Identification

• 
   
  With today's increasing fuel prices, research into finding alternative fuel sources has become a top priority. As such, hydrogen-based fuels have become a viable alternative source. One key area for development has been within the automobile industry. HHO--also known as Brown's gas--is a chemical made up of two parts hydrogen and one part oxygen. It is made by applying electrolysis to water molecules, which causes water to separate into its component parts. The resulting gas is said to have a high energy content. By combining this technology with that of gasoline-powered engines, the use of water as a fuel is said to reduce a car's gasoline consumption. Other names for this technology are di-hydroxy, green glass, water glass and knall glass

1. Function

2. 
    
   The process of converting a gasoline-powered car to burn HHO fuel along with gas involves installing an electrolysis fuel cell. This cells is designed to run off of water, using the spark from the car battery to ignite the Brown's gas process. As water vapor is released, the engine's vacuum works to suction the HHO gas into the intake manifold. Once inside the manifold, it mixes with the car's gasoline and thereby reduces the amount of gas needed to run the car. The high energy content of this fuel is derived from the energy released when the bonds between H20 are broken. This technology is said to improve overall fuel consumption by a minimum of 25 to 30 percent. There are a number of conversion kits that can be purchased online

Considerations   As promising as this new technology sounds, there are some who question the validity of the claims made by its proponents. An article by Mike Allen in the July 2008 issue of "Popular Mechanics" discusses the physics behind HHO technology, and how it impacts a car's fuel-efficiency. The energy released when hydrogen and oxygen molecules are separated is one of the proposed benefits of Brown's gas, however the laws of physics require the force needed to break these bonds to use up equal amounts of energy in the process. As such, the resulting drain of energy from the car's engine and overall system is thought to greatly reduce the system's efficiency. Also questioned are the conditions under which HHO fuel technologies are tested, using computer-controlled car engines in the place of real world conditions. In effect, the 25 to 30 percent improvement in fuel consumption can only occur when the release of hydrogen gas is properly measured, and managed by the system.

Hydrogen

• Hydrogen is a gas and the most simple element in existence. The universe contains more hydrogen than any other gas. Each atom of hydrogen contains one proton, so hydrogen is lighter than air. This is what causes it to rise. This is also why hydrogen can only be found in compound form mixed with other elements. Hydrogen combines with oxygen to form water, or H2O.
  Hydrogen, like electricity, is a carrier of energy and must be created from another source. It can be made from sources such as water, fossil fuels and bio mass, or can be created as a chemical byproduct