FUEL SAVING TIPS

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Using Water Fuel For Cars

by Adrian Fletcher

Given the inexorable rise in gas prices of late, water as fuel for cars is getting a closer inspection by many people. Despite what the name might suggest, an engine that runs on water wouldn’t really be running on the water itself, but instead extracting the hydrogen gas from the water to be used as fuel. By using certain specialized equipment, the hydrogen can be separated from the oxygen in water and injected into the car’s fuel lines.

There are two common methods for obtaining automobile fuel from water. One type uses hydrogen gas as a complement to your car’s engine performance (which is powered by petroleum gas). The second typed is fueled by hydrogen gas which is produced either on or off the vehicle.

Hybrid hydrogen gas systems reduce the amount of gasoline your vehicle uses thus extending your miles per gallon while also reducing your vehicle emissions, as the combination of gas and hydrogen gives a cleaner burn, zero emissions fuel. When burned by itself with only oxygen, hydrogen emissions are just water vapor.

Kits for converting to water as fuel for cars range in price from less than a hundred dollars for plans to build your own system using easy to find parts from auto parts and hardware stores, to kits costing several thousand dollars that include everything needed to convert your vehicle. True water as fuel for cars systems convert your vehicle to one hundred percent hydrogen fuel. This type of system is the most expensive and complicated to install but when you are done your visits to the gas station are over. Using much larger water holding tanks, or fuel cells with internal hydrogen processing equipment, these systems typically require much more room in the vehicle to install.

If you live near a facility that produces hydrogen, such as a hydrogen fuel station or production plant, you can get a system that has a tank where you can pump in hydrogen gas. These facilities do the work of converting water into hydrogen fuel, so you don’t have to extract the hydrogen yourself.

Auto manufacturers like as Honda and BMW will likely feature storage tanks for extra water as fuel for cars as hydrogen fueling systems are not very common. These new hydrogen/gasoline hybrid systems will actually be the same type of gasoline engines currently in use that will be modified to allow the use of hydrogen gas as fuel.

The water as fuel for cars technology or the creating of hydrogen gas as a fuel, has existed for over one hundred of years and has been used in many different devices. It is even used in outer space. Due to various technical complications and the relative ease that existed in finding oil for gasoline, not much effort has been put into hydrogen gas technology. Given the finite nature of oil and the increase in fuel prices this could very well change in the next few years. It will be many years before hydrogen filling stations dot the nation, but you can fuel your car with water for gas technology right now.

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Posted by Adrian Fletcher on October 25th, 2008 No Comments

Hydrogen Gas Fuel - Flexible Energy Source

by Adrian Fletcher

Hydrogen is the most abundant chemical element on the planet. It is found in water and almost every other natural material and in every living thing. Algae, plants, and composting material are all rich sources of hydrogen. The abundance of hydrogen means that it is viewed as a potential source of fuel for many man-made machines. For instance, hydrogen gas fuel can theoretically replace fossil fuels in most of their uses without being concerned with depleting the resource considerably. Separating hydrogen from its chemical bond to these elements produces hydrogen gas fuel. Heat and water are the only emissions produced when mixing this purest form of hydrogen gas fuel with pure oxygen and igniting it, which is as environmentally friendly as you can get.

There are pros and cons involved with each of the different methods of distilling hydrogen to its purest form, which include emissions created from the refining process, and finding an efficient and cost-effective way to produce hydrogen gas fuel. In the United States, steam methane reforming is the method most commonly used at this time and involves heating natural gas at varying temperatures to extract the hydrogen.

When building hydrogen production facilities, location is a major concern. However, as a long term project they are worth it under the electrolysis method, as no harmful greenhouse gas emissions are produced. New infrastructure would almost certainly be required if the level of hydrogen gas fuel needed to satisfy mainstream demand were to be created; this would make start-up costs a rather expensive proposition. The use of electricity generated through means such as wind power or solar panels could allow us to employ electrolysis (the process of passing an electrical current through water via an ionic transfer device), a technology that we are already utilizing in a more cost-efficient and environmentally responsible manner.

