Engine running on water?

[Will Wiley]

What is the catch here? Apart from it being BS?
[YOUTUBE]https://youtu.be/jV8rpumumxo[/YOUTUBE]

 

[Bomb#20]

What is the catch here? Apart from it being BS?

Well, it's Brazil, so the bike probably runs on ethanol in the first place. So drinking it isn't exactly proof that it's water. There's a camera cut at about 1:03, between pouring in the dirty-looking alleged river water or maybe dirty alcohol, and driving away. He probably swapped out the fuel tank at that point.

 

[skepticalbip]

Trying to guess how a magician does his tricks is pretty useless. The best we can do is think of ways we would do the same trick. A few of the ways I would do it:
1. The little water tank would just be a dummy and the engine would burn gas from the regular tank.
2. If I wanted to run on the hydrogen from the water then I would use a battery to break the water down through electrolysis then burn the hydrogen. But then it would be more efficient to replace the engine with an electric motor and use the electric power from the battery directly to drive the bike.
3. As Bomb#20 says, I could just pretend that ethanol was water for the camera and run the bike on ethanol.

 

[Bronzeage]

The guy claims it runs on hydrogen from the water, so there is an electrolysis process, if he can be trusted. This would require a very robust on board electrical system to break H2O into H2 and O2.

When I was 12, I entered an electrolysis based hydrogen and oxygen generator into a science fair. My generator was powered by 2 D-cell batteries and was able to produce about 10 cc's of hydrogen in about 24 hours. I'm not sure how this would scale up, but a I can't imagine being able to carry enough batteries to produce enough hydrogen to fuel a motorcycle, and still keep air in the rear tire.

This is one of those scams that takes a well known technology and makes claims that require a rewriting of the laws of physics and chemistry.

 

[bilby]

If the claim is that it runs on hydrogen electrolysed from water, then water isn't the fuel, it's just a very inefficient step in the drivetrain.

Leaving the questions:

What is the actual power source, used to drive the electrolysis? and
Why bother with the water, when modern electric motors are cheap, lightweight and efficient?

This sort of nonsense is useful only as a demonstration of why a basic education that includes some simple physics - such as the laws of thermodynamics - is so important, even for people who plan never to work in STEM fields. Not knowing basic physics leaves people vulnerable to fraud.

 

[rjh01]

You get these claims from time to time. However if any of them were anything as good as they claim they would be too busy making money to be making Youtube videos.

Take your pick https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=engine+powered+water

 

[barbos]

Well, they can use some sodium metal plus water to produce hydrogen from water so what they say can be technically true but I doubt it.
They run on ordinary fuel and water there is just dead weight.

 

[Loren Pechtel]

Trying to guess how a magician does his tricks is pretty useless.

It doesn't take a lot of knowledge of magic to figure out many of the tricks.

The best we can do is think of ways we would do the same trick. A few of the ways I would do it:
1. The little water tank would just be a dummy and the engine would burn gas from the regular tank.

Or they have a tank within a tank. Stick a cylindrical container down the tank that you can pour the water into.

2. If I wanted to run on the hydrogen from the water then I would use a battery to break the water down through electrolysis then burn the hydrogen. But then it would be more efficient to replace the engine with an electric motor and use the electric power from the battery directly to drive the bike.
3. As Bomb#20 says, I could just pretend that ethanol was water for the camera and run the bike on ethanol.

Depending on the design it might be possible to simply pour water in the gas tank and drive off--so long as the fuel is pulled from a float on top rather than from the bottom this would work.

 

[NobleSavage]

What is the catch here? Apart from it being BS?

My guess is he pours the water into a tank that does nothing on the bike then he starts up the normal engine. He added some tubes and pipes from a junk yard. It's pretty simple to con people.

 

[NobleSavage]

It gets better if you read the comments.

Nothing new...This existed in the 1950's already...Shame the oil industry never allowed this invention to flourish..

his is old technology from the 1950's however was never allowed to be released thanks to the oil giants that want to sell their gasoline...there's MANY methods of FREE energy, unfortunately we are in a oppressed society

The only thing you're proving is just how indoctrinated you are. This wouldn't be the first time, nor the last, we had to rewrite physics...

it is possible to use resonant electricity... Once the electricity matches the natural resource of H2O, its easy to split it.. try it

hope the oil industries dont find him

+Lucky Silver I was just thinking that!

+Lucky Silver yeah..they will kill him like Stanley Meyer...

