I should start by saying that everything here is based upon the assumption that these people are telling the truth, which truth be told, I find highly unlikely. I should also note that I have done no further research before writing this, but am simply expounding on their claims, things I remember reading in the past and my own imagination. That being said, I was rather intrigued by their claims. A small group in Toronto, Canada claim to have found two separate and distant ways (I should note that if they only laid claim to one or the other, I would be more inclined to believe them) to run any internal combustion engine on regular old tap water. The first method is what pricked my interest. (I'll have to do some more research on the second and apparently more commonly known method to understand how it works) The basic concept is that when a certain unnamed (I understand the whole trade secrets thing, but failing to name the key ingredient so others can either confirm or deny the claims with their one testing only increases my doubts), yet readily available and inexpensive metal alloy is added to saltwater, the water is separated into its separate parts, namely hydrogen and oxygen. The hydrogen is burned in the engine and the oxygen is released into the atmosphere. Of course, burning hydrogen in a slightly modified internal combustion engine is nothing new and of little interest here. The problem has always been, as I understand it, the creation and portability of pure hydrogen. Assuming the hydrogen could be produced in a practical and economically feasible fashion, it would still need to be stored in a safe manner within the vehicle. The obvious solution has been to look for ways to produce the hydrogen on demand. Transporting hydrogen as water certainly falls under that category. In fact, I would think it's the safest method known to man. Until now, I was not aware that anyone has been able to do so in a way that could be practically incorporated into an automobile. Even now, I'm skeptical that this has actually happened. You may want to read these comments to add to the skepticism.
In the accompanying video, they claim to be working on a "pill" or capsule that contains the metal alloy and salt that can be dropped into the water filled 'gas' tank of a modified automobile. This, of course, sent my imagination off on a rampage, exploring all the possibilities. I began envisioning myself filling the tank with the garden hose, dropping one of those capsules that I paid only a few cents for into the tank, jumping in and driving away. How cool is that?!
Ah, but then the questions started to kick in. It would appear from the video that once the reaction is started, it continues until all of at least one of the components is exhausted. What happens when I drive the few minutes to the store, park my car for an extended period while shopping, then drive the few minutes home? All that time the car was sitting there producing hydrogen. What happens to that hydrogen? We surly don't want to store it in the standard fuel tank. Which, needless to say, reintroduces the whole safe and practical storage issue. We could just release it into the atmosphere, but that seems like a waste, and besides a parking lot full of cars releasing pure hydrogen sounds like a disaster waiting to happen. If only there was a way to start and stop hydrogen production on demand.
At first I considered releasing either the alloy or salt into the water as needed. Even then, I would think absolute control would be difficult. If a device was developed that water could be pumped into and water and hydrogen out of, now, that would be the ticket. Turn the ignition on and the 'fuel' pump would pump the water from the 'fuel' tank into this device, which would produce the hydrogen and deliver it to the engine. Turn the ignition off, the 'fuel' pump stops delivering water and hydrogen production stops. Simply install the devise at the current location of the fuel filter and refill with a new cartridge of the alloy on occasion. Oh, if only!
It would not necessarily have to stop there. The ability to use this technology on any existing automobile makes it feasible today, assuming the technology actually exists. Once the system is in place, new vehicles that use hydrogen in various different methods for power could easily be introduced. That has been one of the biggest obstacles to the fuel cell. With this method, however, the possibilities seem endless. Feed the hydrogen to a fuel cell, which charges batteries running an electric motor (or motors). The power can now be stored in the batteries rather than as hydrogen; removing the entire storage issue from the equation. Batteries getting low? Pull out the garden hose, drop in a capsule and drive off into the sunset.