Hydrogen’s versatility allows it to be stored and transported as either a liquid or gas. In vapor form, it is possible to transport hydrogen gas fuel up to a distance of two hundred miles from the facility. In liquid form, hydrogen gas fuel can withstand transporting up to one thousand miles if placed in super-insulated tanks.

Hydrogen gas fuel has the greatest energy to weight ratio of all known and commercially available fuels. When compared to gasoline, hydrogen gas fuel produces roughly three times the amount of energy we obtain from gasoline (with no carbon dioxide or sulfur emissions) and over six times the amount of energy we obtain from coal.

Hydrogen gas fuel remains efficient through a much wider combination of air fuel mixtures than gasoline. This results in greater combustion efficiency. Hydrogen gas fuel would have a rating equivalent to an octane rating of one hundred thirty, exceeding the highest octane gasoline currently available at the gas pump.

Hydrogen gas fuel could help us power nearly anything - from large cities to cellular phones, moped to rocket ships while still being eco-friendly. Transport vehicles can be designed to run on hydrogen gas fuel or retrofitted to be able to use it. As gasoline prices continue to rise, we will soon see if hydrogen gas fuel will be a workable replacement for gasoline. Provided the right structures can be set in place and continued research continues apace, it may be the solution to creating an abundant and environmentally fuel.

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Posted by Adrian Fletcher on October 14th, 2008 No Comments

Options For Installing A Hydrogen Gas Saver Kit

by Adrian Fletcher

If rising gas prices have you worried and you have the interest and skills to do basic mechanical jobs on your vehicle, you may want to consider installing a hydrogen gas saver in your car. Among the benefits that you can see by installing this system are increase in gas mileage, considerable reduction in emissions and reduction in operating costs. Further, hydrogen gas is environment friendly, making it even more worthwhile.

There are two routes to installing a hydrogen gas saver system. There are plans available for purchase for the person who is handy or knows someone who is. The items to build this system can be found at most automotive outlets, home improvement stores or specialty distributors. Depending on your plans and where you purchase your supplies, the construction of your hydrogen gas saver can run anywhere from less than $200 to several thousand dollars. There are plenty of internet sites where you can purchase step-by-step instructions to install so-called water for gas units.

Hydrogen gas saver modification kits are primarily small hydrogen plants for producing hydrogen from water in your vehicle, thereby earning its’ nickname of water for gas. This type of installation usually requires using water and can generate hydrogen gas from the water using electricity from the vehicle’s charging system. Water molecules contain hydrogen gas and oxygen gas in the chemical form H2O. Hydrogen is separated from water and is then added to the air fuel mixture already introduced into your vehicle through the induction system. Hydrogen gas saver kits or systems of this category are suitable for vehicles from all terrain vehicles such as ATV’s to yachts.

If you don’t want to tackle installing a hydrogen gas saver kit yourself, the best way for adding hydrogen power to your vehicle is to have a hydrogen gas saver system professionally installed, by either a manufacturer or a licensed installer trained and certified by a manufacturer.

You will probably have difficulty locating installation centers in areas where there is no hydrogen plant or hydrogen fueling stations nearby. The technology is new enough that most places do not commonly have conversion services for installation of hydrogen gas saver. In the absence of an installation center you could approach the closest center to you or consult others for information about retrofitting your vehicle. Some of the online guides for these systems also list people that are experienced in making and installing the system based on location.

The majority of companies that offer conversion kits or installation instructions to change your car’s fuel system to a hydrogen gas saver system claim that installing these kits will not affect your vehicle’s manufacturer’s warranty, but you need to confirm this with your car dealer or even the head office of the car manufacturer. Regardless of whether their answer is positive or negative, you should make certain to get written confirmation or at least keep a record of who you spoke to and the date.

