by Pinhead » Sun Jun 15, 2008 3:07 pm
If you all want to greatly increase the performance of your GEET system, try adding a bit of hydrogen (not hydroxy, just pure hydrogen) to the fuel inlet side.
Basically what is happening in the GEET is the same as thermal catalytic cracking at the oil refineries. The exhaust and heat is traveling one direction, fuel the other. The cold rolled steel tube in the middle gets magnetized and acts as a catalyst. If you were able to "see" the inside of the fuel line, between the steel tube and the fuel line, it'd look like a lightning storm. Ions are flying around, sparks are shooting everywhere, it'd be quite the sight. However, since it is reacting in the absence of oxygen, it's not technically "burning" though there are many chemical reactions occurring.
The performance of your system will be greatly enhanced if you are able to inject pure hydrogen (no oxygen) into the fuel before it gets into the reactor. That's partly where the water comes in handy (if you can get it in the right proportions).
BASICALLY
A single hydrogen atom is called a hydrogen free radical, which is just as important as the free oxygen in the burning of the gasoline. The hydrogen atoms help to break up the longer chained molecules, which then oxidize more readily. Shorter chains oxidize much more quickly than longer ones; the shorter chained molecules have a much lower boiling point than the longer ones do.
C8H18 + 2H + Heat = C4H10 + C4H10 <-- Shorter chains are much "lighter" and evaporate much more easily, and therefore can contact oxygen much more effectively.
The hydrogen doesn't automatically chop all of the molecules in half, though. For example, C8H18 + H2 might turn into CH4 + C7H16. Both molecules are "lighter" than the original, however, and support more quick and efficient combustion. This is the goal of the GEET. This is also the basis of the PreIgnition Catalytic Converter (PICC) that is in development.
The system doesn't recycle any exhaust gas. The exhaust is only used for the thermal energy (the exhaust and fuel never mix). I don't think you have to "aim" the N/S of the magnetized rod, though I'll say I haven't heard anything about that.