INVESTIGATION OF PRODUCTION OF HYDROXY GAS USING

ADVANCED ELECTROLYZER

By

MOHAMAD ALIFF BIN MOHD SAHIMI (7697)

FINAL YEAR PROJECT PROGRESS REPORT

Submitted to the Electrical & Electronics Engineering Programme

In Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements
For the Degree
Bachelor of Engineering (Hons)
(Electrical & Electronics Engineering)

Universiti Teknologi PETRONAS

Bandar Seri Iskandar
31750 Tronoh
Perak Darul Ridzuan

 Copyright 2009
By

Mohamad Aliff bin Mohd Sahimi, 2009

ii
 CERTIFICATION OF APPROVAL

INVESTIGATION OF PRODUCTION OF HYDROXY GAS USING

ADVANCED ELECTROLYZER

by

Mohamad Aliff bin Mohd Sahimi

A project dissertation submitted to the

Electrical & Electronics Engineering Programme
Universiti Teknologi PETRONAS
in partial fulfillment of the requirement for the
Bachelor of Engineering (Hons)
(Electrical & Electronics Engineering)

Approved:

__________________________
Mr. Saiful Azrin bin Mohd Zulkifli
Project Supervisor

UNIVERSITI TEKNOLOGI PETRONAS

TRONOH, PERAK

Jun 2010

iii
 CERTIFICATION OF ORIGINALITY

This is to certify that I am responsible for the work submitted in this project, that the

original work is my own except as specified in the references and acknowledgements,

and that the original work contained herein have not been undertaken or done by

unspecified sources or persons.

__________________________
Mohamad Aliff bin Mohd Sahimi

iv
 ABSTRACT

Soaring fuel prices have made us find alternatives which are cheaper and more
reliable. Hydroxy is a product of the electrolyzer, which consists of combination of
hydrogen and oxygen. Hydrogen is part of the alternative fuel in development to
replace gasoline as main fuel source. This document presents the study of hydrogen
fuel system that is applied on vehicles and the design of device to produce this gas on
demand without the risk of storing a high pressure tank of compressed hydrogen in
vehicles. The internal combustion of an engine and the study of it is also presented.
This document is divided into 5 chapters: Chapter 1 describes the objective, problem
statement, scope of study, methodology, findings and background study, meant to
give the basic idea of this project. Chapter 2 describes literature review & theory
required for the project to be done successfully. Chapter 3 and 4 discuss the
methodology and conclusion for the end product of the investigation. The
investigation will covers properties, technical details of the equipment, all the
required materials and steps taken for this project to be executed until the prototype
level.

v
 TABLE OF CONTENTS

Abstract………………………………………………………………..………v
List of Figures…………………………………………………………..…...viii
List of Tables…………………………………………...……………….…….ix
List of Abbreviations………………………………………………….……....x

CHAPTER 1 : INTRODUCTION.....................………………….……..…1
1.1 Background Study…………………………………………………1
1.2 Problem Statement…………………………...……………………2
1.2.1 Problem Identification……………………………......…2
1.2.2 Significance of the Project………………………………2
1.3 Objectives and Scope of Study………………………………....…3
1.3.1 Relevancy of Project………………………………….…………3
1.3.2 Feasibility of Project within Scope and Time Frame……3
1.3.3 Investigation………………………………………..……3

CHAPTER 2 : LITERATURE REVIEW & THEORY…………….....…4

2.1 Theory………………..…..…………………………..................…4
2.2 Mechanism of Combustion……………………………………..…5
2.3 Advanced Electrolyzer System……………………………………6
2.3.1 Building the Case…………………………………..……8
2.3.2 Preparing the Plates………………………………….…11
2.3.3 Electrolyzer Preparation Steps…………………………12

CHAPTER 3 : METHODOLOGY………………………………..………14
3.1 Procedure Identification…………………………………………14
3.2 Project Workflow………………………………………….......…15
3.3 Tools & Equipment. …………………………………….…….…16
3.3.1 Components ………………………………......…..……16
3.3.2 Equipment ………………………………..….…..……16
3.3.3 Tools ………………………………………….……..…16

vi
CHAPTER 4 : RESULTS AND DISCUSSION……………….……....…17
4.1 Data Gathering & Analysis............................................................17
4.1.1 Normal Electrolysis Experiment.....................................17
4.1.1.1 Equipment Setup for Electrolysis.....................18
4.1.1.2 Data Collection ...............................................18
4.1.2 Advanced Electrolyzer Experiment................................19
4.1.2.1 Waveform Setup..............................................20
4.2 Discussion………………………………………………..………20

