| Author | Message | ||
     QwertyBob Unregistered guest |
I would like to know how to speed up the electrolysis of water. Should I increase voltage, amperes, both? Is there a faster way to decompose the water? Thank you | ||
| Simon Quellen Field (sfield) New member Username: sfield Post Number: 12 Registered: 12-2004 |
You want to increase the current. You can do that by increasing the voltage (Ohms law), or you can do it by making the water more conductive (add a little vinegar). | ||
| Anonymous |
What would the resulting compounds be if vineger was used to lower the resistance? | ||
| Simon Quellen Field (sfield) New member Username: sfield Post Number: 15 Registered: 12-2004 |
Hydrogen and oxygen. | ||
| BwertyBob Unregistered guest |
Would using the capacitor from the flash of a disposable camera help? | ||
| Simon Quellen Field (sfield) New member Username: sfield Post Number: 16 Registered: 12-2004 |
No. The capacitor only stores energy. You are storing the energy as hydrogen and oxygen instead. | ||
| QwertyBob Unregistered guest |
So the only way to increase the voltage would be to add more batteries? | ||
| Simon Quellen Field (sfield) New member Username: sfield Post Number: 17 Registered: 12-2004 |
Yes. Or you could replace the batteries with a plug-in power supply. | ||
| QwertyBob Unregistered guest |
What should I use as a power supply? My stepfather told me that if I plug the pieces of carbon in the wall it will blow the fuses when I put them in water (and besides I don't particularly want to try doing that, I don't want to get electrocuted) and that I should use the transformer from a toy train or something like that. But that's only twelve volts, not much more than nine volts. Would it make a big difference? | ||
| Simon Quellen Field (sfield) New member Username: sfield Post Number: 18 Registered: 12-2004 |
12 volts is safe. It should be DC, like from a wall mounted power supply for consumer electronics. | ||
| QwertyBob Unregistered guest |
Thank you. I'm building a rocket out of a plastic bottle, using the same principle as the "hydrogen bomb" from your site and I needed something to decompose water faster than a battery. The last one I built took several hours to accumulate enough hydrogen to fly and I used 2 nine volt batteries. I'll try with 2 transformers and see if it goes faster. | ||
| lysdexia Unregistered guest |
I read that silicon dust is quite explosive. Try electrolysing sand.  | ||
| Simon Quellen Field (sfield) New member Username: sfield Post Number: 53 Registered: 12-2004 |
Silicon dust is less explosive than flour or powdered sugar. | ||
| lysdexia Unregistered guest |
based on what? | ||
| Simon Quellen Field (sfield) New member Username: sfield Post Number: 90 Registered: 12-2004 |
Power per gram of explosive. | ||
| lysdexia Unregistered guest |
says who? | ||
| Anonymous |
... says simon , why don't you tell us where "you read that" silicon dust is explosive? | ||
| Simon Quellen Field (sfield) New member Username: sfield Post Number: 125 Registered: 12-2004 |
Silicon dust will burn in air if it is fine enough. But the reaction rate for more reactive elements such as carbon and hydrogen is faster, resulting in more power (more work done in less time). | ||
| Arthur Yip Unregistered guest |
simon, i would like to know how you differentiated, in your "how to make a hydrogen fuel cell", between an actual fuel cell or a capacitor. | ||
| Simon Quellen Field (sfield) New member Username: sfield Post Number: 134 Registered: 12-2004 |
Pretty simple, really. First, the capacitance of a couple wires is tiny, and can't store that much. But it is also easy to replace the platinum wires with copper wires, and see that no charge is stored. | ||
| Anonymous |
i need help makin a hydrogen cell for a project if u can help please email me!!!! at namauriwarrior@msn.com | ||
| Simon Quellen Field (sfield) New member Username: sfield Post Number: 165 Registered: 12-2004 |
It is unclear from your description what you actually need, but try these web sites to see if they help: http://scitoys.com/scitoys/scitoys/echem/fuel_cell/fuel_cell.html http://scitoys.com/scitoys/scitoys/echem/echem.html#bomb http://scitoys.com/board/messages/9/49.html http://www.fortunecity.com/greenfield/bp/16/electrolysis.htm http://www.nmsea.org/Curriculum/7_12/electrolysis/electrolysis.htm http://www.theodoregray.com/PeriodicTable/Stories/001.1/ | ||
