Skeptical of HyPower's H2 Reactor on-demand hydrogen system? Video should be out today
Regular readers of this site will recognize the name HyPower. We have written about their H2 Reactor before, and now, perhaps you will get a chance to see a video demonstration of the system working. After reading the press release announcing that this video will be out today, I decided that it would be best to quote what they are claiming.
"The H2 Reactor is an electrolyzer that uses a unique process of electrolysis to create hydrogen and oxygen gases from water. After extensive technical research and development work with its joint venture partner, HyPower believes that the H2 Reactor's electrolysis process is technologically the most efficient to date with an unprecedented ratio of 1 liter of hydrogen production to an electrical input of 1 watt hour. This is approximately 2 to 2.5 times more efficient than the current state of the competing technology."
"We are confident that airing a web cast demonstration through a venue such as YouTube will be very exciting and well received. In addition we think it is important that all of our shareholders and other interested parties be allowed to have a first-hand look at what the H2R is and does. After all, seeing is believing," said Mr. Douglas Bender, President of HyPower Fuel, Inc.
Note - I would love to have linked the video, but it's not there yet. If we find the video, we will certainly update this posting with the link. It is OK to be naturally skeptical about this until the video surfaces...
Related:
- HyPower receives inquiry about Hydro Power Pak from U.S. Department of Defense
- HyPower hydrogen powers a Volkswagen GTi
[Source: HyPower via Yahoo via Stoern via Hugg]
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
jcwinnie 11:43AM (2/28/2007)
HyPower would seem to be quite similar to HyDrive, anyone know what is the diff between the two? Dave, a previous commentator to a Green Car Congress announcement about HyDrive http://www.greencarcongress.com/2006/10/hydrive_technol.html cites info on the HyPower site informing that engine computerization, exhaust gas recirculation, and ever-changing diesel fuel formulations can override the positive effects of hydrogen injection. Funny, I would think just the opposite. Shouldn't enriching recirculated exhaust gas with hydrogen reduce emissions?
Reply
Howard Lee Harkness 12:18PM (2/28/2007)
The HyPower site has some interesting numbers, which are apparently there mostly to bewilder the innumerate.
Let's take a look at one of them: 1 Wh to product 1 liter of H2 (I assume this is at STP). That means that with a 20% efficient 1m-squared PV panel, you could produce about 200 liters/hour (maybe 300 l/h at the equator) on a clear day. Sound good? Consider that 1 gallon of gasoline has the energy of 11,200 liters of H2 at STP. That means that a car that gets 40 miles on the energy in one gallon of gas would go about 2000 feet on the output of a 1 sq-m solar array for one hour.
This is supposed to be impressive? A person in good health and reasonable fitness can walk about 5-6 times that fast without breathing hard.
Regardless of the efficiency of H2 production (and the thrust of HyPower's hype is on-board, real-time production), it would still be more efficient (not to mention safer) to just use the electricity to power a motor directly, instead of burning the H2 in an ICE.
Reply
Mark 1:03PM (2/28/2007)
I believe the 2/28 date you're referencing was from a December 2006 press release. A release earlier today from HyPower mentioned that the video release was in production and scheduled for a March 9th release.
Reply
Tim 1:54PM (2/28/2007)
Howard- I don't think they mean to use the H2 to power the car, just to make the primary fuel burn cleaner and more efficiently. This may be the ONLY time that it actually makes sense. http://www.wlhs.wlwv.k12.or.us/students/marcusb/hydrogenfuelpage.htm
Hydrogen a terrable primary energy carrier.
Reply
Howard Lee Harkness 3:36PM (2/28/2007)
Tim --
From the first referenced link: "HyPower Fuel Inc. announced on Dec. 12, 2006 that they have run a Volkswagen GTi on their H2 Reactor hydrogen system that can allegedly produce sufficient hydrogen on demand, from water, to power the vehicle's internal combustion engine."
From the HyPower website: "A technology is presently under development that will produce enough hydrogen on board, on demand to power a gasoline engine."
No mention either place that they are using H2 to increase the efficiency of (the vastly superior fuel) gasoline. I checked that before I made my first post. If that's what they are doing, then their website and press releases are misleading.
Reply
Tim 3:48PM (2/28/2007)
Howard- If they are trying to electrolize water onboard in sufficient quantities to run the IC engine, then overunity is a problem. Thus I believe that their website is misleading and that they are just trying to improve the burn in the primary fuel. What did you think about the information on the attached link on my previous post?
Reply
Chris M 5:36PM (2/28/2007)
The only similarity between "HyPower" and "HyDrive" is they start with the letters "Hy" and have something to do with cars.
The notion that H2 (and presumably O2) from an onboard electrolyzer would somehow improve IC engine performance is debatable, the notion that it would somehow improve IC engine efficiency enough to compensate for the energy consumed is extremely unlikely.
I await the hype and sales pitch video. Should be good for a laugh.
Reply
TDIMeister 6:09PM (2/28/2007)
Suppose for the amount of time it takes for me to type this post that HyPower's claimed conversion efficiency figures are actually accurate. They would have a world saving innovation in their hands and would be far better off developing plants for large-scale hydrogen production than the silly onboard vehicle hydrogen generators that won't do a hill-of-beans of difference as I have debunked below.
http://forums.tdiclub.com/showpost.php?p=1245710&postcount=93
That HyPower is in anyway even remotely connected with that quack company Stoern, which claims to have found a free, perpetual magnetic energy source, further sets back the low repute of the claims in the scientific and engineering community.
HyPower's claims are so fundamentally and so blatantly counter to the most basic tenets of the first- and second laws of thermodynamics that they are laughable.
Reply
stojan 6:41PM (9/07/2007)
I'm skeptical too, but second law of thermodynamics from theoretical point of view in area of nano world is proved by tricks.
Reply