CHAPTER 5 : CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATION……..…..21

5.1 Conclusion……………………………………………………..…22
5.2 Recommendation…………………………………………………22

REFERENCES…………………………………….………….…………….23

vii
 LIST OF FIGURES

Figure 1 : Combustion Work in Gasoline Engine....................................................................7

Figure 2 : Milled Body Case for Electrolyzer..........................................................................9
Figure 3 : Reinforced Acrylic Iron to Corners.......................................................................10
Figure 4 : Milled Plate Position in the Electrolyzer Housing................................................11
Figure 5 : Sanded Electrolyzer Plate......................................................................................13
Figure 6 : Plate Preparation for Electrolyzer..........................................................................13
Figure 7 : Electrolyzer Preparation........................................................................................13
Figure 8 : Installation Layout for Electrolyzer in Vehicles System.......................................14
Figure 9 : Water Supply to the Electrolyzer System..............................................................14
Figure 10 : Sensors Circuit.......................................................................................................14
Figure 11 : Workflow for The Project......................................................................................16
Figure 12 : Workflow of The Project.......................................................................................16
Figure 13 : Normal Electrolysis Gases Collection...................................................................20
Figure 14 : Comparison Graph for Oxygen and Hydrogen
Generation...................................21

viii
 LIST OF TABLES

Table 1 : Oxygen & Hydrogen Production..............................................................................19

Table 2 : Waveform Setup for Electrolyser Input....................................................................20

ix
 LIST OF ABBREVIATION

1. D.C. - Direct current

2. A.C. - Alternating current
3. F.Y.P. - Final Year Project.

x
 Chapter 1
INTRODUCTION

1.1 Background Study

Traditional electrolysis is known for hundreds of years since it was first

introduced by Michael Faraday. The structures of the one done by Faraday uses two
carbon electrodes and water with the presence of an electrolyte such as Sodium
Hydroxide ,(NaOH) or Potassium Hydroxide,(KOH) to produce hydrogen,(H 2) and
oxygen,(O2) gas. The process involves applying DC potential difference between the
two anode & cathode electrodes and delivering minimum energy required to break the
H-H-O bonds (68.3 kcal per mole at STP). The gases that are produced from the
normal electrolysis is by 1:2 ratio of hydrogen to oxygen from the cathode (-) and
anode (+) respectively. On a macro scale, the amount of gas produced depends upon a
number of variables, including the type and concentration of electrolyte solution used,
the anode and cathode electrode pair surface area, the electrolytic resistance (ionic
conductivity, the temperature and pressure) and the amount of supplied current and
voltage. The amount of supplied energy must be sufficient to produce oxygen and
hydrogen, avoiding corrosion or reduction of the electrodes inside the traditional
electrolysis system.

Hydrogen fuel car is state of the art technology that immensely developed by
giant automotive manufacturers like Mercedes, Toyota, Honda and BMW. This
technology enables consumers to have environment friendly cars with 0% emission
and become as an alternative to petrol as fuel. This investigation for production of
hydrogen,(H2) & oxygen,(O2) using electrolyzer will enable user to use water to

1
supply the required gas for combustion instead of carrying high pressure tank of
hydrogen in cars.

The advanced electrolyzer is a unique method of electrolysis. It contains up to

100 plates of stainless steel plate which act as electrodes. The required voltage supply
is more than 110 V. By using normal 12V accumulator or wet battery that easily
available and an inverter of 160V, we can produce the required energy in no time. The
structure of electrolyzer needs the electrodes to be arranged in certain way so that
optimum production of gas is obtained. Electrolyte to enhance the electrolysis is not
necessary -- normal tap water is the only required substance. Specially designed
circuit comes with the electrolyzer to help enhance the production of gas by supplying
special square pulse train to the device. The system layout for installation also
described.

