GreenHybrid - Hybrid Cars - View Single Post

Tim K · #1 (**permalink**) 01-16-2008, 09:35 AM

I saw a full page ad in Popular Science last night for this "product" claiming to increase fuel economy 300%. My first thoughts, like every other magical car product, is SCAM. I was actually going to post it last night but went to bed instead. I'm no chemist, but my basic understanding of chemistry and the internal combustion engine makes me quite sure this doesn't make sense at all....

Quote:

The Hydro Assist Fuel Cell is a combination of long standing, proven technologies. It works by extracting a hydrogen-oxygen mixture from water by ionizing it with electricity from the battery. This mixture adds extra hydrogen to your fuel, which burns easily and powerfully and enriches your fuel mixture, giving you added mileage and power. The oxygen increases the octane value of your fuel. The system also uses six powerful magnets that ionize the gasoline to produce smaller molecules and help separate the compounds into simple elements so they burn more completely. And, a specially formulated “covalizer” breaks down the covalent bonds of the long chain gas molecules and helps “crack” and vaporize your fuel as well as increase the life of your engine. A perfectly balanced mixture of hydrogen and oxygen enriches the fuel so the computer can lean out the gas. Our special computer controls the car’s existing computer and keeps it from rejecting the savings.

To summarize....it sounds like they are using electrolysis to separate hydrogen and oxygen and injecting it into the mix. From my recollection of HS chemistry, such a procedure would create quite small quantities of Hydrogen as to be negligible. Secondly, it actually TAKES energy to produce Hydrogen in quite an inefficient reaction. And since that energy comes from the battery...which is charged by the engine burning fuel....you are actually resulting in a net loss of energy. Thirdly, adding oxygen to the fuel doesn't increase Octane. Octane is a hydrocarbon....like butane, propane, hexane, etc. Furthermore, even if it did, Octane isn't BETTER for your car. Finally, magnets don't "ionize" gasoline. There have been magnets sold for fuel systems for years and every test has proven them to be snake oil. I won't even touch the "covalizer" but I can't wait for a chemical engineer to chime in....

Quote:

Every car has a Catalytic Converter. The Catalytic Converter that is currently installed on your car is intended to help eliminate pollution and is located in your exhaust pipe. It works by breaking down the large gas molecules that were not burned in your engine and turns them into smaller particles that can be burned in your tailpipe before being released into the air, so less exhaust hits the environment.

I don't even think their explanation of the catalytic converter is correct. As I understand it, the CAT works by using engine exhaust to pre-heat a honeycomb of specific metals. These metals, once reaching a specific temperature will cause combustion of fuel upon coming in contact with it. There was actually an article about catalytic converters in the same issue of Popular Science as this ad! It certainly doesn't break down molecules into smaller particles to be burned in your tailpipe!