How do I power a small engine with hydrogen fuel?

Question

How does this compare with other fuels expensives.

Answer 1

Presuming you have a small 4cycle single cylinder engine - then you'll need to block the throttle open, deliver hydrogen directly behind the intake port through a 1/16" inside diameter tube at about 2psi (pounds per square inch) pressure.   The hydrogen flow is adjusted with a metering value to give you speed control.

Parts:  pressurized tank of hydrogen or hydride storage tank, 2 stage regulator to drop the pressure from the pressure tank to 2psi, metering valve, 1/16" diamter tubing to get the hydrogen to the intake valve - miscellaneous hardware to hold everything in place (this is the easiest cheapest way to run on hydrogen)

Answer 2

Simple (and correct) answer~ You can't.

Answer 3

The conversion is similar to operating an engine with propane. Since hydrogen is more volatile, the use of fuel cells for general consumer use has been suggested and some companies are building autos and motorcycles adapted to fuel cells. Basically, other than fuel cells, a strong tank is needed to hold the hydrogen safely. Pressure is more than propane. The carburetor must be adapted to allow the gaseous rather than liquid to flow. While other changes may be needed for long term use, the standard engine will operate with hydrogen as the gas source. Please see Google search "hydrogen powered small engine"  which lists http://www.clean-air.org/conversion_kit_

response.htm as a reference for converting small engines to hydrogen. (Please pardon the split adress as yahoo refuses to cooperate)

Answer 4

You will need a fuel cell, they are fairly expensive. From http://www.leaptran.com/

Answer 5

Hydrogen is more expensive and more dangerous. Hydrogen requires just as much power to produce it that it provides. Why would you want to?

Answer 6

Hydrogen is more expensive than gasoline, and harder to handle. But as a fuel, it works pretty well. Any regular car engine can run on hydrogen with only minor modifications.