1.2 Problem Statement

1.2.1 Problem Identification

The traditional technique of electrolysis has insufficient production to make

good use of hydroxy gas. Using normal DC, the acceptable amount of power supply
for production of gas is too low [2]. The optimum voltage for electrolysis is only at
1.48Volt which means any extra voltage supplied is unnecessary because it will only
use up to 1.48Volt for the process. The quantity of gas produced is too small and
taking a long time to be accumulated to certain volume before it can be used. The
anode/cathode electrodes tend to corrode after being used for a long time and the
produced gas often leaks from the container. With the advanced electrolyzer, not just
the weaknesses are eliminated; we can implement the device to a good use from
kitchen usage to the transportation accessories. The produced gas also abundant and
the quantity required can be produced on demand.

1.2.2 Significant of the Project

2
 The advanced electrolyzer is a ground breaking and feasible technology. The
required components for the project can be found in most electronic and hardware
shops. The investigation of production of Hydroxy (Hydrogen + Oxygen) gas is
important due to its concept of using the abundant material on earth: water, as its
source of energy and its application and usability in numerous engineering fields.

1.3 Objectives and Scope of Study

1.3.1 Relevancy of Project

Many research and investigation done by inventors from many parts of the
world to produce a well-functioning hydrogen + oxygen production devices. All the
way, many patents have been recorded in describing techniques of producing this gas.
This project is aimed mainly to test and investigate the workability of the electrolyzer
to produce required product. With respect to Final Year Project course outline, the
end product will be relevant to a few engineering programs and totally under the
scope of undergraduates studies. In environment and society wise, this investigation if
important as it will give alternative solution to the current situation of hiking fuel
price and global warming.

1.3.2 Feasibility of Project within Scope and Time Frame

The given time length is 12 month for this project to come to completion. It is
considered more than enough for the execution of the proposed F.Y.P title. With the
first semester will be the research and findings period and the second semester as the
construction period of prototype, the student will have enough time to do all kind of
tests and experiments required so that they can come out with the final product.

1.3.3 Investigation

3
 The investigation includes the study of the U.S patent documents and literature
study on the technical specifications on the constructed prototype. The design of the
circuit to produce proper waveform to be supplied to the prototype is the main aspect
of the project as it will affect the produce product and the optimality of the prototype.
For the study of internal combustion of Hydrogen gas and its properties, I refer most
of the sources from the Academic findings and journal.

4
 Chapter 2
LITERATURE REVIEW & THEORY

2.1 Theory

To decompose water electrically, it is necessary to pass direct current between

a pair of electrodes which are immersed in a suitable electrolyte. It is normal in such
electrolysis to place some form of gas barrier between the two electrodes in order to
prevent the gases evolved during the electrolysis from forming an explosive mixture.
However provided suitable precautions are taken it has been found that the gases can
be allowed to mix and can be fed into a storage tank for subsequent use. Because the
gases when mixed form an explosive mixture, it is possible for the mixture to be
utilized for good use like stove kitchen and combustion engine. For that purpose, it is
necessary to control the explosiveness of the gasses when ignite by adding air mixture
to it. One of the difficulties encountered with electrolysis is that bubbles of gas are
liable to remain on the electrodes during the electrolysis thus effectively limiting the
area of electrode which is in contact with the electrolyte and preventing optimum
current flow between the electrodes. Because in accordance with the present
technique, it is desirable that the gases evolved during the electrolysis be mixed with
air, then it is possible for air to be passed through the cell while the electrolysis is in
progress. The passage of air through the cell can be directed past the electrodes so as
to entrain in the passage of air any bubbles of gas remaining on the electrodes.

Accordingly the prototype comprises an electrolytic cell including a gas tight

casing, a combination of electrodes used is supported on a central post within the cell
in a spaced apart relationship and insulated from each other, each alternative electrode
being adapted to be connected to a positive direct current source or a negative direct
current source respectively and wherein the central post is in the form of a tube, one
end of which is extended out of the cell and is adapted to be connected to a source of
air under pressure, with the other end of the central post terminating in an air outlet
below the said electrodes, the said cell including a gas outlet to exhaust air forced
5
into the cell through the central post and to exhaust the electrolytically produced gases
mixed with the said . The electrolysis will produce H 2 & O2 and the act of combustion
will reproduce water in form of H2O [3].

2 H 2 O →O 2 +2 H 2

Electrolysis Product: Produce 2 mole of hydrogen and 1 mole of oxygen with every 2
mole of water.

