Trucking Firm to Install Hy-Drive Hydrogen Generating Systems Throughout Fleet
05 September 2006
Langford, Inc., a St. Cloud, Minnesota-based trucking firm, will install Hy-Drive’s Hydrogen Generating System (HGS) throughout its entire fleet. Langford has been conducting a series of over-the-road test programs using the Hy-Drive HGS for the past several months on selected trucks.
The HGS is an on-board electrolyzer that generates and injects hydrogen gas into a regular internal combustion engine, enhancing the combustion process by allowing fuel to burn more efficiently and completely. (Earlier post.) After nearly four months of results, units running the Hy-Drive system saw fuel economy climbed to more than 7 miles per gallon. That translates into a fuel savings of about US$700 US a month at current prices—enough to pay for the system in 15 months.
Langford used PeopleNet’s on-board web-based performance monitoring system to analyze the performance of trucks equipped with the Hy-Drive HGS in order to verify the increased fuel efficiency and increased horsepower.
Langford runs both company-owned and owner-operator trucks in the fleet. For the owner-operators, Langford has set up a special $400 a month lease-purchase agreement to acquire the Hy-Drive system.
In August, Hy-Drive announced a definitive marketing, distribution and manufacturing agreement with Canadian-based Mining Technologies International Inc. (MTI) for the development and deployment of HGS units in above- and below-ground mining equipment. (Earlier post.)
This version uses a water tank to make H2. Wasn't there another version which reformed some of the diesel into H2 gas? That would be a better solution, particularly in winter.
Posted by: The Anonymous Poster | 05 September 2006 at 07:35 AM
Wasn't there another version which reformed some of the diesel into H2 gas?
I suspect methanol would be a better liquid for thermal reforming. Over a Cu/ZnO catalyst, methanol + water will decompose to CO and H2 at something like 250 C. It's been proposed to chemically recuperate IC engine exhaust heat using this idea.
Posted by: Paul Dietz | 05 September 2006 at 08:18 AM
Paul, What happens to the CO, as it is highly toxic?
Posted by: anne | 05 September 2006 at 08:22 AM
What happens to the CO,
It would be burned in the engine along with the hydrogen. It's a fuel too.
Posted by: Paul Dietz | 05 September 2006 at 08:25 AM
Wouldn't they have saved even more money by having fitted stand heaters and aux power so the trucks don't sit idling at the truck stops....
Posted by: Ruaraidh | 05 September 2006 at 08:59 AM
A 7 miles per gallon gain is huge for semi-trucks. No wonder it pays for itself so quickly.
Posted by: Cervus | 05 September 2006 at 09:03 AM
A 7 miles per gallon gain
Read again; it climbed to 7 mpg.
Posted by: Paul Dietz | 05 September 2006 at 09:08 AM
Ah... missed the "to". Still not bad, though.
Posted by: Cervus | 05 September 2006 at 09:16 AM
Kinda reminds me of www.hytechapps.com They generate a
HHO gas molecule from water that when combined with fuel increases mileage dramatically (or so they say). Seems like this or Propane injection (fogging/misting) of the intake air helps as a catalyst.
P.S. What about that plasma diesel ignition from Perriquest for solving cold start diesel problems!
Posted by: Andy | 05 September 2006 at 09:28 AM
they generate a HHO gas molecule from water
Uh huh. Sure they do. Unless what you're describing is 'boiling', it's nonsense. There is no stable molecule with two hydrogens and one oxygen aside from ordinary water.
Reminds me of xTSO (x-to-snake-oil) processes.
Posted by: Paul Dietz | 05 September 2006 at 09:32 AM
Andy, go look up the patent on that "HHO" process. You will see that they specifically cite a FOSSIL FUEL being used for the combustion. Looks like they are just using standard chemicals to produce acytlene.
Posted by: Patrick | 05 September 2006 at 10:07 AM
The chemical symbol for acetylene is C2H2. It can be formed by reacting calcium carbide with water.
http://www.madehow.com/Volume-4/Acetylene.html
Posted by: LochDhu | 05 September 2006 at 10:28 AM
This is extremely risky. Especially, in commercial trucking applications. This type of H2/O2 or HHO injection generates much higher water concentrations in the combustion chamber that breaks down and contaminates the oil lubrication.
Posted by: Barry R. Guthrie | 05 September 2006 at 10:34 AM
I have spoken to Hytechapps.com a few times in Clearwater. I discussed Stan Meyers with them. They told me they don't know what he really did, but they were for real. As they discribed it to me they don't break down the water into 2 hydrogen molecules and one oxygen molecule. Instead they keep them bonded as one molecule not the three, which takes much less energy to make. Is Hydrogen Technology Applications for real?? Who knowes.But these guys Hy-Drive are and that is great.
Barry as long as the oil stays above boiling point and the water evaperates off the water buildup doesn't matter so much. Trucks test oil for acid buildup as well as metals in there oil, hence bypass filters and irregular oil changes based on sample testing not mileage or calander.
