HHO Glossary
Note: Many definitions are taken from Wikipedia, footnotes may be linked to a wikipedia page. Hopefully in alphabetical order now.
Amps: is a unit of electric current, or amount of electric charge per second. The ampere is an SI base unit, and is named after André-Marie Ampère, one of the main discoverers of electromagnetism.
Baking Soda: Sodium bicarbonate or sodium hydrogen carbonate is the chemical compound with the formula NaHCO3. Above 60 °C (140F), it gradually decomposes into sodium carbonate, water and carbon dioxide. The conversion is fast at 200 °C (392F)
Browns Gas: Oxyhydrogen gas produced in a common-ducted electrolyzer has been referred to as “Brown’s gas”,after Yull Brown who received a utility patent for a series cell common-ducted electrolyzer in 1977 and 1978 (the term “Brown’s gas” is not used in his patents, but “a mixture of oxygen and hydrogen” is referenced).[8][10] Brown’s torches also used an electric arc to increase the temperature of the flame (called atomic welding):[8]
Bubbler: is a simple flashback device, used to prevent the burning gas from entering the HHO gas generating chamber and creating an explosion. The device by design can itself explode the quantity of gas in the head space above the water, destroying the bubbler, spreading the diluted catalyst and shrapnel from the container. For safety, reduce the head space to the bare minimum needed, change the water on some schedule to prevent the catalyst becoming strong enough to create chemical burns.
Catalyst : is a chemical compound that acts to speed up a reaction, but in the process is not itself changed. Therefore the catalyst, at the end of the reaction, is free to act again to assist another reactant through the reaction.
Catalysts work by lowering the energy barrier between the reactants and the products. In this case:
2H2O + ENERGY = 2H2 + O2
where it normally takes a tremendous amount of energy to convert reactants to products - the addition of a catalyst can decrease the amount of energy required and therefore speed the reaction up!
2H2O + CATALYST+ energy = 2H2 + O2 + CATALYST
Cell: is a device used for generating an electromotive force (voltage) and current from chemical reactions. In HHO production the cell is very similar to a battery cell, except instead of producing electricity, it produces HHO. Many Shapes and Styles are in use, many actually look like a multi cell battery. In fact most cells using catalyst will show a degrading voltage across the terminals when power is removed.
Check Valve: Limits the flow of gas to one direction only. Use a check valve between the bubbler and generator to prevent unwanted pressure build up in the generator, and a safety against a low level bubbler. A check valve, such as used on torches, is recommended. Many homemade ones are being designed for hobbyists to build. Many are available at welding supply houses.
Cubic Foot: is an imperial and US customary (non-metric) unit of volume, used in the United States, Canada and the United Kingdom. It is defined as the volume of a cube with sides of one foot (0.3048 m) in length. 1 cubic ft = 28.316846592 liters
flashback device: A device that prevents a flame front from returning to the source of gas and causing an explosion. example: like a torch flame traveling down the acetylene or Oxygen hose to the tank and igniting the tank of fuel.
HHO: is a mixture of hydrogen (H2) and oxygen (O2) gases, typically in a 2:1 atomic ratio, the same proportion as water.[1] This gaseous mixture is widely used for torches for the processing of refractory materials.
HHO will combust when brought to its autoignition temperature. For a stoichiometric mixture at normal atmospheric pressure, autoignition occurs at about 570 °C (1065 °F).[2] The minimum energy required to ignite such a mixture with a spark is about 20 microjoules.[2] At normal temperature and pressure, oxyhydrogen can burn when it is between about 4% and 94% hydrogen by volume.[2] Abbreviation for Hydrogen Hydrogen Oxygen, which is what water (H2O) is broken down into.
HFE: Hydrogen Fuel Enhancement, Newer term for HHO
Joule: is the SI unit of energy measuring heat, electricity and mechanical work. It was named after English physicist James Prescott Joule.
