Tag: n
(→‎External links: rm List of commercial fuel generators - mostly off topic (v general) and source site often has pseudoscience)
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== External links ==
== External links ==
* [[Wikipedia:Alternative ICE fuel generator]]
* [[Wikipedia:Alternative ICE fuel generator]]
* [http://peswiki.com/energy/Directory:Home_Generation#Core_Technologies List of commercial fuel generators]
* [http://peswiki.com/energy/Directory:Home_Generation#Core_Technologies ]
* [http://www.alternative-energy-geek.com/hydrogen-energy.html What is Hydrogen Energy]
* [http://www.alternative-energy-geek.com/hydrogen-energy.html What is Hydrogen Energy]



Revision as of 11:26, 29 July 2012

A alternative ICE fuel generator is a generator that can generate alternative fuels usable in internal combustion engines from ambient resources (eg air, water), using nothing but electricity. A common application where these fuels can be used are with personal vehicles (eg cars). [1]

Types of generators

Generators exist for a wide array of different fuels. These include hydrogen, oxyhydrogen, liquid nitrogen and compressed air. Popular generators for hydrogen and oxyhydrogen are of the "dry cell"-type.

Hydrogen

Most of these generators usually use Electrolysis of water to produce the hydrogen. Several commercial companies have build hydrogen generators suitable for domestic and larger-scale use.[2][3][4][5]. In addition, amateur builders have also made low-cost hydrogen generators that can be used at home.[6][7][8][9]The amateur devices however are usually insufficient to generate enough hydrogen for use in a vehicle. This, as according to Jim Heathcote, a high-efficiency larger-scale hydrogen generator as ITM Power's Green Box can generates power at around 60% efficiency. This makes that of eg 10000kwH of power, only 6000kwH is converted to hydrogen. This would provide for about 7200 km in ITM Power's converted Prius (roughly the half of what a conventional family drives with a car).[10] Despite the fact that the DIY generators are thus usually insufficient, they do provide a good proof-of-concept. The commercial units may be used in practice, yet are still quite pricy (around 10000$ for high-efficiency generators) and the power required to run them can eventually come at a hefty price as well. perhaps that the entrance of new devices such as Daniel Nocera's low-cost hydrogen generator may make the generators more usable in practice. Also, the possible replacement of platinum with sulpher/iron or other materials could create a much cheaper hydrogen generator. Besides new hydrogen devices relying on new catalysts, Synthetic biology too is coming up with low-cost approaches on making hydrogen (the hydrogen made using this technique being called "biohydrogen"). However, at present it has not yet produced a viable organic hydrogen generator.[11][12][13][14][15][16][17]

Oxyhydrogen

File:AT HHO generators.JPG
The AT oxyhydrogen generators
Maritime oxyhydrogen ICE systems

Oxyhydrogen generators are another type of generator that produces oxyhydrogen. Oxyhydrogen is more energetic than hydrogen and therefore seems more popular to produce at home. Several amateurs have submitted building plans. [18][19][20][21][22][23][24]

Liquid nitrogen

At present, few liquid nitrogen generators are available and few home builders have made liquid nitrogen generators. Despite this, some commercial companies are offering liquid nitrogen generators.[25][26][27]

Syngas

Syngas can be produced at large facilities (no small-scale devices exist) using CO² and hydrogen. It hence requires a hydrogen generator aswell to first produce this gas.

Nitrous oxide

See Nitrous oxide

Compressed air

Compressed air generators are often merely called air compressors and are often already imlemented on new cars running this fuel (eg Tata OneCAT, ...). Therefore a separate generator is not required. If the vehicle does not come equipped with a compressor, they can be easily found in any town, as compressors are also used to inflate tires, ...

Ethanol

Unlike biofuels (which are typically extracted (pressed from crops), ethanol is made using bio-organisms which are added in a tank/basin together with plant parts (either non-edible or edible plant parts). This tank can hence be regarded as a ICE fuel generator. See also cellulosic ethanol. Sometimes, a still is needed to increase the ethanol level in the liquid and make it suitable as a (vehicle) fuel.

Methane

Methane can be produced using the Sabatier process (see Methane) or using a methane digesters.[28] For the production method using the Sabatier process, oxyhydrogen could be used which can then be derived of oxygen (creating hydrogen) and then combined with CO2 to form the methane. Appearantly, Zach West's bubbler could be used for this in combination with Bob Boyce's electrolyser.[29]

Biogas

Biogas can be produced using biodigesters.

See also

References

Template:Reflist

External links

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