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Smack’s Booster
The Smack’s Booster is a piece of equipment which increases the mpg performance of a car or motorcycle, and reduces the harmful emissions dramatically. It does this by using some current from the vehicle’s battery to break water into a mixture of hydrogen and oxygen gasses called “hydroxy” gas which is then added to the air which is being drawn into the engine. The hydroxy gas improves the quality of the fuel burn inside the engine, increases the engine power, cleans old carbon deposits off the inside of an old engine, reduces the unwanted exhaust emissions and improves the mpg figures under all driving conditions, provided that the fuel computer does not try to pump excess fuel into the engine when it detects the much improved quality of the exhaust.
This hydroxy booster is easy to make and the components don’t cost much. The technical performance of the unit is very good as it produces 1.7 litres of hydroxy gas per minute at a very reasonable current draw. This is how to make and use it.
Caution: This is not a toy. If you make and use one of these, you do so entirely at your own risk. Neither the designer of the booster, the author of this document or the provider of the internet display are in any way liable should you suffer any loss or damage through your own actions. While it is believed to be entirely safe to make and use a booster of this design, provided that the safety instructions shown below are followed, it is stressed that the responsibility is yours and yours alone.
The Safety Gear
Before getting into the details of how to construct the booster, you must be aware of what needs to be done when using any booster of any design. Firstly, hydroxy gas is highly explosive. If it wasn’t, it would not be able to do it’s job of improving the explosions inside your engine. Hydroxy gas needs to be treated with respect and caution. It is important to make sure that it goes into the engine and nowhere else. It is also important that it gets ignited inside the engine and nowhere else.
To make these things happen, a number of common-sense steps need to be taken. Firstly, the booster must not make hydroxy gas when the engine is not running. The best way to arrange this is to switch off the current going to the booster. It is not sufficient to just have a manually-operated dashboard On/Off switch as it is almost certain that switching off will be forgotten one day. Instead, the electrical supply to the booster is routed through the ignition switch of the vehicle. That way, when the engine is turned off and the ignition key removed, it is certain that the booster is turned off as well.
So as not to put too much current through the ignition switch, and to allow for the possibility of the ignition switch being on when the engine is not running, instead of wiring the booster directly to the switch, it is better to wire a standard automotive relay across the oil pressure sending unit and let the relay carry the booster current. If the engine stops running, the oil pressure drops and if the booster is connected as shown, then this will also power down the booster.
An extra safety feature is to allow for the (very unlikely) possibility of an electrical short-circuit occurring in the booster or its wiring. This is done by putting a fuse or contact-breaker between the battery and the new circuitry as shown in this sketch:
If you choose to use a contact-breaker, then a light-emitting diode (“LED”) with a current limiting resistor of say, 680 ohms in series with it, can be wired directly across the contacts of the circuit breaker. The LED can be mounted on the dashboard. As the contacts are normally closed, they short-circuit the LED and so no light shows. If the circuit-breaker is tripped, then the LED will light up to show that the circuit-breaker has operated. The current through the LED is so low that the electrolyser is effectively switched off when the contact breaker opens. This is not a necessary feature, merely an optional extra:
In the first sketch, you will notice that the booster contains a number of metal plates and the current passing through the liquid inside the booster (the “electrolyte”) between these plates, causes the water to break up into the required hydroxy gas mix. A very important safety item is the “bubbler” which is just a simple container with some water in it. The bubbler has the gas coming in at the bottom and bubbling up through the water. The gas collects above the water surface and is then drawn into the engine through an outlet pipe above the water surface. To prevent water being drawn into the booster when the booster is off and cools down, a one-way valve is placed in the pipe between the booster and the bubbler.
If the engine happens to produce a backfire, then the bubbler blocks the flame from passing back through the pipe and igniting the gas being produced in the booster. If the booster is made with a tightly-fitting lid rather than a screw-on lid, then if the gas in the bubbler is ignited, it will just blow the lid off the bubbler and rob the explosion of any real force. A bubbler is a very simple, very cheap and very sensible thing to install. It also removes any traces of electrolyte fumes from the gas before it is drawn into the engine.