 

[Valjean]

High school chemistry.
Combining hydrogen and oxygen to form water produces energy. Cracking water back to its components takes energy.
You can run a vehicle by burning hydrogen, producing water. Going the other way -- you'd have to add energy to the system.

 

[bilby]

Well, they can use some sodium metal plus water to produce hydrogen from water so what they say can be technically true but I doubt it.
They run on ordinary fuel and water there is just dead weight.

Yeah; but that would be a metallic sodium fuelled bike, not a water fuelled bike. Unless you are going to call an ordinary car 'air fuelled'.

 

[barbos]

Well, they can use some sodium metal plus water to produce hydrogen from water so what they say can be technically true but I doubt it.
They run on ordinary fuel and water there is just dead weight.

Yeah; but that would be a metallic sodium fuelled bike, not a water fuelled bike. Unless you are going to call an ordinary car 'air fuelled'.

Yes, but I know a guy who invested in this type of "water" engine.

 

[Underseer]

High school chemistry.
Combining hydrogen and oxygen to form water produces energy. Cracking water back to its components takes energy.
You can run a vehicle by burning hydrogen, producing water. Going the other way -- you'd have to add energy to the system.

But what if they reverse the polarity of the hyperdimensional Eigencoil?

 

[Will Wiley]

The guy claims it runs on hydrogen from the water, so there is an electrolysis process, if he can be trusted. This would require a very robust on board electrical system to break H2O into H2 and O2.

When I was 12, I entered an electrolysis based hydrogen and oxygen generator into a science fair. My generator was powered by 2 D-cell batteries and was able to produce about 10 cc's of hydrogen in about 24 hours. I'm not sure how this would scale up, but a I can't imagine being able to carry enough batteries to produce enough hydrogen to fuel a motorcycle, and still keep air in the rear tire.

This is one of those scams that takes a well known technology and makes claims that require a rewriting of the laws of physics and chemistry.

Thank you,

 

[Will Wiley]

Thanks for the replies, I had a friend who posted this on FB so it's good to get some input as to how to discuss it.

 

[Jimmy Higgins]

First Law of Facebook - If science is presented, it is likely not true.
Second Law of Facebook - If science is presented to show something that seems unlikely, it is almost certainly not true.

In general, you can replace science with about anything and they still hold.

 

[bigfield]

High school chemistry.
Combining hydrogen and oxygen to form water produces energy. Cracking water back to its components takes energy.
You can run a vehicle by burning hydrogen, producing water. Going the other way -- you'd have to add energy to the system.

But what if they reverse the polarity of the hyperdimensional Eigencoil?

I twisted my ankle badly doing that, once. Can't say I recommend it.

 

[Peez]

If the claim is that it runs on hydrogen electrolysed from water, then water isn't the fuel, it's just a very inefficient step in the drivetrain.

Leaving the questions:

What is the actual power source, used to drive the electrolysis? and
Why bother with the water, when modern electric motors are cheap, lightweight and efficient?

This sort of nonsense is useful only as a demonstration of why a basic education that includes some simple physics - such as the laws of thermodynamics - is so important, even for people who plan never to work in STEM fields. Not knowing basic physics leaves people vulnerable to fraud.

I am often asked by biology students why they must take so many physics courses. I answer by pointing out that they are working on a bachelor of science degree, but on top of that they should understand enough physics that the chemistry and biology courses they take will make sense. In a broader sense, a basic understanding of physics is pretty important to understanding the universe that we are trying to live in.

Peez

 

[Jimmy Higgins]

If the claim is that it runs on hydrogen electrolysed from water, then water isn't the fuel, it's just a very inefficient step in the drivetrain.

Leaving the questions:

What is the actual power source, used to drive the electrolysis? and
Why bother with the water, when modern electric motors are cheap, lightweight and efficient?

This sort of nonsense is useful only as a demonstration of why a basic education that includes some simple physics - such as the laws of thermodynamics - is so important, even for people who plan never to work in STEM fields. Not knowing basic physics leaves people vulnerable to fraud.

I am often asked by biology students why they must take so many physics courses. I answer by pointing out that they are working on a bachelor of science degree, but on top of that they should understand enough physics that the chemistry and biology courses they take will make sense. In a broader sense, a basic understanding of physics is pretty important to understanding the universe that we are trying to live in.

Peez

Or you could just listen to that song by Rush, "You can't get something for nothing..." That'd save you from having to take thermodynamics.