2 H 2+O2 →2 H 2 O

Combustion Product: For a perfect combustion of 2 mole of hydrogen with 1 mole of

oxygen will produce back 2 mole of water.

2.2 Mechanism of Combustion

[4]

“Details of the mechanics of combustion depend to a great extent on the fuel

and the nature of the combustion system. They are sometimes not well understood.
There are, however, certain fundamentals that are useful in dealing with combustion
systems. The chemical reaction equations presented here do not portray the actual
mechanism of combustion; they merely indicate the initial and final chemical
compositions of a reaction. In most cases the reactions involve a sequence of steps,
leading from the reactants to the products, the nature of which depends on the
temperature, pressure, and other conditions of combustion. Fuel molecules, for
instance, may undergo thermal cracking, producing more numerous and smaller fuel
molecules and perhaps breaking the molecules down completely into carbon and
hydrogen atoms before oxidation are completed.
In the case of solid fuels, combustion may be governed by the rate at which
oxidizer diffuses from the surrounding gases to the surface and by the release of
combustible gases near the surface. Combustion of solids may be enhanced by
increasing the fuel surface area exposed to the oxidizer by reducing fuel particle size.
We have seen that, for combustion to occur, molecules of oxidizer must mix with fuel
molecules, an action enhanced by the three T.s of combustion: turbulence, time, and
temperature. Chemical reactions take place more rapidly at high temperatures but
nevertheless require finite time for completion. It is therefore important that burners
6
be long enough to retain the fuel-air mixture for a sufficiently long time so that
combustion is completed before the mixture leaves. Turbulence, or mixing, enhances
the opportunities for contact of oxidizer and fuel molecules and removal of products
of combustion.
A flame propagates at a given speed through a flammable mixture. It will
propagate upstream in a flow of a combustible mixture if its flame speed exceeds the
flow velocity. If a fixed flame front is to exist at a fixed location in a duct flow in
which the velocity of the combustion gas stream exceeds the propagation speed, some
form of flame stabilization is required. Otherwise the flame front is swept
downstream and flameout occurs. Stabilization may be achieved by using fixed flame
holders (partial flow obstructions that create local regions of separated flow in their
bases where the flame speed is greater than the local flow velocity) or by directing a
portion of the flow upstream to provide a low-speed region where stable combustion
may occur. Each combination of oxidizer and fuel has been seen to have a particular
stoichiometric oxidizer-fuel ratio for which the fuel is completely burned with a
minimum of oxidizer [6]. It has also been pointed out that it is usually desirable to
operate burners at greater than the theoretical air-fuel ratio to assure complete
combustion of the fuel and that this is sometimes referred to as a lean mixture.
Occasionally it may be desirable to have incomplete combustion, perhaps to produce a
stream of products in which carbon monoxide exists or to assure that all the oxidizer
in the mixture is consumed. In that case a burner is operated at less than the
stoichiometric air-fuel ratio with what is called a rich mixture. There are limits to the
range of air-fuel ratios for which combustion will occur called limits of flammability.
Here the density of the mixture is important. The limits of flammability around the
stoichiometric A/F are reduced at low densities. If combustion is to occur reliably in
mixtures at low densities, it is necessary to closely control the air-fuel ratio.”

Figure 1 : Combustion Work in Gasoline Engine

7
2.3 Advanced Electrolyzer System

[4]
This is a “Hydroxy-On-Demand” (“HOD”) system. It is very difficult indeed
to generate hydroxy gas fast enough to power an internal combustion engine vehicle
under all road conditions. Moving from standstill to rapid acceleration causes such a
massive sudden requirement for additional volumes of hydroxy gas, that it is difficult
to provide that volume instantly.

A better solution is to use an electric engine for the vehicle. This can be an
electric vehicle which was designed from scratch as such, or it can be a standard
vehicle which has been adapted for electric engine use [2]. These electric vehicles
are usually limited in how far they can travel, but a good solution to this is to use an
electrical generator to charge the batteries, both when the vehicle is in use and when
it is parked. This electrolyzer can be used to run such a generator on water. With
this arrangement, there are no CO 2 emissions and the vehicle is very environmentally
friendly. The batteries provide the necessary sudden acceleration demands and the
generator recharges the batteries during normal driving.