No matter what type of installation you choose, converting your vehicle’s fuel to a hydrogen gas saver model can be the right choice for your wallet and the environment. Certain kits might even qualify for a tax credit from the IRS when tax time rolls around putting even more money in your pocket.

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Posted by Adrian Fletcher on October 8th, 2008 No Comments

Producing Hydrogen Gas As An Energy Resource

by Adrian Fletcher

Hydrogen gas has the potential to be one of the planet’s most flexible fuels, because there are so many different ways in which to generate it. In a regular plant production setting, producing hydrogen gas can be started with raw materials like coal, natural gas, algae or biological wastes such as natural organic waste material.

Producing hydrogen gas from raw materials such as coal or biomass is called gasification, which requires heating the raw materials at a variety of extremely high temperatures, followed by a cooling, separation and purification process. The resulting hydrogen gas can then be used for any traditional fuel needs, or used as fuel to generate electricity. Coal gasification, when used to produce hydrogen gas as a fuel for generating electricity, produces much lower emissions than the traditional coal fueled power plant.

Producing hydrogen gas from water is by far one of the cleanest production methods in terms of environmental concerns. It can be accomplished in several ways, including electrolysis, which uses electrical current to separate the hydrogen gas from water and is the most versatile production method. With environmental concerns to the for, this method can be powered by renewable electrical energy sources such as wind turbines, solar panels, geothermal, and even water driven generators such as water wheels. This method can also be powered by nuclear generated electricity.

In Thermochemical Water Splitting, water is heated at high temperatures with certain chemicals to create a chemical reaction that separates the hydrogen from the water. This process is usually found at nuclear power plants. The High Temperature Electrolysis process used for producing hydrogen gas is the same as electrolysis fueled by electricity except that this method utilizes heat generated by nuclear power generation directly, instead of using electric current to bring water to the appropriate temperature.

Steam Methane Reformation is currently the most used method for producing hydrogen gas from natural gas. A two-step process, the first step of this method creates steam and synthesis gas from the natural gas. Step two separates the hydrogen from this synthesis gas. This method produces more pollution than electrolysis, but is the method currently used for 95% of all hydrogen production in the United States.

By using a technique called Photo-Biological Production, hydrogen can be extracted from algae or bacteria contained in wastewater. In this method, the algae are kept from access to sulfur. This results in their emitting hydrogen instead of oxygen. This method uses waste and renewable materials as its feedstock, and is thus attracting a great deal of attention as being the “greenest” method.

When compared with fossil fuel production, producing hydrogen gas to be used to power any form of motor or engine seems to be a better proposition going forward. Fossil fuels are a finite resource that has a limited future. As abundant in supply as hydrogen naturally is, it will be an important fuel in the future, no matter how it is generated.

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Posted by Adrian Fletcher on October 1st, 2008 No Comments

How Hydrogen Powered Cars Work

by Adrian Fletcher

There are a number of methods used to produce hydrogen fuel. Some of these include incinerating garbage in order to heat water or natural gas to the degree necessary to release the hydrogen which is present. Of course we can’t just put our old banana peels in the tank and drive off, but those banana peels can be part of fuel production in a hydrogen production facility. Hydrogen powered cars that benefit directly from the work that your banana peels are doing now are on the horizon.

There are several different ways in which cars can be adapted to run on hydrogen fuel, and eliminating the need to burn gasoline at all. The same exact internal combustion engine used for gasoline powered vehicles can be used for hydrogen powered cars with modifications to burn hydrogen as the energy source.

An existing auto can be modified to use only hydrogen fuel, completely eliminating the need for gasoline as the fuel source. You can also buy a kit or instructions to make a kit for your car that will add hydrogen to your car’s current gasoline-air mixture. Installing such a kit will reduce your vehicle’s pollution output and greatly improve its gas mileage.

