Posted on 09/18/2008 10:24:42 AM PDT by Red Badger
It runs on water -- Jeff Falk demonstrates his hydrogen powered generator. It uses an electrolyzer to break the water down into hydrogen and oxygen, then burns the hydrogen for fuel. It produces zero carbon emissions and is "very safe." Falk's goal is to get off the grid completely. Photo By Don Lee
EUREKA SPRINGS -- Are the high prices of fuel getting to you? Do you cringe whenever you pull up to the pumps, or when the electric bill arrives in the mail?
If the answer is yes, it's a safe bet most Americans share your concern.
But Jeff Falk has a different way of dealing with the current economic meltdown.
The generator in his shop runs on tap water.
"This is a technology that goes against the grain of world economics, from the point of view of the oil companies," said Falk, whose has designed and built everything from race cars to aircraft to speed boats. "Anybody who really thinks the government is going to embrace this is probably wrong. They'd probably lock you up first."
Nonetheless, Falk has done it. Starting five years ago after he read about it, he has built an electricity producing generator that runs on hydrogen rather than fossil fuels.
Hydrogen safer than you think
"There is a lot of propaganda about how dangerous hydrogen is," Falk said. "Not true. You can't approach it like fossil fuels, there are different rules. Unlike fossil fuels, which are heavier than air and pool, creating potential explosive hazards, hydrogen is the lightest element there is. It disperses. It will go right through the ceiling if you don't contain it."
Falk points out another vital distinction between hydrogen and fossil fuels.
"Burning hydrogen produces no radiant heat," he said. "It's the hydrocarbon emissions from burning gasoline, for instance, that burn you if you get in its way. The hydrocarbon emissions are also the source of its pollution."
Falk uses high-frequency DC/AC hybrid pulsed electrolyzers to separate the hydrogen and oxygen from ordinary tap water.
An electrolyzer runs a current through the water, splitting the H2O molecules into hydrogen and oxygen.
Anyone can electrolyze
Many will remember the familiar high school science experiment where wires are attached to any two-poled battery, then into two water-filled containers. As the current splits the molecules, one bottle will fill with oxygen, the other with hydrogen.
This is a little more complex.
Falk's electrolyzers do the same thing, using a small current, high frequency and high voltages to initiate the process.
Once the electrolyzer begins producing hydrogen, the generator produces enough power to fuel itself and more.
Because hydrogen burns so quickly, steam is channeled to slow down the burn.
"You couldn't run appliances off this generator at this point," Falk said. "The amperage is too low. But I'm refining it. My goal it to have the power company come out and remove their pole and then go away, because I won't need them anymore."
For every .75 amps going into the generator, 22 come out.
Falk said ideally two generators would be needed, so that one could be serviced from time to time.
Dinosaur snot unattractive fuel source
"Why do we want to keep pumping dinosaur snot out of the ground and burning it?" Falk asked. "How primitive can you get? Why don't we just leave the rest of it in the ground until we can find something better to do with it than that?"
Falk speculated units sufficient to power home use could be mass produced for about $7,500 each.
"Look at this," Falk said, holding a temperature sensor near the generator's exhaust. "Right now the exhaust is 228 degrees. If this were a gasoline generator, the temperature would be more like 800 degrees."
Falk said the his model generator uses about a pint of water an hour to produce 7,500 watts of electricity.
DIY possible
"Most of this equipment I got off the Internet, the parts and the info on how to do it," Falk said. "Eventually I can get off the grid without having to live by candlelight, and save money too."
In addition to the water-powered generator, Falk is working on an improved, highly efficient solar panel design which he expects to have up and running shortly.
Video on Falk's generator and other projects can be seen on-line on YouTube at www.youtube.com/SolgenLLC.
Generator. You keep using that word. I do not think it means what you think it means.
Falk's electrolyzers do the same thing, using a small current, high frequency and high voltages to initiate the process.
small X BIG = BIG
It generates hydrogen which in turn generates electricity which in turn generates more hydrogen! Simple!..................
Falk uses high-frequency DC/AC hybrid pulsed electrolyzers to separate the hydrogen and oxygen from ordinary tap water.
ENTROPY
ENTROPY
ENTROPY
NOW COPY THIS, and paste it 3 times and what do you get?
an increase in entropy (ok, entropies)
LOL!!!
What is the opposite of entropy?............
This is why we need legislation to close those “laws of physics” loopholes!
You Might Be a Physicist if...
*
the water in your kettle is boiling at 373 Kelvin.
*
you know that the speed of light is 299,792.5 km/sec.
*
you know the direction the water swirls when you flush.
*
you’ve already calculated how much you earn per second.
*
you are sure that differential equations are a very useful tool.
*
you are at an air show and know how fast the skydivers are falling.
*
you know the size of the elctron, but don’t know your own shirt size.
*
when you break a vase you blame the second law of thermodynamics.
*
you try to explain entropy to strangers at your table during casual dinner conversation.
*
you avoid stirring your coffee because you don’t want to increase the entropy of the universe.
*
your three year old son asks why the sky is blue and you try to explain atmospheric absorption theory.
*
you’re at a wine tasting event and find yourself paying more attention to the cork screws than the Chardonnay.
*
you carry on a one-hour debate over the expected results of an experiment that actually takes five minutes to run.
Work.
negentropy
In fairness, the part about hybrid high frequency pulsed electrolyzers has generated much attention and a good example that shows the potential advantages can be found here; (not for the faint-of-heart)
http://www.springerlink.com/content/y7941574h27kv665/fulltext.pdf
Entropy ain’t what it used to be........
Agreed. If this worked, it would be a perpetual energy device. You cannot split water into H2 and 0, and then combine them again without loosing energy.
If the frame that shows up in the pic is that of a typical 7.5KW gasoline generator then it has a side draft carburetor that has no way to meter hydrogen.
Key points indeed ! Get off the grid ! Be self reliant and make yer pocket book green vs keeping the yellow flutter nutted breast wobblers environment safe !.......:o)
We have spent bucks to make our power and water bills lower over long term....byproduct is we use less . Eveybody is happy thus far. More money saved for me and the environazi’s think my efforts are for them.....LOL !
He provides no conversion effciency numbers. That's why I had to use my SWAG of a 75% loss.
If this was a serious report it would have provided meaningful numbers.
A simple transistor yields the small x Big = Big. But the Big doesn't come from the small. The small is merely a control valve. The Big is like Hoover Dam behind the valve.
I see ye’olde perpetual motion machine here... but maybe I’m just not smart enough in my old age.
You are just smarting than the author of the article.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.