Many are used to thinking that the most affordable and economical type of fuel is natural gas. But it turned out that this product has a good alternative - hydrogen. It is obtained by splitting water. The initial component for obtaining such fuel is obtained free of charge. A self-made hydrogen burner for a heating boiler will help to significantly save money and not think about going to the store. There are special rules and methods for creating a technical installation designed to generate hydrogen.
How is hydrogen produced?
Chemistry teachers often give information on hydrogen production to children in high school. The method of extracting it from simple water in chemistry is called electrolysis. It is with the help of such a chemical reaction that it is possible to produce hydrogen.
The device, simple in design, looks like a separate container filled with liquid. Under the water layer are two plastic electrodes. An electric current is supplied to them. Due to the fact that water has the property of electrical conductivity, contact is formed between the plates with a minimum resistance.
The current passing through the created water resistance leads to the formation of a chemical reaction, as a result of which the required hydrogen is generated.
At this stage, everything seems very simple - it remains only to collect the hydrogen obtained in order to use it as an energy source. But chemistry cannot exist without small details. It is important to remember that if hydrogen comes into contact with oxygen, then at a certain concentration an explosive mixture occurs. This state of substances is considered critical, which limits a person in creating powerful home-type stations.
How is a hydrogen burner arranged?
To create do-it-yourself hydrogen-powered generators, the classic Brown setup scheme is most often used as the basis. An electrolyzer of this type has an average power and includes several groups of cells, each of which, in turn, has a group of plastic electrodes. The power of the created installation will depend on the total surface area of the plastic electrodes.
The cells are installed in a container that is qualitatively protected from external factors. On the device’s body, special pipes are fixed for connecting a water line, hydrogen output, as well as a contact panel that acts as an electric current supply.
A self-made hydrogen burner according to the Brown scheme, in addition to all of the above, includes a separate water shutter and check valve. With the help of such parts, a complete protection of the device from hydrogen output is achieved. It is this scheme that many masters use when creating a hydrogen installation for heating a home site.
Home heating with hydrogen
Creating an oxygen-hydrogen burner with your own hands is not so easy, it requires some effort and patience. To collect the right amount of hydrogen for heating the house, you need to use a powerful electrolysis unit, as well as stock up on a huge amount of electric energy.
Experts note that it will not be soon to compensate for the consumed electricity through the use of a ready-made installation at home.
Hydrogen station for home use
How to make a hydrogen burner with your own hands? This issue continues to remain the most popular among owners of private houses who are trying to make a reliable and high-quality heating source. The most common way to create such a device is the following option:
- pre-prepare a sealed container;
- plate or tubular electrodes are created;
- the design of the device is planned: a way to control it and equip it with current;
- additional modules are being prepared for connecting to the device;
- special parts are bought (fasteners, hoses, wiring).
Of course, the master will definitely need tools, including special devices, a frequency meter or an oscilloscope. Once all the tools and materials have been prepared, the master can proceed to the very creation of a hydrogen-heating burner for home use.
Device Creation Scheme
At the first stage of creating a hydrogen burner for heating a house, the craftsman needs to make special cells designed to generate hydrogen. The fuel cell is characterized by its completeness (slightly less than the length and width of the generator housing), so it does not take up too much space. The height of the block with electrodes inside reaches 2/3 the height of the main body, into which the main structural details are installed.
A cell can be created from plexiglass or textolite (wall thickness varies from 5 to 7 millimeters). To do this, the textolite plate is cut into five equal parts. Then a rectangle is formed from them and the borders are glued with epoxy glue. The lower part of the resulting figure should remain open.
From such plates it is customary to create a housing of a fuel cell of a hydrogen heater. But in this case, specialists use a slightly different method of assembly using screws.
On the outside of the finished rectangle, small holes are drilled for holding the electrode plates, as well as one small hole for the level sensor. For a comfortable release of hydrogen, an additional hole with a width of 10 to 15 millimeters is required.
Inside, platinum electrodes are inserted, the contact tails of which are drawn through the drilled holes on the top of the rectangle. Next, a water level sensor is built in at around 80 percent of the cell fill. All free holes in the textolite plate (except the one from which hydrogen will escape) are filled with epoxy glue.
Generator cells
Most often, when creating a hydrogen generator, a cylindrical form of execution of the modules is used. The electrodes in this design are made in a slightly different way.
The hole from which hydrogen escapes must be additionally equipped with a special fitting. It is fixed by mounting or glued. The finished hydrogen generation cell is built into the heater casing and sealed from the top side (in this case, you can also use epoxy resin).
Instrument body
Housing a hydrogen generator for home use is quite simple. But to use such a design for high power stations will not work, because it simply can not withstand the load.
Before you install the finished cell inside, the housing should be well prepared. To do this, you need:
- create a fluid supply at the bottom of the housing;
- make a top cover equipped with convenient and reliable fasteners;
- choose a good sealing material;
- install an electrical terminal block on the cover;
- equip the cover with a hydrogen collector.
Final stage
At the end of the work, the master will be able to get a high-quality and reliable hydrogen generator for the heating system of a private house. Only the final touches remain:
- install the finished fuel cell in the main body of the device;
- connect the electrodes to the terminal strip of the instrument cover;
- a pin mounted on the hydrogen outlet must be connected to a hydrogen collector;
- The cover is placed on top of the device and fixed through the seal.
The hydrogen generator is now fully operational. The owner of a private house can safely connect water and additional modules for comfortable heating of a private house.
Rules for using the device
A hydrogen jewelry burner for the home must have additional built-in modules. Of particular importance is the water supply module, which is combined with a water level sensor built into the hydrogen generator itself. The simplest models are a water pump and a control controller. The pump is controlled by the controller through the sensor signal, depending on the amount of liquid in the fuel cell.
Auxiliary elements are very important for any heating design. Without automatic control and protection modules, a hydrogen-based generator is prohibited and even dangerous to use.
Experts advise you to purchase a special system that regulates the frequency of the supplied electric current and the voltage level. This is important for the normal functioning of the working electrodes inside the fuel cell. Also in the module must be a voltage stabilizer and protection against overload current.
The hydrogen collector is a tube in which a special valve, pressure gauge and non-return valve are built-in. From the collector, hydrogen is supplied to the room through a special check valve.
A manometer and a hydrogen collector are very important parts in a hydrogen generator, with the help of which a uniform distribution of gas is carried out throughout the room and the overall pressure level is controlled.
Any consumer should remember that hydrogen remains an explosive gas with a high combustion temperature. It is for this reason that it is forbidden to simply take and fill the design of the heater with hydrogen.
How to determine the quality of the installation?
To independently create a high-quality and safe heating system for the home is a difficult task that not everyone can handle. For example, even when considering the metal that the tubes of the device and the electrode plates consist of, one can already encounter a lot of difficulties.
The service life of the built-in electrodes directly depends on the type of metal and its basic properties. Of course, you can use the same stainless steel, but the operation of such parts will be short-lived. The temperature of the hydrogen burner should be around 5000 K.
Of particular importance are measurements. All calculations should be carried out as accurately as possible, taking into account the required power, quality of the incoming water and other criteria. If the size of the hole between the electrodes does not coincide with the calculations, then the hydrogen generator may not start at all.