HHO Generators

What is HHO?

HHO is hydrogen gas and oxygen produced from water. HHO is created by adding a catalyst to water, and using electrolysis (electricity flowing through the water) to break the water molecules up into their basic atoms, hydrogen and oxygen. Normally, hydrogen would be referred to as H₂, but since HHO applications include an oxygen atom, they are more commonly referred to as HHO to include this oxygen atom without mixing it up with water, H₂O.

Efficiency of Different Engine Cycles & Fuels

Gasoline engines, use the otto ignition cycle, which is more efficient than the diesel cycle, because the majority of the ignition occurs while the piston is at top dead center, thus the explosion occurs with the highest compression ratio. The higher the compression ratio, the more efficient energy can be converted into work. Diesel engines spray fuel into the cylinder as the cylinder begins to move down. Fuel spraying is much slower than ignition by a spark, so not all of the explosion occurs while the piston is at top dead center. This is why diesels are less efficient, due to the limitations of how fast matter can travel. However, gasoline is limited to a compression ratio of about 1:10 due to autoignition (combustion under pressure) and so a diesel engine is able to use higher compression ratios since they utilize autoignition, which is more efficient than the limited ratios gasoline can use, and diesels end up being more efficient overall when comparing gasoline fuels to diesel fuels.

Hydrogen is an extremely combustible gas. The ignition of hydrogen is much faster than gasoline, making it more efficient to burn in an engine, especially in a spark-ignition system. If hydrogen were to be used straight as a fuel, it would be best used in the otto ignition cycle (gasoline engine.) However, due to many complications of storing hydrogen as a fuel, it is not yet practical to use. It is also not efficient to produce hydrogen yet either.

Why use HHO?

Since hydrogen is so explosive, but not practical to use as a fuel, HHO is a great alternative to boosting the efficiency of a modern gasoline or diesel engine. When HHO is produced, it can be injected into the air intake of an engine to help increase the burning rate of the fuel. The explosive properties of hydrogen, combined with the extra oxygen allow for better combustion of the gasoline or diesel, resulting in higher efficiency overall of the ignition, which results in more power and more fuel savings.

Vehicle Applications of HHO

HHO can be produced by the use of a hydrogen generator which utilizes electrolysis. The generator is filled with distilled water and an electrically conducting catalyst. The HHO Generator is hooked up to the car battery and is supplied electricity from the alternator when the vehicle is on. Due to the electrical catalyst, the electricty can pass easily through the water within the hydrogen generator, resulting in electroylsis of the water. The water breaks down into the basic atoms that compose it, oxygen and water (HHO). This HHO is then fed into the air intake of the vehicle, resulting in more efficient burning of the main fuel. Despite the fact that electrolysis is inefficient, the added efficiency to the combustion of the gasoline/diesel makes up for it and even adds up to another 40% in fuel economy.

The Different HHO Generators to Choose From

Hydrogen generators are still in the experimental stages, and many forms of them exist from the plastic homemade kits all the way to high quality and professional titanium kits.

Homemade HHO generators do work, but they have poor efficiency in producing HHO, and they will surely fail soon due to rapid corrosion of cheap parts. While homemade kits can be produced easily and work, they are not practical due to safety reasons and that they will not last long.

The majority of companies which make and sell HHO generator kits use stainless steel plates. These kits work better than a homemade kit, but are still subject to corrosion over time and still use a dangerous catalyst known as potassium hydroxide. Most stainless steel generators will last about 2-3 years, and then rust will form within the generator, thus hindering results. Eventually, the unit will fail.

The newest development in HHO generators is a Titanium Dry Cell Generator. These are the highest quality generators available on the market. The use of high surface coated plates on a titanium substrate solves the corrosion problem. As HHO is generated, the coating on the surface of the Titanium prevents any wear which would normally be caused by the electrolysis. The result is pure, clean HHO produced from a long-lasting HHO generator. These generators also do not require a dangerous catalyst such as potassium hydroxide. Instead, they only need the harmless and inexpensive Sodium Sulfate.