KOH: potassium hydroxide, sometimes known as caustic potash, It is very alkaline and is a “strong base”. The dissolution in water is strongly exothermic, producing substantial amounts of energy in form of heat, leading to temperature rise, sometimes up to boiling point and over; concentrated aqueous solutions are called potassium lyes. As a very strong base/alkali, potassium hydroxide is strongly corrosive, both towards inorganic as well as organic materials, including living tissues; care must be therefore taken, when handling the substance and its solutions. Its corrosivity is sometimes used in cleaning and disinfection of resistant surfaces and materials.[5]
Liter: international unit of volume is the cubic metre (m3). One liter is equal to 0.001 cubic metre and is denoted as 1 cubic decimetre (dm3).
millilitre: defined as one-thousandth of a liter (one cubic centimetre)
NaOH: Sodium hydroxide, also known as lye, caustic soda, is a caustic metallic base. Sodium hydroxide forms a strong alkaline solution when dissolved in a solvent such as water. It is used in many industries, mostly as a strong chemical base in the manufacture of pulp and paper, textiles, drinking water, soaps and detergents and as a drain cleaner. It is deliquescent and readily absorbs carbon dioxide from the air, so it should be stored in an airtight container. It is very soluble in water with liberation of heat.
OrthoHydrogen: spin isomers of Hydrogen
Oxyhydrogen: is a mixture of hydrogen (H2) and oxygen (O2) gases, typically in a 2:1 atomic ratio, the same proportion as water.[1] This gaseous mixture is widely used for torches for the processing of refractory materials.
Oxyhydrogen will combust when brought to its autoignition temperature. For a stoichiometric mixture at normal atmospheric pressure, autoignition occurs at about 570 °C (1065 °F).[2] The minimum energy required to ignite such a mixture with a spark is about 20 microjoules.[2] At normal temperature and pressure, oxyhydrogen can burn when it is between about 4% and 94% hydrogen by volume.[2]
Parahydrogen: spin isomers of Hydrogen
Salt: composed primarily of sodium chloride, with the formula NaCl. elemental chlorine is usually produced by the electrolysis of sodium chloride dissolved in water. Along with chlorine, this chloralkali process yields hydrogen gas and sodium hydroxide, according to the chemical equation
2NaCl + 2H2O → Cl2 + H2 + 2NaOH
Chlorine It has a disagreeable, suffocating odor that is detectable in concentrations as low as 3.5 ppm[1] and is poisonous. This should be avoided as a catalyst completely just for personal safety.
Sodium carbonate: also know as soda ash, sal soda etc is an excellent electrolyte or catalyst can be bought in laundry section (sal soda, washing soda) and in spa/pool stores for decreasing ph. It also doesnt corrode the anodes.
Sulphuric Acid: is a strong mineral acid with the molecular formula H2SO4. It is soluble in water at all concentrations. Some common concentrations are
- 10%, dilute sulfuric acid for laboratory use,
- 33.5%, battery acid (used in lead-acid batteries),
- 62.18%, chamber or fertilizer acid,
- 77.67%, tower or Glover acid,
- 98%, concentrated acid.
The hydration reaction of sulfuric acid is highly exothermic. If water is added to the concentrated sulfuric acid, it can react, boil and spit dangerously. One should always add the acid to the water rather than the water to the acid. Sulfuric acid reacts with most metals via a single displacement reaction to produce hydrogen gas and the metal sulfate. Dilute H2SO4 attacks iron, aluminium, zinc, manganese, magnesium and nickel, but reactions with tin and copper require the acid to be hot and concentrated. Lead and tungsten, however, are resistant to sulfuric acid.
Vinegar: is a liquid processed from the fermentation of ethanol in a process that yields its key ingredient, acetic acid. The acetic acid concentration typically ranges from 4 to 8 percent by volume for table vinegar [1] (typically 5%) and higher concentrations for pickling (up to 18%). Natural vinegars also contain small amounts of tartaric acid, citric acid, and other acids. Commercial vinegar available to consumers for household use does not exceed 5% and solutions above 10% need careful handling since they are corrosive and damaging to skin. Stronger solutions (i.e., greater than 5%) that are labeled for use as herbicides are available from some retailers.
Volts: is the SI derived unit of electric potential difference or electromotive force.[1][2] It is named in honor of the Lombard physicist Alessandro Volta (1745–1827), who invented the voltaic pile, the first modern chemical battery
Watt: is the SI derived unit of power, equal to one joule of energy per second. It measures a rate of energy use or production.
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