Hydrogen Booster; Do They Work?
First of all, I should have posted this response several months ago as this happened when gas prices were around $4.00/gallon. Better late than never. NECN (New England Cable News) has a section called “Cut your Cost” campaign on their website where you can submit your cost cutting ideas. I submitted a post suggesting using an electrolyzer (hydrogen booster) as a way to save on gas.
Their response was to discredit this with some lame article posted on the New York Times website denouncing these devices. The article was titled; Electrolyzers, Do they Work? Science says No”. It was based on comments made by Therese Langer, transportation program director of the American Council for an Energy Efficient Economy. Impressive title; but what does it mean besides having an office with her name on the door? I doubt (and would be surprised) if she has any technical knowledge concerning these devices. Other comments were made by Joseph Romm. He has an impressive resume but apparently has been preoccupied with fuel cells through most of his career. Electrolyzers are not fuel cells and I don't think he has the practical knowledge about them to comment on them one way or another.
The article references one of his books “The Hype about Hydrogen” (2004) which is outdated. In it, he states his concerns about making fuel cells that are efficient enough to fit under the hood of a car and generate enough electricity. The fact that Honda has a fuel cell vehicle on the market (NOW) negates these concerns. BMW also has a fuel cell vehicle to be released within 3 years. The point is that; strides have been made since that book was printed. The book also talks about obtaining hydrogen from fossil fuels. Why? The most inexpensive and logical place to get hydrogen from is water. Electrolyzers are also now being utilized in industrial equipment and in conjunction with hydrogen fuel cells.
Jim Motavalli, who wrote the article, obviously didn't do much research. If you can't find scientific fact to back up the validity of these devices (electrolyzers), you're not looking very hard. The library, the National Hydrogen Association & the Dept. of Energy are just a few sources for information on this subject.
I would be leery of the “do it yourself” kits that are all over the internet as many people just don't know what they're doing concerning hydrogen boosters. The "myth busters" (mentioned in the N.Y. Times article) are two of them or just bought a "bogus" product for their (failed) experiment. I'd also be willing to bet that they didn't use the associated electronics (EFIE). An EFIE adds a floating voltage to the existing voltage being generated by the oxygen sensor telling the computer that you are burning too rich and subsequently cuts back on the gas flow. This decreased flow in gas is replaced by the hydrogen produced by the electrolyzer. I am an affiliate for a company that makes electrolyzers and you don't offer a guarantee on a product that doesn't work. As I stated in a previous posting, this is a proven technology and I have been using one in my car for the last 2 years.
About the Author: I am an electromechanical engineer and have been involved with alternative energy for the last 10 years. My business is to help people get off of fossil fuels. Whether it's a product that I'm affiliated with or one that I build, it has to work. You can avoid the uncertainty with the “do it yourself” kits and start withdrawing from oil with guaranteed, quality products that DO work by going to: http://www.xaviertechnologies.com/electrolyzers.htm
