Joe Cell cathode bolt design

These are the design drawings for the cathode bolt that is used in the Joe Cell by Andy Didge.

Joe Cell plans

I am posting drawings and pictures of Andy Didge's "Joe" cell designs. The first post is the car Joe cell. More to come!

HHO glossary

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 NaHCO_3. 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.

HHO and catalytic converters

If a small amount of
hydroxy gas is added to the air being drawn into the engine, the resulting mix burns much better than it
would if no hydroxy gas were added. With reasonable amounts of hydroxy gas added, the burn quality is so
high that a catalytic converter is not needed. Normally, unburnt fuel coming out of the engine is burnt in the
catalytic converter. With a good booster connected, there is no unburnt fuel reaching the catalytic converter,
so although you leave it in place, it never wears out as it is not being used.

HHO booster parts list

There is nothing more frustrating than trying to get all the parts together that are needed for a project. I have a list of parts that are needed to make a 4"x12", 16 plate HHO booster. Most of these parts can be found at your local hardware store. I have also included sources for some items that may be hard to find.

4-inch diameter PVC pipe 12-inches long 1 Forms the body of the booster
4-inch diameter PVC pipe end-cap 1 Closes the bottom of the booster
4-inch diameter PVC pipe screw cap 1 The top of the booster
Half-inch diameter PVC pipe elbow 1 The gas take-off from the booster
Quarter-inch diameter PVC pipe elbow 2 The water-level indicator connectors
Quarter-inch clear plastic tubing 36 - inch The water-level indicator tubing
Stainless steel switch covers 16 The plate array components
Stainless steel straps 12-inches long 2 The electrical connections to the plates
One-inch diameter PVC pipe 12-inch Available at Home Depot
Quarter-inch stainless steel bolts 1” long 2 Electrical strap connection to the top cap
Quarter-inch stainless steel nuts & washers 2 To fit the steel bolts
Quarter-inch diameter stainless steel nuts 14 To fit nylon threaded rod
Quarter-inch diameter nylon threaded rod 8” min. Nylon Threaded Rod 1/4"-20 Thread.
McMaster Carr Part No 98831A028
Quarter-inch nylon washers 1-pack Nylon 6/6 Flat Washer 1/4" Screw Size,.252"
ID,.472" OD, .054"-.070" Thick, Packs of 100
McMaster Carr Part No 90295A140
Quarter-inch Tube Fitting 90 Degree Elbow 2 Sanitary White PVDF Single-Barbed Tube Fitting
90 Degree Elbow for 1/4" Tube ID X 1/2" NPT
Male Pipe. McMaster Carr Part No 53055K189
Quarter-inch Tube Fitting 90 Degree Elbow 2 Sanitary White PVDF Single-Barbed Tube Fitting
90 Degree Elbow for 1/4" Tube ID X 1/4" NPT
Male Pipe. McMaster Carr Part No 53055K183
One-way valve 2 Diaphragm Check Valve Nylon
Body/Fluorosilicone Diaphragm, 1/4" Barb
McMaster Carr Part No 47245K27
PVC glue 1 tube Same color as the PVC pipe if possible
Optional: Light Emitting Diode 1 10 mm diameter, red, with panel-mounting clip
Quarter-watt resistor 1 470 ohm (code bands: Yellow, Purple, Brown)

HHO booster electrolyte

Fill your booster with distilled water and NaOH (sodium hydroxide) or KOH (potassium hydroxide) only. No
tap water, salt water or rainwater! No table salt or baking soda! These materials will permanently damage
the booster!
First, fill the booster with distilled water about 2" from the top. Add a teaspoon of KOH or NaOH to the water
and then slide the top into place. Do not tighten it for now, but leave the top loose and resting in place.
Connect your 12V power supply to the leads and monitor the current draw of the unit. You want 16 amps
flowing when the booster is cold. As the water heats up over time, the current draw will increase by around
4 amps until it reaches about 20 amps, and this is why you are aiming for only 16 amps with a cold system.
If the current is too high, dump out some electrolyte and add just distilled water. If the current is too low, add
a pinch or two at a time of your catalyst until the 16 amps is reached. Overfilling your booster will cause
some of the electrolyte to be forced up the output tube, so a liquid level tube was added to monitor
electrolyte level.
The booster generally needs to be topped off once a week, depending on how long it is in operation. Add
distilled water, then check your current draw again. You may observe a drop in current over the course of a
few refills, and this is normal. Some of the catalyst escapes the cell suspended in water vapor droplets, so
from time to time you may need to add a pinch or two. The water in the bubbler acts to scrub this
contaminant out of the gas as well. I highly recommend installing an ammeter to monitor current draw as
you operate your booster.

Reduce vehicle emissions with a HHO booster

Reducing Vehicle Emissions is a popular topic these days and one of the most effective ways to do that with
any vehicle with an internal-combustion engine is to use a HHO “hydroxy” booster. Hydroxy is the name given to
the mixture of gases produced when an electric current is passed through water in a container and that is
generally called a “booster”. For a booster to be effective, several important details have to be
understood. The electric current needed to generate the hydroxy gas, is relatively minor and can usually be
supplied by the electric system of the vehicle without any difficulty. Using a booster cleans out any old
carbon deposits from inside the engine, makes the vehicle run more smoothly and more powerfully, and
reduces harmful exhaust emissions to zero. On e slight problem is that a vehicle with a booster fitted can
sometimes fail an automated emissions test in the USA as the computer thinks that the exhaust pipe must
be broken because it can measure no pollution emissions at all.