Hydrogen powered cars leave no carbon footprint, thanks to being approximately 300% more efficient with fuel than vehicles using traditional gasoline fuels. Electric vehicles can also be made to use hydrogen fuel for on-board power generation. Built-in holding tanks can feed the hydrogen into fuel cells which in turn convert it into electricity and supply power to all vehicle systems.

Hydrogen fuel is cheaper to produce in addition to being a truly renewable source of energy. It takes 300 billion gallons of water to refine the gasoline Americans burn each year, but it would only take 100 billion gallons to refine the same amount of hydrogen fuel. As a result, hydrogen costs about half as much per gallon as gasoline.

Every major car maker is testing a different line of hydrogen powered cars. Several of these vehicles will be available in limited numbers starting this year. You will see more of these vehicles as the infrastructure for fueling hydrogen-powered cars is expanded. Several of these car makers are going further by researching home hydrogen production systems, which will be able to supply hydrogen fuel for your car and electricity for your house.

Hydrogen powered cars are at least as safe as any gasoline-powered car. The hydrogen comes in specially designed tanks that won’t leak any hydrogen fuel, even under extreme conditions.

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Posted by Adrian Fletcher on September 29th, 2008 No Comments

How A Hydrogen Generator For Cars Works

by Adrian Fletcher

Imagine a tiny power plant small enough to fit under the hood of your car. With your own hydrogen generator for cars, this is the possibility of hydrogen fuel for cars. Hydrogen as a fuel for cars has a great range of benefits. It costs less than gasoline, offers better mileage than gasoline and puts out low to zero emissions.

One major drawback of converting your vehicle to run on hydrogen is the lack of hydrogen fueling stations is most areas. If you happen to live near a hydrogen fuel production facility, you can probably obtain fuel easily, if not you must produce your own.

A common way to produce hydrogen gas is called electrolysis. This method produces hydrogen by means of sending electrical currents through water creating a condition that separates the hydrogen and oxygen from the water. The hydrogen will go to one terminal and the oxygen to the other. By storing this hydrogen gas or passing it to a motor or engine that can handle hydrogen gas, you can power a vehicle. There are even plans available to purchase that teach you how to create your own water for gas systems that produce hydrogen and is used as a hybrid with ordinary gasoline.

There is more than one way to make use of a hydrogen generator for cars. You can install a combination system that uses hydrogen produced by a small electrolysis system that gets its power from the existing electrical system in your vehicle. A system to make hydrogen fuel can be made from already designed plans using regular materials that can be found at hardware stores, but some of the more intricate parts need to be special ordered. Complete on-board generator systems are the other possiblity for generating enough hydrogen to be the sole source of fuel.

The hybrid hydrogen generator for cars method is a way to save money on gas and help the environment at the same time. With this method, small amounts of hydrogen gas are pushed into the inlet manifold and from there to your vehicle’s air/fuel lines using the vehicle’s intake system. this combination of hydrogen gas and gasoline means less gasoline is consumed resulting in few emissions while yielding higher fuel efficiency.

You can replace your vehicle’s gasoline requirements wholly with hydrogen fuel by putting in place a hydrogen generator for cars, which produces enough fuel to power the vehicle. You’ll need a miniature electrolysis system for such generation and facilities to store both the generated hydrogen as well as the electrolysis system. A few modifications are necessary to implement to make this complex and expensive method for the production of hydrogen fuel. But when it is complete you get a zero emission vehicle and you pay about two-thirds less than what gasoline-powered version would cost to drive.

All things being equal, it makes better sense and is more cost-effective at this point in time to have a hybrid hydrogen generator for cars. There is a limited amount of stations that offer hydrogen fueling and it is hard to repair a hydrogen generator right now, therefore going hybrid appears the safer choice. Indeed, it makes no sense buying a car and then converting it to hydrogen. Let the car manufacture wear this cost as they will also probably provide a warranty. You may void your current warranty if you go down this route. Rather try the hybrid option as this should not void the warranty and is fairly easy to install.

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Posted by Adrian Fletcher on September 20th, 2008 No Comments