You will notice that the wires going to the plates inside the electrolyser are both connected well below the surface of the liquid. This is to avoid the possibility of a connection working loose with the vibration of the vehicle and causing a spark in the gas-filled region above the surface of the liquid, and this volume is kept as low as possible as another safety feature.
The Design
The booster is made from a length of 4-inch diameter PVC pipe, two caps, several metal plates, a couple of metal straps and some other minor bits and pieces.
This is not rocket science, and this booster can be built by anybody. A clever extra feature is the transparent plastic tube added to the side of the booster, to show the level of the liquid inside the booster without having to unscrew the cap. Another neat feature is the very compact transparent bubbler which is actually attached to the booster and which shows the gas flow coming from the booster. The main PVC booster pipe length can be adjusted to suit the available space beside the engine.
This booster uses cheap, standard electrical stainless steel wall switch covers from the local hardware store and stainless steel straps cut from the handles of a wide range of stainless steel food-preparation ladles:
The electrical cover plates are clamped together in an array of eight closely-spaced pairs of covers. The plates are held in a vise and the holes drilled out to the larger size needed. The covers are further treated by being clamped to a workbench and dented using a centre-punch and hammer. These indentations raise the gas output from 1.5 lpm to 1.7 lpm as the both increase the surface area of the cover and provide points from which the gas bubbles can drop off the cover more easily. The more indentations the better.
The active surfaces of the plates - that is, the surfaces which are 1.6 mm apart from each other, need to be prepared carefully. To do this, these surfaces are scored in an X-pattern using 36-grade coarse sandpaper. Doing this creates miniature sharp-crested bumps covering the entire surface of each of these plates. This type of surface helps the hydroxy bubbles break away from the surface as soon as they are formed. It also increases the effective surface area of the plate by about 40%. I know that it may seem a little fussy, but it has been found that fingerprints on the plates of any electrolyzer seriously hinder the gas production because they reduce the working area of the plate quite substantially. It is important then, to either avoid all fingerprints (by wearing clean rubber gloves) or finish the plates by cleaning all grease and dirt off the working surfaces with a good solvent, which is washed off afterwards with distilled water. Wearing clean rubber gloves is by far the better option as cleaning chemicals are not a good thing to be applying to these important surfaces.
Shown above are typical hand tools used to create the indentations on the plates. The active plate surfaces
- that is, the surfaces which are 1.6 mm apart – are indented as well as being sanded.
An array of these prepared plates is suspended inside a container made from 4-inch (100 mm) diameter PVC pipe. The pipe is converted to a container by using PVC glue to attach an end-cap on one end and a screw-cap fitting on the other. The container then has the gas-supply pipe fitting attached to the cap, which is drilled with two holes to allow the connecting straps for the plate array to be bolted to the cap, as shown here:
As the stainless steel strap which connects the booster plates to the negative side of the electrical supply connects to the central section of the plate array, it is necessary to kink it inwards. The angle used for this is in no way important, but the strap should be perfectly vertical when it reaches the plates.
The picture above shows clearly the wall plates being used and how the bubbler is attached to the body of the booster with super-glue. It also shows the various pipe connections. The stainless steel switch-cover plates are 2.75 inch x 4.5 inch (70 mm x 115 mm) in size and their existing mounting holes are drilled out to 5/16 inch (8 mm) diameter in order to take the plastic bolts used to hold the plates together to make an array. After a year of continuous use, these plates are still shiny and not corroded in any way.
Three stainless steel straps are used to connect the plate array together and connect it to the screw cap of the booster. These straps are taken from the handles of cooking utensils and they connect to the outer two plates at the top and the third strap runs across the bottom of the plate array, clear of the plates, and connects to both outside plates as can be seen in the diagrams.
The plates are held in position by two plastic bolts which run through the original mounting holes in the plates. The arrangement is to have a small 1.6 mm gap between each of eight pairs of plates. These gaps are produced by putting plastic washers on the plastic bolts between each pair of plates.