For the designed pulsed system has the following components:

1. An electrical connection to the vehicle’s electrical system (with

safety features built in).
2. An “inverter” which raises the electrolyzer voltage to 160
volts.
3. A specially designed circuit board which generates a
complicated water-splitting waveform.
4. A specially designed toroidal transformer which links main
circuit board to the electrolyzer.
5. Treated 100 stainless steel plates as electrodes.
6. A dual-protection system for linking the electrolyzer safely to
the internal combustion engine.

None of these items is particularly difficult to achieve, but each

needs to be done carefully and as designed for safety purpose.

8
 2.3.1 Building the Case:

The case for the electrolyzer accommodates 100 plates which cutted in 6” x 6”
size and arranged closely with the gap between plates are 1/8”. The plates
arrangement can be done by a milled aluminium slotted strip with 1/8” distance
between slots or using a small iron rod to place the plates with equally spaced
between them by 1/8”. From the testing in the lab with controlled input voltage, it is
founded that the closer distance between the electrodes, the higher the gas production
rate. Thus, 1/8” considered acceptable distance to produce optimal gas during the
process.

Figure 2 : Milled Body Case for Electrolyzer

The base and two sides of the cell could have grooves cut in them to take the
plates. This is not a good idea for various reasons, including the fact that the steel
plates expand when they warm up and are liable to crack the acrylic case unless the
slots are cut deeper than normal. Also, it is difficult to cut very accurate slots in
acrylic due to the heat of the cutting blade causing the acrylic to deform in the
9
immediate area. Grooved acrylic is very much weaker and breaks easily due to the
planes of weakness introduced into the material. Using Ultra High Molecular Weight
Poly Ethylene or High Density Poly Ethylene (food chopping-board material) strips
is a much better technique as that material does not have the same cutting heat
problem and it can also take the plate expansion much better, so it is the construction
method of choice. It is also a cheaper material. The grooves which are cut for the
plates should be three ten thousandths of an inch wider than the thickness of the
plates. A good plate thickness is 16 gauge sheet which is one sixteenth of an inch
thick or 0.0625 inch (1.5875 mm), so the recommended groove width for that is
0.0655 inches which is not a convenient fraction being about four and one fifth sixty-
fourths of an inch. Also, steel sheet thickness is not absolutely exact, so it needs to
be measured with a micrometer and averaged before the three ten thousandths of an
inch is added. (6) The grooves are 1/8” (3 mm) deep.

The supplier of the acrylic sheet needed for making the case, will be able to
supply “glue” specifically designed for joining acrylic sheets together. This glue
actually welds the plates together so that the sheets become one continuous piece of
acrylic along the joint. Start by mating the sides and the base. Insert two or three
plates into the slots to be quite sure that the alignment is spot-on during the joining
process. Line the ends up during jointing to be sure that the sides are completely
square when being joined to the base. Concerns have been expressed about the
strength of the acrylic casing under severe road conditions. So it has been suggested
that the acrylic components be constructed from sheet which is 3/4” to 1” thick (18
mm to 25 mm) and the corners reinforced with angle iron secured with bolts tapped
into the acrylic as shown below.

Figure 3 : Reinforced Acrylic Iron to Corners

10
 Figure 4 : Milled Plate Position in the Electrolyzer Housing

This housing looks very simple and straightforward, but this is highly
misleading and the materials are very expensive, so any error is costly. The
construction accuracy needed is very high indeed with many opportunities for a total
and expensive disaster. Ed Holdgate has built several custom fixtures to ease the
construction, but construction is still very difficult even with these specialist fittings
and his years of experience. Sikaflex 291 marine bedding compound is used to seal
between the two slotted sides and the slotted base, and between the slotted sides and
the two end inserts, in order to prevent any leakage between the acrylic and any of
these inserts. [6] The accuracy required for the slots to hold the stainless steel plates
is 0.0003” and the plates are tapered with a belt sander on both sides along all four
edges so that when they are forced into the slots they will not cut into the sides of the
slots. This produces excellent leakage characteristics, but don’t lose sight of the very
high accuracy of the slot cutting needed for this. The edges of the slotted inserts
receive a bead of Sikaflex marine bedding compound attaching them to the acrylic
box and the compound is allowed to cure before construction is continued. There are
cheaper marine bedding compounds, but don’t be tempted by them as Sikaflex is a
much superior product. The end plates with the stainless steel straps welded to them
are used to connect the electrical supply to the plates, keeping any connection which
could possible work loose and cause a spark, completely outside the housing. Even
though the straps are welded and there is no likelihood of them coming loose, the
welds are still kept below the surface of the electrolyte.
11
 2.3.2 Getting and Preparing the Plates:

A set of 101 plates is needed for the electrolyzer. The material used when
making the plates is very important. It should be 16-gauge 316L-grade stainless
steel as it contains a blend of nickel and molybdenum in the correct proportions to
make it a very good catalyst for the pulsing technique. The plates need to be flat to a
tolerance of +/- 0.001" after cutting and this is the most important factor. That level
of accuracy excludes any kind of flame cutting as it produces inevitable heat
distortion. With shearing, expect +/- 0.015" on the cuts and +/- 0.001" on flatness.
The plates are square: 6-inches by 6-inches, but that do not represent 36 square
inches of active surface area some plate area is inside the grooves and some of each
plate is above the surface of the electrolyte. Another point to remember is that 101
steel plates this size weigh a considerable amount and the completed electrolyzer
with electrolyte in it will weight even more. It is essential therefore to have a case
which is strongly built from strong materials, and if a mounting bracket is to be used,
then that bracket needs to be very robust and well secured in place. The preparation
of the plates is one of the most important steps in producing an electrolyzer which
works well. This is a long task, but it is vital that it is not skimped or hurried in any
way. Surprisingly, brand new shiny stainless steel is not particularly suitable for use
in an electrolyzer and it needs to receive careful treatment and preparation before it
will produce the expected level of gas output.

The first step is to treat both surfaces of every plate to encourage gas bubbles
to break away from the surface of the plate. This could be done by grit blasting, but
if that method is chosen, great care must be taken that the grit used does not
contaminate the plates. Stainless steel plates are not cheap and if you get grit
blasting wrong, then the plates will be useless as far as electrolysis is concerned. A
safe method which Bob much prefers is to score the plate surface with coarse
sandpaper. This is done in two different directions to produce a cross-hatch pattern.
This produces microscopic sharp peaks and valleys on the surface of the plate and
those sharp points and ridges are ideal for helping bubbles to form and break free of
the plate.

12
 Figure 5 : Sanded Electrolyzer Plate

For simplicity, the process of cleaning and treating the plate is as follows:

Plate Sanding Plate Cleansing Plate Conditioning

Figure 6 : Plate Preparation for Electrolyzer

Chapter 3Electrolyzer Preparation Steps

External Case
Constructions
Electrolyzer Plate
Treatment
Electronic Circuit
Installation
Construction of Error Detection
Bubbler and Debugging

Assembly for all the

Devices.
Bench Testing at Well
Ventilated area.
Installation on
vehicles system.

Figure 7 : Electrolyzer Preparation

13
Figure 8 : Installation Layout for Electrolyzer in Vehicles System

Figure 9 : Water Supply to the Electrolyzer System

Figure 10 : Sensors Circuit for Water Level Detection in Tank

14
 Chapter 4
METHODOLOGY

4.1 Procedure Identification

Procedure identification comprise the step-by-step taken from the preliminary

work of the project till the construction of the prototype and through several
discussions with my supervisor, I am able to grasp the abstract of the topic. Further
researches were performed by referring to books, journals and the internet which have
been very beneficial in gathering information regarding the project. However the
information is being continuously updated and the exact information is difficult to
obtain. Most of the information discussed different sub topics and need to be
correlated for each part and this needs to be done as soon as possible.

15
4.2 Project Work Flow

The following diagram shows the work flow of this project:

Proposal & Approval of FYP title.

Research and case study on the required information. (Discussion with supervisor
and lecturers)

Collection the necessary information in regards to hghfdgdgfelectrolyser, patent

documents and design of the system.

Identifying the required equipment and component for the electrolyzer and bench
testing equipment.

Construction of prototype and error debugging of working devices for optimality.

Pre-EDX and presentation to internal and external examiners.

EDX presentation and national exhibition.

Figure 11
Figure 12 : Workflow of The Project

16
 4.3 Tools & Equipment.