Posted by: andy | 05 September 2006 at 10:50 AM
All major trucking companies do oil analysis regularly and use the results to determine when the truck needs a full oil change. You can get oil analysis for your own vehicle from 4 or 5 different companies, one of the largest being Blackstone Labs (google it). That oil analysis detects water and any other impurities. If oil life degrades, that would be factored in to the equasion. Trust me, you are not smarter than a trucking fleet manager when it comes to knowing the true cost of maintaining a trucking fleet.
As for the comments about reforming diesel into H2, I would imagine it's less costly to use water, considering purified water is less than 50 cents a gallon (probably WAY less in bulk, like 5-10 cents) compared to the current $2.60-$3/gal we've seen for diesel fuel recently. Using exhaust heat to keep the water form would be a free solution against freezing.
Posted by: Sid Hoffman | 05 September 2006 at 10:50 AM
I would certainly hope that they freqently test the oil under these circumstances. Yes, the water will boil off, but from where inside the engine does it boil from and to where does it go to? How much and in what way has it contaminated the lubricant properties? Inside the crank where does the water go? How much more frequently do you need to change the oil under these conditions? It would also seem much more risky during colder operating conditions when the water is more likely to condense rather than boil off where ever it happens to be.
Posted by: Barry R. Guthrie | 05 September 2006 at 11:31 AM
I seriously doubt this is causing any substantial change in the C/H ratio in the engine. I mean, how much energy are they actually producing by this thermoelectric doodad? It must be minor compared to the output of the engine itself, so the thermal energy content of the hydrogen must be smaller than that of the diesel fuel by an even larger factor.
BTW, diesel engines have been operated successfully with large amounts of methane replacing diesel fuel, which should have a much larger effect on the C/H ratio in the engine.
Posted by: Paul Dietz | 05 September 2006 at 11:43 AM
A note:
The production and subsequent burning of the hydrogen/oxygen (aka brown gas) is actually a negative net energy process (it takes more energy to produce the brown gas than is garnished from burning it)
HOWEVER... the brown gas actas as a catalyst, speeding up the flame front, allowing the engines to produce more hp with the same amount of fuel. This translates into a lower running RPM (for the same speed) which translates into lower fuel consumption.
Water should be a non issue. What ever does condense, and is not bunrt in the combustion process, will leave as steam in the exhaust gas. If this was actually a problem, it would become apparent quite quickly (inside 100 miles, I'd guess)
Posted by: john | 05 September 2006 at 05:40 PM
I always wondering, what kind of people (fleet managers and their technical stuff especially) could believe in such primitive BS. Cleaner exhaust? Couple per cent probably. Fuel saving from faster combustion (they are already smart enough not to mention “more complete combustion” BS) ?
Diesel engine employs so called isobaric combustion, where pressure during combustion event is about constant. Compression ratio of diesel engine is limited by max firing pressure, and that is the reason why smooth and relatively slow burning fuel is advantageous to diesel engine, as it allows engine to withstand higher compression ratio which translates to higher thermal efficiency. Faster combustion adds may be 0.5% percent in fuel efficiency (I doubt it), which is impossible to detect on vehicle in commercial operation, and significantly increases stress on engine components, draining engineered into engine safety margin. If one wants to increase speed of combustion – increase compression ratio, it is that simple. Probably too simple to be sold to somebody. BTW, taking alternator efficiency as 80% and electrolysis efficiency at 40%, system should perform miracle to offset energy wasted to generate hydrogen.
Posted by: Andrey | 05 September 2006 at 06:11 PM
john,
"a lower running rpm (for the same speed)"
Please tell me how the injection of anything into an engine magically changes the gear ratios in the transmission and/or differential. Perhaps if we were talking CVTs but there are no diesel trucks running a CVT.
Posted by: Patrick | 06 September 2006 at 08:22 AM
Patrick,
You got me there. I mispoke.
What I should have said:
"For the same RPM (thus HP and Speed) the engine needs to inject less fuel (due to increased flame speed), thus reducing overall fuel consumption."
Andrey,
Aparrently some guys at MIT are dumb enough to buy into this BS. Link: http://www.greencarcongress.com/2005/11/hydrogenenhance.html
Posted by: John | 06 September 2006 at 09:14 AM
Andrey,
Automotive alternators don't get 80% efficiency...at least not for the average run of the mill sub $20,000 non-hybrid. Alternators for automobiles are built to take abuse (vibration, heat, and varied rpm) and are closer to 70% efficiency if you are lucky.
Posted by: Patrick | 06 September 2006 at 12:21 PM
WOW - the Oil companies have you all fooled. Those who have seen the power of this technology know that hydrogen is the fuel of the future. Snake oil - yadayadayada...come back here in a couple years when it has taken off and read this post again. AND REMEMBER I TOLD YA SO. And BTW Hy-Drive does not own the patent to this process - the Stowe patent is already owned by www.allmyrelationsinc.com
Posted by: Shoshone Powered | 29 March 2007 at 07:48 AM