Diesel Hydrogen-Boost System/Diesel Tractor Trailer

[0533]

I have been following this product for a while. The company claims to have lots of over the road Series 60 big rigs using his system with a routine savings of 15/20% without any other conservation measures, and up to 50% with other driving measures involved.

When Diesel creeps over $5 which might happen this summer a $1.00 a gallon might look like a real savings.

Love to have comments on this. Once you check out the equipment, and if any of you (Jon) feel its worth the investment and won't burn up the engines where would you install all of the needed equipment?

http://www.hydrogen-boost.com/order.html

[0533]

I have been following this product for a while. The company claims to have lots of over the road Series 60 big rigs using his system with a routine savings of 15/20% without any other conservation measures, and up to 50% with other driving measures involved.

When Diesel creeps over $5 which might happen this summer a $1.00 a gallon might look like a real savings.

Love to have comments on this. Once you check out the equipment, and if any of you (Jon) feel its worth the investment and won't burn up the engines where would you install all of the needed equipment?

http://www.hydrogen-boost.com/order.html

Does anyone have any input on this subject?? Thanks,

Bruce

[dalej]

Bruce, I think you hurt our feelings when you wrote "and if any of you (Jon)" We just need some time to get over it.

I personally wouldn't add it to my bus until it was proven by Detroit to do what it says, or a reliable source (Jon) said it was ok.

[0533]

Bruce, I think you hurt our feelings when you wrote "and if any of you (Jon)" We just need some time to get over it.

I personally wouldn't add it to my bus until it was proven by Detroit to do what it says, or a reliable source (Jon) said it was ok.

I figured Jon would knock it down, so I added his name. Why do you feel that Detroit should sign off, because of added heat from a cleaner burn??? More horsepower?? Damage?? What type of damage potential do you see here if any??

[Ray Davis]

I personally would be concerned about what appears to be a single guy, taking orders via a PayPal account.

If it were that simple to make something like this, I would assume the DD people (and other engine manufactures) would be all over it. At best it might work. Most likely it would void any warranty, but worst case it could do irreparable damage to your motor.

Maybe indeed it works, but I personally would be very hesitant.

Ray

[0533]

I personally would be concerned about what appears to be a single guy, taking orders via a PayPal account.

If it were that simple to make something like this, I would assume the DD people (and other engine manufactures) would be all over it. At best it might work. Most likely it would void any warranty, but worst case it could do irreparable damage to your motor.

Maybe indeed it works, but I personally would be very hesitant.

Ray

I'm sure it is not that simple, but he does claim to have customers using the system on Detroit series 60's. The unit is not cheap either, its $4K plus install unless one does it themselves. If it works its makes sense for those who run lots of miles and use lots of fuel.

There are several products out now using this approach. In time I am sure one will catch on, and when it does it will sell very well.

[Ray Davis]

I'm sure that in time there will be lots of these type of products, but I would prefer to get something blessed by DD.

I know that Jon generally doesn't approve of ad-hoc addon's on our coaches. Quite often we hear of people slapping on bigger wheels, without regard to suspension design etc. I know I've heard of Jon mentioning similiar before.

Bolting something extra on the engine scares me a bit. But, again, that may be just me. It seems especially scary, given that our engines are driven by computers, which expect diesel to be running through the engine. If it's something else, shouldn't the computer know, and somehow be programmed to that fact? Lot's of unanswered questions here.


Ray

[Joe Cannarozzi]

Nice signature Ray. Glad to see you sill have your sense of humor.

[Jon Wehrenberg]

I think Ray is correct in that if the system worked as advertised, not only would DD be all over it, but Congress would likely mandate it.

But for the moment, let us assume it really works. A truck driving 100,000 miles a year at 5 mpg will use 20,000 gallons. A 50% improvement will drop that down to 13,333 gallons and at todays $4.00 per gallon costs the savings is 6,666 gallons or $26,666 dollars making the investment look like chump change.

If cars and small trucks used this device and it performed as claimed we would be back to $1.00 fuel because of supply and demand.

From an operational point of view adding something additional to the fuel supply to the engine can have consequences. When an engine has a power stroke the fuel it was designed for burns at a specific rate, and has combustion characteristics that are not harmful. When the fuel is modified such as by adding anything, whether it is gasoline, hydrogen, vegetable oil or propane lots of things are affected. Within the combustion cycle for example the fuel burn has a specific rate and pattern. The engine designers incorporate into the internal design a lot of engineering to strengthen the moving parts where necessary, to open and close valves at the correct time, to locate those valves properly, to create flow paths not only for intake air, but exhaust gasses.

The fuel an engine is designed for has a specific BTU content which is an expression of how much work can be done for a given amount of fuel. If that is changed based on the volume of fuel introduced more or less work is being performed and the timing of when that work is perfomed is also impacted. It is bad stuff for an engine to have its air fuel mixture ignite in a violent explosion for example, rather than a relatively slow steady burn in a predictable pattern.

Conversely, there are other practical issues with our computerized engines. The DDEC is monitoring numerous parameters. it not only measures the amount of fuel based on conditions, but it also times the introduction of the fuel which is akin to changing the spark timing on a gasoline engine. I cannot imagine the impact a hydrogen enriched atmosphere would have on our engines.

Yup, consider me opposed until DD blesses it. Our engines cost way too much form me to embrace a technology that cannot even pass the sniff test.