I hope that Fred's Hemholtz-optimized cell works to self-power an
ICE, or at least can increase the efficiency of gasoline
combustion. The simple addition of some hydrogen should increase
the efficiency of combustion in any ICE, since the flame speed of
hydrogen is so high - and if a lower voltage electrolysis results
in some peroxides - all the better.
As I understand the situation, Fred's thinking on the underlying
modality of this experiment is that the lower effective voltage
and surface interaction across the many plates does not produce H2
and O2 but instead produces hydronium and mixed hydroxyl based
oxidizers. This would imply a short "window of opportunity" before
recombination - so the mix must be used PDQ, no?
If total self-power is the goal, and this lower voltage
Hemholtz-layer system does not accomplish that lofty aim - then
there are a range of combination-type experimental alternatives -
all of which are much more expensive to attempt.
IMHO, the options of highest probability for sucess (depending on
whose logic you employ) - that is, which would be moving towards
the next logical step of "zero" fossil fuel, using both an
optimized Hemholtz-layer type of low-voltage electrolysis cell -
which has gotten close to the goal - but not to total self-power.
If cost were no obejct:
1) closed-cycle with argon gas as the medium (combination:
Laumann/Papp/Joe/Klein)
or if Bill Gates comes along with his checkbook:
2) closed-cycle, as above, with argon as a medium but fired by a
high-powered UV laser in order to get the Argon into the maximum
"efficient radiation" regime.
This is a big improvement over the basic Laumann idea ... if ...
indeed there does exist in nature, a small proportion of
"active-argon," which is being called "special-K". If it is there,
then it exists because solar hydrinos are converting potassium in
the oceans of earth into an erstaz-argon - and this has been going
on for billions of years.
...or if 'Sam' comes along, the generous Uncle offering the
resources of a national lab, and given that the experiments above
are partially successful, then we:
3) attempt to "enrich" the Argon in the active component,
special-K.
This would be done by "Calutron" type methods if nothing else
comes along.
The Ford hydrogen powered ICE has shown that you can get from 25%
Carnot efficiency to ~45% by just a simple fuel substitution. It
is mind-boggling to me that the Laumann engine has been lost and
forgotten - given that it can possibly squeeze out 40% more energy
from hydrogen than even the Ford Focus.
Even so, that is a long way from self-power ... unless that is,
there is "something" very special about special-K
Jones
BTW, on the Wiki entry for the Calutron:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Calutron
....there is a picture of women operating the machines at Y-12
during the war. There are many anecdotal stories about this
situation in the folklore of East Tennessee, but one of the more
interesting ones is that - due to the need for copper during the
war (for ammuntion) - the coils of the Calutrons could not be made
of that commodity - as no one was sure that the machine would work
as claimed - but we damn-well knew that bullets worked...
...consequently - almost the entire National supply of pure Silver
bullion from Ft. Knox and elsewhere - was "borrowed" by the
"Clinton Engineering Works" (false front) and then extruded and
drawn into magnet-wire to be used in the giant coils of the
Calutrons.
- these machines were just glorified mass-specs-on steroids, which
went from blueprint to actual model with no protoype, and one can
imagine that the rural workers, mostly Tobacco farmers too old for
combat, who were intalling them - must have thought that the world
of science was a very mysterious and magical place.
