Fuel economy improvement by on board electrolytic hydrogen production

 Fuel economy is a major area of interest for the public and policy makers. There are several reasons for this interest [1]:

• •  fuel economy is directly related to CO2 emissions which constitute a greenhouse gas that traps the Earth's heat and contributes to the potential for global warming;
  •  most of the fuel consumed is derived from crude oil and world crude oil reserves are depleting fast;
  •  fuel economy is related to vehicle travel cost and world vehicle travel has doubled since 1970.

Therefore, it is of great importance to increase the fuel economy to the extent of the current level of technology limits. Many scientists and researchers tried to develop new technologies to achieve low fuel consuming cars and vehicles. Some came up with the utilisation of alternative fuels, some improved the engine designs and some invented new ways to power the vehicles. This study presents a hydrogas system, basically a hydrogen generator by the electrolysis of water. The system can be used for both spark ignited and compression ignition internal combustion engines. Within the compact structure of the system, tap water is electrolysed by so called ``closed cell electrode technology''. Coal particles bonded together by a novel material constitute one pole of the electrolyser circuitry making non-corrosive and wear free operation possible for years, without using any catalysers like caustics and acids. Thus, produced hydrogen gas along with oxygen are fed to the intake manifold. Due to the simultaneous production and consumption of hydrogen, no storage is necessary, which results in safe operation.