| lysdexia Unregistered guest |
Again Simon, you are wrong. You have failed to consider that a substance has different fases (proper spelling) which behave differently than a standard. Before I read the article on exploding silicon, I knew that silicon was a better energy source (not sure on power) because its bonds were stronger than carbon's. As for brisance, which I was not talking about, it looks like the article said it's many times more than TNT's. http://www.newscientist.com/article.ns?id=dn1103 http://www.newscientist.com/article.ns?id=dn1795 | ||
| lysdexia Unregistered guest |
many = millions of | ||
| sadvdghg Unregistered guest |
They are using an isotope that is rare. You will never find usable amount, and sand has a extremely high temp to melt beofre you can run electrolysis, and it wont dissolve in water! Fool | ||
| Chuck Walgenbach (Sciguy) New member Username: Sciguy Post Number: 1 Registered: 1-2006 |
I am striving to generate electricity with a wind mill / turbine, store the electricity; use the electricity for electrolysis (splitting water molecules) to generate hydrogen ; store the hydrogen in a safe medium and later use the hydrogen in a hydrogen powered vehicle. Is there any diagram or at least names of items to gather in order to make all this feasible ? For instance, I would start with a wind mill/turbine .. how would the wind turning the vanes/propellers generate electricity ? I suppose there would be some connection of a pole to an alternator ? I need more specifics if that is the case. Then to store the electricity, I could attach the alternator to an old car battery ? At which point, I would then want to understand how to take the stored electricity from the battery and perform electrolysis (splitting the h2o molecule). And lastly, how to capture and store the hydrogen. Thanks ! | ||
| alex (Unregistered Guest) Unregistered guest Posted From: 196.25.255.210 |
why dont you try adding salt | ||
| Alexander N Roberts (Whoo_mythbusters) Intermediate Member Username: Whoo_mythbusters Post Number: 44 Registered: 9-2005 |
well i wouldent use an alternator you need to aply voltage to an alternator to get voltage out of it.....if you are looking at the big picture try using a D.C motor try a junk yard for like a motor from a trailor Air Conditiuong system if you looking at a small picture then go to raido shack to get a small D.C. motor which would be hooked dirctly to the vains of the windmill then put a capasitor to the motor ewith a diode in series to it so oly electricity can flow from the motor to the capasitor....but this still would not be as effecient....try some stuff for yourself dont just ask everything on here try some stuff and if it doesent work the way you want it to then ask here.. | ||
| Simon Quellen Field (Sfield) Senior Member Username: Sfield Post Number: 1058 Registered: 12-2004 |
This month's "Make" magazine has an article showing you how to build a windmill generator and charge batteries with it. | ||
| Jordan Beland (Unregistered Guest) Unregistered guest Posted From: 64.230.16.50 |
Just a quick question, didn't really want to create a new thread... But Assuming you used multiple 9v batteries in order to increase the current, they would have to be connected in series, correct? Also, is there a threshold to how many one could use before they would start shorting and overheat? Or is the electrolysis process enough of a resistor to stop the batteries from overheating? Also, saturating the water with salt would make it a better conductor, but would the chlorine in the salt react faster than the oxygen and create chlorine gas as well? I read it somewhere, but wasn't sure. | ||
| Jordan Beland (Unregistered Guest) Unregistered guest Posted From: 64.230.16.50 |
On a side note, I was looking for a fairly large connector or conductor, you used carbon rods and gold plated connectors, but I am in need of something much larger than that. I was hoping for something that won't be too expensive, but won't oxidize either. |
