What looks much like craggy mountains on a moonlit evening, the Cosmic Cliffs is an area at the edge of a nearby, young, star-forming region, the rim of a gigantic, gaseous cavity, roughly 7 600 light years away. This cavernous area in the constellation Carina, has been carved from the Carina Nebula by the intense ultraviolet radiation and stellar winds from extremely massive, hot, young stars.
(Credit: NASA, ESA, CSA, and STScI)
What is ‘HHO’ or ‘hydroxy’ or ‘hydroxyl’ gas?
It is the name given for the gas produced when water is broken down by electrolysis into a mixture of hydrogen atoms, hydrogen molecules, oxygen atoms and oxygen molecules.
What is an HHO generator?
A HHO generator is a simple, compact, electrolyzer which produces low volumes of HHO gas through the process of electrolysis. When HHO gas is added to the air/fuel mixture entering the engine, it leads to a faster, cleaner burn as compared with the burn with the engine’s normal fuel. This reduces unwanted emissions, produces more pulling power, cleans out old carbon deposits inside the engine, and improves kmpl performance.
What Is HODS?
HODS stands for ‘Hydrogen on Demand Systems’ which means that HHO gas is produced by the HODS kit ONLY when it is ‘demanded’ by the system. There is no storage of gas at all, and when the engine stops and the requirement of HHO becomes zero, the electrolysis stops, and gas production stops. Therefore, at any given time, only a few ml of gas is present in the entire system, rendering it completely safe.
What is electrolysis?
Electrolysis is the process of breaking down water into it’s component gases, i.e. oxygen and hydrogen. Electrolytes are chemicals added to water to enable electrolysis. Our advanced HODS system does not require electrolytes, and can work on plain tap water. However, we recommend distilled water plus a very small amount of an electrolyte as the TDS in normal tap water is very high and tends to form a brown sludge due to the dissolved iron compounds present in the water.
What about safety?
An HODS kit is extremely safe. It operates at very low pressure, typically 0.1 psi. In case the pressure ever exceeds 2.5 psi, the system shuts down automatically. Compare this to the pressure in a hydrogen cylinder required for a hydrogen fuel cell. Such cylinders are usually at a pressure of 700 Bar (approximately 10500 psi!)
Apart from the low pressure, there is no storage of the gas in the vehicle. The electrolysis commences only when the engine starts, and shuts off when the engine is switched off. That is why it is called a ‘Hydrogen–On–Demand’ system. Further, the system shuts off when the water level falls to a critical level, and it can be completely switched off when desired. Once the kit is switched off, the vehicle becomes a ‘stock’ vehicle again, meaning as it came from the factory.
A ‘Flashback’ arrestor ensures that in case of any backfire in the engine, the system is completely protected. In any case, the quantity of gas is so small that even a backfire is completely harmless.
How much water is required?
1 litre of water produces about 1,850 litres of HHO gas. A typical 1.5 litre engine requires only about 225 ml of the gas per minute. Therefore, 1 litre of water is required for 135 hours of driving. If we assume that a 1.5 litre car will be driven for an average 4 hours a day, 1 litre of water will last for more than a month!
What happens if I forget to top the booster up with water?
The electrodes will become partially uncovered and the gas production will drop off, so you should keep an eye on the water level. There is no danger because in the absence of water, electrolysis stops and there is no production of gas at all.
Can HHO be used on a turbocharged engine?
Yes. The HHO gas is fed into the low-pressure side of the turbocharger.
Does HHO gas affect carbon build-up in the engine?
HHO gas is used as a de-carbonizer for petrol and diesel engines. When ignition takes place, the hydrogen and oxygen recombine to form super-heated steam which cleans up the cylinder and removes carbon deposits. Therefore, the engine will remain clean as long as you use the HODS system. Without the system, you may need to de-carbonize the engine from time to time.
Can you run your car only on water with the HODS system?
It is not possible to run a car ONLY on HHO gas, though there are people all over the world working on it. For the moment, the HODS system is just an emission control system, and a fuel saving system. We believe that the transition from hydrocarbon fuel to water will happen eventually, but the technology is not available today.
How does a hydrogen generator work?
12 volts from your car battery (actually about 14 volts from the alternator circuit) going to electrodes in a water container separates hydrogen gas on the cathode (-ve) electrode and oxygen gas on the anode (+ve) electrode. In the traditional system, an electrolyte is added to increase the conductivity of water. The combined HHO gas is mixed with the air/fuel mixture and fed directly into the engine. The addition of HHO leads to a faster, cleaner burn ensuring that exhaust emissions are decreased and fuel economy is enhanced. Therefore, the HHO gas is not a fuel, but a combustion catalyst for hydrocarbon fuel based engines. The gas production remains on only as long as the engine is turning over. As soon as the engine stops, the gas production also stops. There is no storage at all, and that’s why it is called an HODS (Hydrogen-0n-Demand System). The whole idea is to make the amount of gas needed, when it is needed.
Will the HOD void my warranty?
Once the HODS kit is permitted to be installed in India, there should be no complication regarding warranty, just like a CNG kit does not void a car’s warranty. There is nothing about the HOD system itself that can cause damage to the car. It is inherently safe, with no high pressure, and no storage of hydrogen.