4.3.1 Components :

R1 100 ohms C1 1000 microfarad 35 volt or higher

R2 1,000 ohms C2 330 microfarad 16 volt or higher
R3 10,000 ohms
R4 1,800 ohms D1 1N4001 or similar 100 volt or higher 1 amp
R5 18,000 ohms
R6 18,000 ohms Tr1 to Tr3 2N2222 or 2N2222A or similar
R7 3,900 ohms 40V, 800 mA, 500 mW, gain 100 - 300

4.3.2 Equipment :

I. Multimeter
II. Voltmeter
III. Oscilloscope
IV. Multi Simulator
V. Matlab
VI. LabView 7.0

4.3.3 Hardware :

I. Electronics Components.
II. Electronic Board
III. Tin Melter
IV. Iron tube
V. Pressure gauge
VI. High pressure pipe
VII. Holding pin
VIII. Threaded Cap
IX. Leak Thread Insulator

17
 Chapter 5
RESULTS AND DISCUSSION

5.1 Data Gathering and Analysis

5.1.1 Normal Electrolysis Experiment

5.1.1.1 Equipment Setup

Prior to the startup of the project, normal electrolysis experiment was executed so that
we can compare the result with the to-be constructed advanced electrolyzer. We set
one small beaker with 2 open end and slot in 2 small balloons to measure the
produced gas per time. 5volt input seeded to the system. The terminals are using
carbon rod and we use salt as the catalyst for this normal process.

Figure 13 : Normal Electrolysis Setup

 5.1.1.2 Data Collection

The experiment stated 18 21.6 43.2 42 50.4 101

and the following 19 22.8 45.6 43 51.6 103
tables show the 20 24 48 44 52.8 106
collected gases in a 60 21 25.2 50.4 45 54 108
minutes span. 22 26.4 52.8 46 55.2 110
T, O2 H2 23 27.6 55.2 47 56.4 113
min 24 28.8 57.6 48 57.6 115
1 1.2 2.3 25 30 60 49 58.8 118
2 2.4 4.7 26 31.2 62.4 50 60 120
3 3.6 7.1 27 32.4 64.8 51 61.2 122
4 4.8 9.54 28 33.6 67.2 52 62.4 125
5 6 11.9 29 34.8 69.6 53 63.6 127
6 7.2 14.4 30 36 72 54 64.8 130
7 8.4 16.8 31 37.2 74.4 55 66 132
8 9.6 19.2 32 38.4 76.8 56 67.2 134
9 10.8 21.6 33 39.6 79.2 57 68.4 137
10 12 24 34 40.8 81.6 58 69.6 139
11 13.2 26.4 35 42 84 59 70.8 142
12 14.4 28.8 36 43.2 86.4 60 72 144
13 15.6 31.2 37 44.4 88.8
14 16.8 33.6 38 45.6 91.2
Table 1 : Oxygen &
15 18 36 39 46.8 93.6
16 19.2 38.4 40 48 96 Hydrogen Collection in
17 20.4 39 41 49.2 98.4 60 minutes (cm3)

From the obtained results, we can see that the production of both gases is slow and
taking long time to be accumulated to a certain usable volume. The electrolysis is
highly inefficient. The result in table 1 is then plotted shown in graph below,

19
 Oxygen & Hydrogen Production
in Normal Electrolysis
(x-axis, minute)
(y-axis, cm3)
250

200

150

100

50

0
1 4 7 10 13 16 19 22 25 28 31 34 37 40 43 46 49 52 55 58

Oxygen Hydrogen

Figure 14 : Oxygen & Hydrogen Gas Generation

From the above graph, we can see that rate of Gas production is really slow, which is
2.4cm3/min for Hydrogen, & 1.2cm3/min for oxygen.

5.1.2 Advanced Electrolyzer Experiment

As per now, we are unable to determine the result that will be produced by the
Electrolyzer, since the parts are still under fabrication process. We still able to expect
the produced gases will be more than the normal electrolysis.

