HyPower receives inquiry about Hydro Power Pak from U.S. Department of Defense
HyPower fuel was formed in 1996 to develop new methods of hydrogen production and delivery for vehicles. Over the last ten years they have worked on improving the efficiency of the electrolysis process for producing hydrogen. Electrolysis has long been the easiest method of producing hydrogen from water. However, it takes a substantial amount of energy to do the electrolysis. HyPower has now developed a system they call the Hydro Power Pak. This is intended as a transitional technology to help reduce both fuel consumption and emissions.The system is designed to be retro-fitted to tractor-trailers and generators. They use a water tank with an on-board electrolysis system to produce hydrogen and oxygen on the fly. The hydrogen is then injected into the fuel stream of the engine to supplement the diesel or gasoline fuel. The hydrogen injection should definitely be effective on the engine side. They claim 10-25% improvement in fuel efficiency which, depending on how much hydrogen they inject, may be plausible. HyPower is not saying much about the electrolysis system and the test report links on their site don't seem to work. Presuming that they are taking power for the engine to power the electrolysis system, it seems unlikely that there is actually a net improvement in fuel efficiency and in fact a reduction is more likely.
HyPower have announced that the US Defense Department has expressed interest in the Hydro Power Pak system. They want to investigate the possible purchase and installation of the system on the US Army vehicle fleet. More than likely the Army will find that the HyPower system will be about as effective as cold fusion and all the perpetual motion machines.
[Source: HyPower Fuels]
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
Howard Lee Harkness 4:01PM (10/17/2006)
"More than likely the Army will find that the HyPower system will be about as effective as cold fusion and all the perpetual motion machines."
It's an absolute certainty. This exersize in smoke-and-mirrors technology boils down to the old perpetual motion machine arguments, and is designed to confuse/fool people who are unfamiliar with the laws of thermodynamics (which includes nearly all politicians).
There is no scenario using hydrogen to power cars that can't be made simpler, safer, more efficient, and more economical by just leaving out the hydrogen part.
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CM 2:59AM (12/16/2006)
The claims of improved fuel efficiency are not physically possible. HyPower has a lot of chutzpah to try and con the Dept. of Defense.
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Tim 9:47AM (12/16/2006)
The DOD will test and verify. If more O2 in the charge will not help burn efficiency, then I guess all those guys running superchargers off the engines are idiots.
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charles 4:55PM (6/07/2007)
i think your other readers have too much invested
in big oil, to me when the defense dept. shows an
interest you know there is something there. i would also like to point out that daniel dingle in
the phillipines has run a toyota corolla on water
for years. you know this country is run by big oil.
if it were up to me these big polluters would all be in prison for corrupting this society and pushing their ideals on us a lot like a dictator
would do. just my thoughts we need better alternatives ones that don't pollute, think green.
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