The most important spacing here is the 1.6 mm gap between the plates as this spacing has been found to be very effective in the electrolysis process. The way that the battery is connected is unusual in that it leaves most of the plates apparently unconnected. These plate pairs are called “floaters” and they do produce gas in spite of looking as if they are not electrically connected (they are connected through the electrolyte).
Stainless steel nuts are used between each pair of plates and these form an electrical connection between adjacent plates. The plate array made in this way is cheap, easy to construct and both compact and robust.
The electrical straps are bolted to the screw cap at the top of the unit and this both positions the plate array securely and provides electrical connection bolts on the outside of the cap while maintaining an airtight seal for the holes in the cap.
Another very practical point is that the stainless steel straps running from the screw cap to the plate array, need to be insulated so that current does not leak directly between them through the electrolyte. The same applies to the strap which runs underneath the plates. This insulating is best done with shrink-wrap. Alternatively, good quality tool dip (McMaster Carr part number 9560t71) is an effective method, but if neither of these methods can be used, then the insulating can be done by wrapping the straps in electrical insulating tape. Using that method, the tape is wrapped tightly around the straps, being stretched slightly as it is wrapped. The section running underneath the covers is insulated before the array is assembled.
The half-inch diameter elbows at the ends of the one-inch diameter bubbler tube have their threads coated with silicone before being pushed into place. This allows both of them to act as pressure-relief pop-out fittings in the unlikely event of the gas being ignited. This is an added safety feature of the design.
This booster is operated with a solution of Potassium Hydroxide also called KOH or Caustic Potash which can be bought from various suppliers such as: http://www.essentialdepot.com/servlet/the-13/2-lbs-Potassium-Hydroxide/Detail http://www.organic-creations.com/servlet/the-653/caustic-potassium-hydroxide-KOH/Detail http://www.aaa-chemicals.com/pohy2posa.html or http://www.nuscentscandle.com/PHFLAKES.html To get the right amount in the booster, I fill the booster to its normal liquid level with distilled water and add the Hydroxide a little at a time, until the current through the booster is about 4 amps below my chosen working current of 20 amps. This allows for the unit heating up when it is working and drawing more current because the electrolyte is hot. The amount of KOH is typically 2 teaspoonfulls. It is very important to use distilled water as tap water has impurities in it which make a mess which will clog up the booster. Also, be very careful handling potassium hydroxide as it is highly caustic. If any gets on you, wash it off immediately with large amounts of water, and if necessary, use some vinegar which is acidic and will offset the caustic splashes.
The completed booster usually looks like this:
But, it can be built using different materials to give it a cool look:
And attached to a cool bike:
The final important thing is how the booster gets connected to the engine. The normal mounting for the booster is close to the carb or throttle body so that a short length of piping can be used to connect the booster to the intake of the engine. The connection can be to the air box which houses the filter, or into the intake tube. The closer to the butterfly valve the better, because for safety reasons, we want to reduce the
at all times. Failure to do so could result in an unwanted backfire explosion. That water inside the bubbler is your physical shield between the stored hydroxy volume in the generator and the intake of your engine. Install the output hose as close to the carburetor/throttle body as close as possible by making a connection into the intake tube/air cleaner. Try to make the hose as short as possible to reduce the amount of gas volume it contains. I recommend using the same type of 1/4" poly hose that is used on the unit.