5.1.2.1 Waveform Setup.

In the coming experiment, we are going to test the fabricated electrolyzer with 4 type
of A.C waveform at a few frequencies. The details of the seeded input is as follows,

Waveform Type Frequency(Hz) Total Gas Volume Produced (m3)

600 To be done.
800 To be done.
Saw Tooth Wave
1000 To be done.
1200 To be done.

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 600 To be done.
800 To be done.
Sinusoidal Wave
1000 To be done.
1200 To be done.
600 To be done.
Square Wave 800 To be done.
1000 To be done.
1200 To be done.
Table 2 : Waveform Setup for Electrolyzer Input

5.2 Discussion

Figure 15 : Electrolyzer arrangement

The electrolyzer arrangement could be arrange like:

While the physical arrangement can vary considerably, safety features in the design
should be put as the main factor of design:
1. The electrolyzer cannot be connected directly to the battery. Instead, it is
connected through circuit breaker, relay and electronic board before and after
the current and voltage entering the electrolyzer. It also should be controlled to
turn ON and OFF by the ignition switch of the vehicles. This is important, as
forgetting to switch off a directly wired electrolyzer when the vehicles reach
destination, leaves the generation of gas continuing while the vehicle is
parked. This extra gas build up could become a danger and draining the
battery without benefit being gained. The relay can be automatic switch off of
the circuit in case of anything like that happen.

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2. The electric supply goes through a circuit breaker before entering the system.
This to prevent any case of increasing current being drawn to the system due
to the any malfunction to the unit. Taking an advanced step better for
precaution purpose. We can add an LED light to monitor the breaker whether
it has been tripped or not. If the tripping occurs, the LED light will light up to
inform us that we need to reset the breaker.

3. By right, we should have a bubbler in between the electrolyzer and the supply
to the engine. This to prevent the ignition of the gas in the engine to reach the
electrolyzer directly, which if it is, serious explosion will occur. Simple
diagram below will provide basic structure of the additional bubbler:

Engine
Bubbler

Electrolyzer

Connection with the bubbler as the

safety features to prevent direct Initial connection without the
connection of electrolyzer and the bubbler in place.
engine.
Figure 16 Bubbler as the safety features.

4. The wires going to the plates in the electrolyzer should be well connected
below the surface of the liquid. This to avoid any possibility of connection
working loose with the vibration of the vehicles and causing a spark in the gas
filled region.

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 Chapter 6
CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATION

6.1 Conclusion

The advanced electrolyzer can be used to replace the traditional electrolysis to

produce suffice amount of usable gas for combustion engine and other daily
equipment that requires gas as the means of combustion for instance the lpg stove.
The end product of the electrolyzer benefits environment and society in long term
wise and should be exercised in our daily life. Difficulties mainly at the stage of
obtaining all the required hardware and electronics material. Execution of the project
includes purchasing, fabricating, assembling and testing.

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6.2 Recommendation

Essentially, the fabrication of the system should be done with full precaution
and care, especially during the bench testing of the electrolyzer system which may
contain highly explosive gas. Safety should be main concern in the system design.
Poorly designed system would have irregular performance and energy, time and
money are being wasted for refabricating and redesigning process. Some of the
recommended designs and features of the electrolyzer are as follows:

1. The system should able to run on only 12Volt DC, supplied by normal
vehicles wet battery.
2. It should be able to operate in normal condition; rated working
temperature for surrounding should be between 10ºC ~ 40ºC.
3. The entire electronic component should be rated to function at the
maximum voltage level of 200V, as the system would use an inverter to
produce square waveform of hundreds of volt.
4. An LED light to indicate condition of the system like, tripping breaker,
and water level is low etc. should also be installed for ease of the user.          

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 REFERENCES
[1] Patrick J. Kelly, Oxygen Company, 1998, “Practical Guide to Free Energy

Devices”, pp. 23 ~56.

[2] Stephen Barrie Chambers, Alberta, Canada, Oct. 3, 2000,United States Patent,
Patent Number 6,126,794, "Apparatus For Producing Orthohydrogen And/or
Parahydrogen" , pp. 1~17.

[3] Stanley Meyer, May 2, 1989, United States Patent, Patent Number 4,826,581,
"Controlled Process for the Production of Thermal Energy from Gases and
Apparatus Useful Therefore", pp. 1~45.

[4] Archie H. Blue, Nov. 7, 1978, United States Patent, Patent Number 4,124,463,
"Electrolytic Cell", pp. 1~4.

[5] Dr. Andrija Puharic, 1996, United States, “Water Decomposition by AC

Supply”, pp1~ 167.

[6] Bob Boyles, Jan. 2006, United States Patent, Patent Number 5,124,553,
"Hydrogen Fuel", pp. 1~50.

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