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]. In addition, amateur builders have also made low-cost hydrogen generators that can be used at home.[5][6][7][8]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).[9] 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. However, at present it has not yet produced a viable organic hydrogen generator.[10][11][12][13][14][15][16]
Oxyhydrogen
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. [17][18][19][20][21]
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.[22][23][24]
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, ...
See also
References
Interwiki links
- ↑ What is a hydrogen generator
- ↑ ITM Power hydrogen generator
- ↑ Vada Energy Hydrogen generator
- ↑ Honda/Plug Power Inc.'s Home energy station, a hydrogen generator by Honda; suitable if electricity is used instead of natural gas; Honda is working on this
- ↑ DIY Hydrogen fuel generator
- ↑ DIY Hydrogen fuel generator 2
- ↑ DIY Hydrogen generator 3
- ↑ DIY hydrogen generator 4
- ↑ Natuurwetenschap & Techniek, March 2009
- ↑ Synthetic biology and hydrogen
- ↑ Synthetic biology to make hydrogen
- ↑ Synthetic biology at Berkeley Lab
- ↑ ARPA-E Affordable Energy from Water and Sunlight project
- ↑ Hydrogen from urine
- ↑ KVDP's letter to Geraldine Botte
- ↑ Hydrogen from urine: the Carbamide Power System Fuel Cell
- ↑ DIY Oxyhydrogen generator
- ↑ Oxyhydrogen generator kits
- ↑ water4gas HHO generator
- ↑ http://www.dangerouslaboratories.org/ Dangerous Laboratories oxyhydrogen generator
- ↑ Epoch HHO generator
- ↑ Liquid nitrogen generator 1
- ↑ Liquid nitrogen generator 2
- ↑ Liquid nitrogen generator 3