Hydrogen embrittlement of internal combustion engines running on hydrogen as a fuel, or using BG as a combustion assist, is a myth instigated by Vested Interest and propagated by people who simply don’t know the facts.FACT: Hydrogen embrittlement is only an issue in very specific conditions that do not exist in a combustion chamber.
1. The hydrogen must first enter the steel.
~ The steel is protected by a layer of oil and water (hydrogen has trouble penetrating water). ~ The hydrogen is only in the combustion chamber a very short time. ~ The hydrogen is not subjected to thousands of psi or thousands of °C to force it into the steel. (aluminum is naturally resistant to hydrogen embrittlement).
2. Once in the steel, the hydrogen must then combine with carbon (to form methane) or oxygen (to form water) or with itself (mon-atomic hydrogen converting to diatomic).
~ Making methane is highly unlikely without a high energy input. ~ Making water assumes oxygen is in the steel (oxygen would rust the steel). ~ Making hydrogen assumes the original hydrogen was mon-atomic.
3. The hydrogen is not constantly in contact with the steel.
~ hydrogen, as the smallest molecule, can enter and migrate through nearly any material… both ways. If any hydrogen enters the steel of an engine, it also easily leaves the steel as soon as there is an opportunity, like when the engine is shut off or the cylinder is under a vacuum. FACT: Roy McAllister, past president of the American Hydrogen Association, is personally using high pressure hydrogen bottles that were made during the second world war, and they are still passing certification. He has been running a hydrogen powered car for over twenty years and finds that there is reduced engine wear, no acid in the oil, and emissions are cleaner than those from the ambient air. The McAllister Hydrogen Injection Spark Plug enables internal combustion engines to use hydrogen fuel and the changeover, including manifold and hydrogen tank, takes only a few hours. FACT: ALL internal combustion engines ALREADY run on hydrogen. What do you think hydrocarbon fuels are mostly made of? During combustion the fuel molecules break apart into constituent atoms (carbon and hydrogen) and then reform (with oxygen) into water and carbon dioxide.FACT: Adding hydrogen to the fuel combustion via Brown’s Gas LOWERS the volume of hydrogen the engine has to handle; simply by lowering the volume of fuel the engine needs. Get the same power using 1/2 the fuel means the engine needed 1/2 the hydrogen.BTW, don’t believe the myth of water ‘rusting the engine’ either. When adding water as a fuel enhancer, the engine ends up using LESS water. A gallon of gasoline turns into 9 gallons of water during combustion. By replacing 50% of the fuel with water, the volume of water the engine handles is reduced from 9 to 5 gallons (4.5 from combustion and 0.5 from direct water).