We only sell the Titanium Dry Cell Generator Kits. They are of the highest quality and should be considered over any other design. Their performance reliability far outweighs their slight extra cost.

Other Parts Involved in an HHO Generator Kit

Safety is the most important factor. While the HHO generator is technically all you need to produce HHO gas for an engine, there are many small factors which should be considered in the design of a system. The following devices are essential for operating a safe & efficient system :

Bubbler: Filled with water, should the HHO ignite before it reaches the intended cylinders, a backflash of fire will be stopped at the bubbler. HHO gas flows through the water in the bubbler, and passes to the air intake. If a fire were to occur, this is the point where the fire would cease to spread.

Pump, Resevoir & Radiator: Electrolysis is inefficient. It releases more energy into heat than it does energy into hydrogen. To counter this, a pumping system should be used to pull the water out of the generator and circulate it through a radiator for cooling before going back to the generator. If the water is allowed to get too hot, it could boil and damage the generator. Nobody wants steam going into their air intake anyway.

Ammeter: The more catalyst you add, the more amperage will pass through the water. This amperage needs to be monitored. Too much amperage can result in damage of the HHO generator or cause excessive heat. Most generators use no more than 35 amps.

The Problems with HHO

One problem with using HHO in a vehicle is that the added efficiency results in cooler exhaust temperatures. Modern computer controlled vehicles detect this temperature change, and will assume that the cooler exhaust means that not enough fuel is being injected into the engine, and will force more fuel flow. Since all of the air in the engine has already been used for combusting the correct amount of fuel, this extra fuel ends up getting blasted out of the exhaust of your vehicle. This is also why you wouldn't want to put higher octane fuel into a vehicle that uses a much lower octane fuel. More fuel without more air results in a loss.

This computer malfunction can be corrected though through manipulation from a chip. A chip, such as the Volo HHO Performance chip, will trick the computer into thinking the exhaust is of normal temperatures, resulting in the correct fuel flow. A chip can also enhance the timing of combustion so the fuel is burned more efficiently. Ignitions of gasoline or diesel are typically performed just before the piston is at top dead center because the fuel takes a little time to actually ignite, especially in diesels. This allows for the most fuel efficient combustion right when the piston is at top dead center. When HHO is added, the timing should be corrected to compensate for the faster ignition time.

HHO Efficiency

A typical vehicle is likely to experience between 10-40% in fuel economy when using HHO. This factor varies a lot due to the type of fuel, the power of the engine, the computer that controls the engine, and also the driving habits of the user. All users should experience some fuel economy gains by using an HHO generator. Some vehicles will experience near maximum fuel gains without the need of a Volo Chip. However, other trickier computer systems will require a Volo chip to get closer to the higher gains of 40% efficiency.Gasoline engines will usually experience more gains than diesel engines since spark ignition is more efficient for hydrogen.

Misconceptions of HHO

Many people believe that in an HHO system, hydrogen and oxygen is produced to be injected into the engine as a fuel. It would not be uncommon to hear stories about the guy who was on the highway and tweaked the dial on his HHO system so that he was almost completely "running on hydrogen." The truth is, if you were to stop the flow of gasoline or diesel and try to actually run just on hydrogen, the engine would very quickly come to a halt because the production of hydrogen is not 100% efficient, and the energy loss in the production process would result in a completely drained battery, if it was even able to produce enough hydrogen to actual power the car. Hydrogen is only added to the current fuel system to help burn that fuel more efficiently, hydrogen is not the actual fuel being used.

Many vendors of cheaper HHO kits will try to draw in sales by claiming extraordinary increases in fuel efficiency. While HHO is phenomal in boosting fuel economy, some companies greatly exaggerate their numbers. Having more HHO produced than necessary does not result in more efficiency. Fuels can only burn so much more efficiently from added hydrogen. Eventually, the losses from the inefficient electrolysis is going to start overcoming the benefits of adding more and more HHO. Consequently, a claim of 100+% in fuel savings is simply not realistic, even if the vendor claims that their cell produces more HHO.