Diesel + LPG or Hydrogen?

[Ivo]

Has anyone considered adding LPG or Hydrogen to their TDI to improve economy and performance? My dad was talking to a road train operator way out west and he was running a hydrogen system on this truck. Improves economy and performance and uses distiled water.

There are several companies doing the LPG system now. The results for LPG seem to be proven and you can get the govt rebate but not with the hydrogen system. It looks like the H2 system could be easily removed from one car and fitted to another as It would take me about 10 years to pay it off considering the km's I do every year.


I only found one legitimate looking Hydrogen site:http://www.greenmile.com.au/Hydrogen.htm

Info on LPG conversions : http://www.dieselgas.com.au/home.htm



Thoughts?

[Greg Roles]

Oh I've considered it baby!

Adding any extra fuel is going to have a few downsides, most notably increased exhaust temps. LPG gives a nice wack in performance, but so too is it frowned upon as now you have two types of fuel you are trying to control, and with VNT turbo's especially being temperature sensitive, it's something to be careful with. If you upped your O2 content, via more air in, cooler charge, water meth injection, that kind of thing then yep you have room for more fuel.

As for the rebate, as is the way, suprisingly LPG systems went up almost EXACTLY the rebated amount. I refuse to pay that.

Go for it man, but it's not a path I plan to head down at this stage, and even if I did, it would be way down on the list. Plenty of other things to optimise first, but it depends on your exact car. For me in a GT, it would be silly to go for LPG over the cheaper and similarily huge increase a tune or a DPF delete would give.

[oracle1]

LPG is supposed to lower your EGT as more complete combustion of the fuel means more thermal energy is captured in the piston downstroke and the fuel is more completely combusted, therefore EGT is lower, the gain in fuel economy from LPG is not about adding more fuel, it is about flame front propagation and the LPG acting as a catalyst to burn the heavier diesel fuel more completely, I have no doubt hydrogen will have the same effect the question is, will it sap more SHP driving the alternator to make current than the efficiency gain from combustion enhancement

[oracle1]

you can make a hydrogen system yourself very cheaply plans are all over the net

[gldgti]

LPG is supposed to lower your EGT as more complete combustion of the fuel means more thermal energy is captured in the piston downstroke and the fuel is more completely combusted, therefore EGT is lower, the gain in fuel economy from LPG is not about adding more fuel, it is about flame front propagation and the LPG acting as a catalyst to burn the heavier diesel fuel more completely, I have no doubt hydrogen will have the same effect the question is, will it sap more SHP driving the alternator to make current than the efficiency gain from combustion enhancement

trick is to make just a little hydrogen at home with solar or soething else free, and use it in your car to improve the economy/clean up emissions. making it while driving is going to be a "false" economy

[Ivo]

The H2 system claims to only draw 7-14amps. I cant see that being a huge drain on the alternator and increasing fuel consumption dramatically.

Extracting hydrogen may not be cost effective to run a vehicle on pure hydrogen...yet, but its seems that it is effective when adding it to the main fuel source to improve output.

In theory lots of things should not be possible but they are.

[Sage]

i have thought about it for awhile.. only hesitation i have is will the DSG hold up to the extra grunt.. i am already near 400nm.. not worth the risk imo..

[gldgti]

The H2 system claims to only draw 7-14amps. I cant see that being a huge drain on the alternator and increasing fuel consumption dramatically.

Extracting hydrogen may not be cost effective to run a vehicle on pure hydrogen...yet, but its seems that it is effective when adding it to the main fuel source to improve output.

In theory lots of things should not be possible but they are.

7-14 amps.... well lets take the worst case 14 amps -

P = VI........... P=power, V= voltage, I= current

P= 12* 14
= 168W

go find out how much hydrogen you can make per minute at atmosheric pressure with 168W of power