Posted on 09/18/2008 10:24:42 AM PDT by Red Badger
It runs on water -- Jeff Falk demonstrates his hydrogen powered generator. It uses an electrolyzer to break the water down into hydrogen and oxygen, then burns the hydrogen for fuel. It produces zero carbon emissions and is "very safe." Falk's goal is to get off the grid completely. Photo By Don Lee
EUREKA SPRINGS -- Are the high prices of fuel getting to you? Do you cringe whenever you pull up to the pumps, or when the electric bill arrives in the mail?
If the answer is yes, it's a safe bet most Americans share your concern.
But Jeff Falk has a different way of dealing with the current economic meltdown.
The generator in his shop runs on tap water.
"This is a technology that goes against the grain of world economics, from the point of view of the oil companies," said Falk, whose has designed and built everything from race cars to aircraft to speed boats. "Anybody who really thinks the government is going to embrace this is probably wrong. They'd probably lock you up first."
Nonetheless, Falk has done it. Starting five years ago after he read about it, he has built an electricity producing generator that runs on hydrogen rather than fossil fuels.
Hydrogen safer than you think
"There is a lot of propaganda about how dangerous hydrogen is," Falk said. "Not true. You can't approach it like fossil fuels, there are different rules. Unlike fossil fuels, which are heavier than air and pool, creating potential explosive hazards, hydrogen is the lightest element there is. It disperses. It will go right through the ceiling if you don't contain it."
Falk points out another vital distinction between hydrogen and fossil fuels.
"Burning hydrogen produces no radiant heat," he said. "It's the hydrocarbon emissions from burning gasoline, for instance, that burn you if you get in its way. The hydrocarbon emissions are also the source of its pollution."
Falk uses high-frequency DC/AC hybrid pulsed electrolyzers to separate the hydrogen and oxygen from ordinary tap water.
An electrolyzer runs a current through the water, splitting the H2O molecules into hydrogen and oxygen.
Anyone can electrolyze
Many will remember the familiar high school science experiment where wires are attached to any two-poled battery, then into two water-filled containers. As the current splits the molecules, one bottle will fill with oxygen, the other with hydrogen.
This is a little more complex.
Falk's electrolyzers do the same thing, using a small current, high frequency and high voltages to initiate the process.
Once the electrolyzer begins producing hydrogen, the generator produces enough power to fuel itself and more.
Because hydrogen burns so quickly, steam is channeled to slow down the burn.
"You couldn't run appliances off this generator at this point," Falk said. "The amperage is too low. But I'm refining it. My goal it to have the power company come out and remove their pole and then go away, because I won't need them anymore."
For every .75 amps going into the generator, 22 come out.
Falk said ideally two generators would be needed, so that one could be serviced from time to time.
Dinosaur snot unattractive fuel source
"Why do we want to keep pumping dinosaur snot out of the ground and burning it?" Falk asked. "How primitive can you get? Why don't we just leave the rest of it in the ground until we can find something better to do with it than that?"
Falk speculated units sufficient to power home use could be mass produced for about $7,500 each.
"Look at this," Falk said, holding a temperature sensor near the generator's exhaust. "Right now the exhaust is 228 degrees. If this were a gasoline generator, the temperature would be more like 800 degrees."
Falk said the his model generator uses about a pint of water an hour to produce 7,500 watts of electricity.
DIY possible
"Most of this equipment I got off the Internet, the parts and the info on how to do it," Falk said. "Eventually I can get off the grid without having to live by candlelight, and save money too."
In addition to the water-powered generator, Falk is working on an improved, highly efficient solar panel design which he expects to have up and running shortly.
Video on Falk's generator and other projects can be seen on-line on YouTube at www.youtube.com/SolgenLLC.
![](http://images.google.com/images?q=tbn:R8sR7daexSBGmM:www.ted-kyte.com/3D/Pictures/Spark%2520Plug.jpg";)
Rest In Peace, old friend, your work is finished.....
If you want ON or OFF the DIESEL ”KnOcK” LIST just FReepmail me.....
This is a fairly HIGH VOLUME ping list on some days.....
Hydrogen “energy” ping......
Ping the “Aw, geez” guy!
For pete’s sake! It uses more energy in electricity to break the water into O2 and H2 than it produces. This is idiotic.
Where did you see that, according to the guys numbers what goes in is way lower than what it produces.
Not believing it for one second.
For every .75 amps going into the generator, 22 come out.
Amps don't matter. Watts matter. The total amound of power is what matters. I can wire up a device which produces a lot more electrical current than is put in: a transformer. The problem is that the output voltage is a lot lower than the input is, and the total power output is a little lower than the input power (because of waste heat in the transformer).
I’m skeptical about his power requirements for electrolyzing water...this seems too low to create the required amount of hydrogen.
*crickets chirping*
“Do you cringe whenever you pull up to the pumps, or when the electric bill arrives in the mail?”
I cringe when an idiot like this guy claims to get something for nothing. Perpetual motion, anyone?
I have to admit Red, you post some of the funniest things people actually believe....
My techno-babble sensor broke at this point and it was hard to continue on.
“It uses more energy in electricity to break the water into O2 and H2 than the energy it produces....”
Bingo!!!!
I’m not sure how much water it takes, but even if this worked, with the increase in water rates (not to mention if a lot of people did this) would it be THAT much cheaper per month? I suppose you could catch rain water.
For every .75 amps going into the generator, 22 come out.
I read it wrong the first time too.
point 75 in and 22 coming out. Quite impressive
“Once the electrolyzer begins producing hydrogen, the generator produces enough power to fuel itself and more.”
No it doesn’t.
“For every .75 amps going into the generator, 22 come out.”
At what voltages?
Whoever wrote this perpetual motion machine article needs to be beaten about the head with a heavy physics textbook.
Riiight.
Repeat after me: Hydrogen is not a fuel; There is no such thing as perpetual motion.
I am astounded at the lack of basic physics knowledge exhibited by everyone from our President on down.
Guys the amount of hydrogen is produced from water and makes your gas burn Hydrogen and Oxygen (Hotter cleaner burn than nitrogen oxygen and carbon dioxide from air). Tell you what, it costs about 30 bucks at the most to make one of these devices. Get a product list and build one this weekend, should take about 45 min. Try it and see.
These people are producing real results from the things I have seen and read.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.