Here's What Occurs When You Inject Explosive Gas Derived from Water into a Diesel Engine.

      RobotCantina on YouTube, The Drive

      Water injection has long been recognized as an effective strategy for refining the combustion process in diesel engines. It helps decrease combustion temperatures as well as lower particulate emissions. But what happens if you take this idea further and introduce raw hydrogen and oxygen to the engine? Did you find yourself wondering this morning about the effects of injecting a small diesel engine with homemade Brown’s Gas? If not, I hope you’re intrigued, as we’re about to explore this intense experiment while there's still some (salty) water in the mix.

      Typically, we don’t associate water with explosions; it’s generally known for its inert characteristics. However, its elemental components, hydrogen and oxygen, tell a different tale. Hydrogen is highly flammable, while oxygen supports combustion. Combine these at the correct ratio, add a spark, and you’ll get water, but miscalculate and things could get tricky…

      Let’s focus back on our diesel engine. Robot Cantina is using a 3-horsepower, 196-cc diesel engine that has endured significant wear and tear, showing it can operate on nearly anything. But hydrogen? That won’t ignite on its own; you need to apply flame to ignite hydrogen, while diesel engines rely on compression for ignition rather than flame. Therefore, this engine continues to run on diesel fuel, with HHO gas introduced at the intake manifold.

      A close-up of the device generating the HHO gas being fed back into the engine. Robot Cantina via YouTube

      In this instance, the gas is produced by splitting water into hydrogen and oxygen using energy generated by the engine itself. The splitting process is facilitated by an electrolytic separator powered by the engine’s 120-amp alternator. The current passes through a brine solution (water mixed with potassium hydroxide in this case), separating the molecules and yielding the clear gases.

      As for the results? If you were anticipating a dramatic outcome similar to some of Robot Cantina’s earlier experiments, you might be slightly let down. However, the host mentions more experiments are on the horizon; we’re eager to see what they will reveal.

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