum-based fuels is used for mechanical work before being deposited into the exhaust line.
Gasoline molecules are long, multi-chained branches of hydrocarbons that burn slowly, especially when compared to hydrogen molecules that combust with 3x the detonation velocity. These hydrocarbon chains don't ignite oxygen all at once. Instead, they continue to burn after exiting the engine into the exhaust line and on out the tailpipe, where the energy given off is wasted as heat and emission products. That these molecules continue to burn even after they exit the vehicle should give an idea of available energy that is ordinarily wasted.
The idea behind using HHO in automobiles is to make more efficient use of petroleum fuels that are normally under-utilized. Mixing HHO with petroleum fuels before combustion/compression creates a more complete burn that translates into more available energy.
Tuning the engine so that it can make use of this increase in available energy is what creates more power and/or fuel savings.
As far as I can see, HHO is an effective way of making better use of petroleum fuels in existing engine lines. The degree to which you are capable of tuning and tweaking the engine will play a significant role in yielding the fuel savings, power increases and/or emission reductions that HHO systems promise.
Very few of these systems will offer considerable plug-and-play benefits, lending to the opinion that they are 'scams'. I'm willing to concede that there are probably a few of these systems that do not work as advertised or suffer from shoddy craftsmanship. However, it should be noted that it takes a little bit of work beyond installing the system to get optimal MPG increases.
What I want to emphasize is that few engines are designed to make use of the increased available energy provided in HHO co-fire systems. It is up to the installer/owner/mechanic to tune the engine so that it can handle the increase in available energy. If left alone, most engine lines will actually increase the amount of fuel being sent to the combustion/compression chamber due to the increased oxygen being sensed by O2 sensors, etc leading to sub-optimal fuel economy gains (and even decreases in some cases.)
For those looking for a well-designed and documented HHO kit build, check out the folks at
ZeroFossilFuel. I mention them b/c they seem to have put a considerable amount of time into their research, as well as their build. Certainly more than most.
Unfortunately, the same cannot be said for their site design
What I would like to be able to find on this forum (or others) are some people who can offer assistance or advice on tuning MB diesel engine lines for HHO systems, similar to what can be found
here.
I'm looking at mod'ing my '84 300CDT w/ a homebrew HHO kit along the lines of a ZFF system. Just want to see if anyone on this forum has had success with hydrogen on-demand in diesel lines.