The problem of fuel resources is one of the most relevant today, and over time it will only worsen. Petroleum products, among which gasoline is one of the most consumed, are not only becoming more expensive with enviable regularity, but in the near future they promise to become very scarce goods. Therefore, it is already clear now: the future is in alternative fuels. The hydrogen engine is the very know-how that promises to solve many problems of motorists. And the best part is that you can make such a unit that generates energy for a car from water on your own, as they say, on your own!
By the way, the engine "from the water", like many miracles of scientific and technological progress, came to us from the West. “Brown gas,” as automobile hydrogen is called, is produced during electrolysis. In America, quite elementary installations have existed and sold for many years, allowing the driver to save almost 50 percent of fuel. And people who are versed in technology and have not forgotten the school course in physics and chemistry, assemble a hydrogen generator with their own hands.
From theory to practice
A trial hydrogen unit may look as follows. A small container of water is installed under the hood of the car - a container or vessel. This tank plays the role of hydrogen fuel cells. Water is ordinary, from the tap. A teaspoon of catalyst, soda is poured into it, then plates of stainless steel are immersed - 2-3 pieces. The wires of the plate are connected to the battery. When the ignition is turned on, the chemical reaction process begins, and the hydrogen engine produces the corresponding gas. And a hose with hydrogen is mounted in the air duct after the filter.
As in any unit, in our engine it is important to install everything correctly and in the right sequence. When the installation is complete, oxygen and hydrogen are extracted from the water by electrolysis. The reaction of splitting water molecules into hydrogen and oxygen atoms occurs. A mixture of gases through the intake manifold is drawn into the fuel tank of the machine, it is mixed with gasoline and then burns like ordinary fuel.
What are the benefits of a hydrogen engine if you still need gas, you ask? Great, even if while your car is still not running on pure hydrogen. The enrichment of gasoline with oxygen and hydrogen contributes to a more complete development of fuel, which at times increases engine performance. This means that if you used to spend 5 liters of gasoline per 100 km, for example, now they will last 130-150 kilometers! Not bad, huh?
And more about the pros
Once upon a time, people dreamed of making money from the air, i.e. from "nothing." A hydrogen engine allows you to get fuel from another “nothing” - from water. The advantages of hydrogen fuel are as follows:
- high environmental friendliness of the product. The exhaust gases are practically harmless and pose no threat to the environment, unlike the exhaust products of the combustion of gasoline or solariums;
- the heat of combustion of hydrogen is significant even compared to gasoline - twenty eight thousand six hundred twenty kilocalories per kilogram;
- a mixture of hydrogen and oxygen has a high flammable ability at a wide temperature range. Therefore, regardless of whether the air is hot or cold, the car moves equally well;
- working on hydrogen fuel, the machine practically does not detonate, while maintaining a soft, smooth stroke even when compressed within 14.0;
- hydrogen fuel is highly flammable at different proportions of mixing with air. Therefore, it is possible to control the quality of the air-gas mixture formed in the engine by changing the amount of mixed gas supplied (hydrogen and oxygen). If you use hydrogen (H2), you can, for the most part, not to throttle the air flow at the inlet, thereby increasing the temperature coefficient of efficiency of the machine engine in the partial load mode.
Further challenges and prospects
Today, almost all automobile concerns - BMW, Honda, Opel, Ford and others - are engaged in the development of hydrogen engines of various modifications with the prospect of introducing them into mass production and a gradual transition from gasoline to gas fuels. Tasks of a design and technical nature are as follows:
- if we take the gasoline engine as a basis , then it is necessary to increase the working volume of the cylinders in it;
- the engine must provide the necessary compression ratio for hydrogen;
- the hydrogen-air mixture ignites very quickly, so it is necessary to develop a system to prevent prematureness of this process, especially considering the possibility of reverse flashes or detonation;
- preventing the formation of nitrogen oxides in the exhaust gas when atmospheric air is used as an oxidizing agent.
These and other tasks are in the stage of intensive solution, and in the near future, most cars will run on hydrogen engines, not only homemade, but also factory ones.