Here is a list of the parts needed to construct the booster and bubbler if you decide to build it yourself rather than buying a ready-made unit:
The Main Parts Needed
Part Quantity Comment 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 90-degree Quick Connect Outlet fitting 1 3/8" O.D. Tube x 1/4" NPT from Hardware store Level indicator Nylon barbed tube fitting 2 1/4" Tube x 1/8" NPT Part Number 2974K153 or from your local hardware store Quarter-inch I.D. Poly sight tube 8” Water-level indicator tubing - Hardware store Stainless steel switch covers 16 The plate array components Stainless steel straps 12-inches long 2 The electrical connections to the plates 3/4" Inside Diameter Clear poly tube 12-inch From your local hardware store 5/16” stainless steel bolts 1.25” long 2 Electrical strap connection to the top cap 5/16” stainless steel nuts & washers 6 each To fit the steel bolts in the cap 5/16” diameter nylon threaded rod 8” min. Nylon Threaded Rod 5/16"-18 Thread. McMaster Carr Part No 98831a 5/16” inch nylon washers 1.6 mm thick 1-pack Nylon 6/6 Flat Washer 5/16", Pack of 100 McMaster Carr Part No 90295a 5/16”-18 s/s jam nuts (7/32" thick) 20 McMaster Carr Part No 91841A 90 degree Bubbler Fittings 2 1/4" Barbed Tube 1/2" NPT. McMaster Carr Part No 2974K Check valve 1 1/4" tube, McMaster Carr Part No 47245K27 or from your local Hardware store PVC glue 1 tube Same color as the PVC pipe if possible 5/16" Neoprene sealing washer 2 McMaster Carr Part No 94709A318 or from your local Hardware store Tool dip – 14.5 oz 1 McMaster Carr Part No 9560t
Optional: Light Emitting Diode 1 10 mm diameter, red, with panel-mounting clip Quarter-watt resistor 1 470 ohm (code bands: Yellow, Purple, Brown)
Now, having shown how this very effective booster and bubbler are constructed, it should be pointed out that if you use it with a vehicle fitted with an Electronic Control Unit which monitors fuel injection into the engine, then the fuel-computer section will offset the gains and benefits of using this, or any other, booster. The solution is not difficult, as the fuel-computer can be controlled by adding in a little circuit board to adjust the sensor signal fed to the computer from the oxygen sensor built into the exhaust of the vehicle. Ready-built units are available for this or you can make your own. If you want to make your own, then the web site document http://www.free-energy-info.com/D17.pdf shows you how and as well, points to Eagle-Research, the suppliers of alternative, ready-made units, also stocked by The Hydrogen Garage.
Quite an amount of testing and experimenting has been carried out by many of the people who have made copies of this booster and two variations which have been found to be helpful are shown here:
Firstly, in spite of the very restricted space inside the housing, it is possible to introduce two extra wall plates, one at each end of the plate stack. These plates are spaced 1.6 mm apart using plastic washers and this triple-plate group causes an extra voltage drop across the sub-set of three plates. The construction is then as shown here:
The second modification is wrapping the plate array in 4-inch shrink-wrap. This wrapping extends around the sides of the plates and helps by cutting out some of the unwanted electrical leakage paths through the electrolyte. This arrangement is shown here:
Enjoy using this booster and do your part in cutting greenhouse gas emissions.
Eletrik
Smack’s Booster is a trademarked name, and the design is patent-pending but remains fully disclosed for public use.
Date of release of this copy of the document: 3rd July 2008
So, a compromise is reached where the current flow around and past the plates is combatted by strategic spacing of the plates:
This diagram shows the way that the plates are connected. The red lines show paths of unwanted current flow which produce almost no gas. This wasted current flow is opposed by the useful current flow across gap " A " in the diagram.
To favour the flow across the 1.6 mm gap " A ", an attempt is made to make the waste flows as long as possible by comparison. This is done by the gap " B " being made as large as possible, limited only by the size of the booster housing.
The voltage applied to the cell (13.8 volts when the engine is running) divides equally across the four plate pairs, so there will be one quarter of that voltage (3.45 volts) across each plate pair.
If you look again at the original diagram, you will see that there are two of these sets of four plate pairs, positioned back-to-back in the container. Each of these acts separately, except for the fact that there are additional current leakage paths through the electrolyte between the plates of one set and the plates of the second set.
There is a steady voltage drop progressively across the array of plates. Remember that they are connected in pairs in the middle due to the metal-to-metal connection created by the steel nuts between the plates:
It is often difficult for people to get the hang of how the voltage drops across a chain of resistors (or matrix of plates). The voltages are relative to each other, so each plate pair thinks that it has a negative electrical connection on one plate and a positive connection on the other plate.
