How to Build a Small Hydrogen Generator
Building a small hydrogen generator is as simple as exposing wire tips under test tubes inverted in a glass of water. The electricity goes through the water and splits it apart into the chemical components of H2O which is two parts hydrogen and one part oxygen. As the test tubes fill, one is filled with hydrogen gas. Since the mixture isn't going to be stored very long, there is no need to separate the gases. A slightly larger version can be used to fill up sandwich bags with the gas.
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Things You'll Need
- Four 1/2-inch dowel rods Five identical 9-inch square stainless steel pans 24 1/2-inch spacers made of 1/2-inch inner diameter PVC pipe. Hair dryer with circuit breaker in cord Light dimmer Plastic bucket with snap-on airtight lid Plastic cement mixing tub JB epoxy weld Water bottle Ping-pong ball Plastic tubing Fingernail clippers Aligator clips Hot glue gun & glue Back-up circuit breaker Rubber gloves and other non-conductive safety equipment Gas detector to check for leaks Sandwich bags
Instructions
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1
Get as much lead wire out of the hair dryer as possible by dismantling it and cutting open the cord. The cord will have a knot in it to prevent it from slipping out of the lamp. Untie this knot and slide the cord out. If you cannot remove the cord, cut the wire just below this point on the outside of the device.
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2
Strip the wire 1/2-inch from the tip of the cord. Using a pair of fingernail clippers, cut into the plastic around the tips of the wires, but not into the metal itself. The plastic should then slide off to expose the wire. Screw alligator wire clips to the end of the wires.
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3
Drill a hole in each of the four corners of the steel pans, one inch away from both edges, with a 1/2-inch diameter drill. After the first pan, use it as a guide by placing it over the remaining pans and drilling through them all in a stack.
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4
Put the first pan on the ground with the top down. Insert the dowels into each of the holes. If they do not go in easily, insert them with a twisting motion, sand them down or stick the drill in the hole and with the drill turned on and the pan anchored, carefully wiggle the drill around in a circular motion. Make sure the bit is already inserted in the hole deep enough so that it doesn't come out. Once the rods are in the holes, glue them in place.
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5
Glue the spacers in place so they keep the pans away from each other at the exact same distance for each pan. Glue the spacers in place and then alternate gluing in spacers and pans. Let this dry overnight with a spacer on top of the whole apparatus to keep the top pan in place. In the morning, cut the dowels so that they do not protrude more than a quarter inch. Flip the apparatus and glue two more spacers on the end to hold the pans on that were formerly on the bottom of the stack while it dried. Wait for the glue to dry again.
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6
Add a lid with a small notch in the side that fits the large plastic bucket so that the cord does not get damaged when the lid snaps shut. Seal this hole around the cord with the hot glue, careful not to melt or damage the cord. With the cord unplugged, the alligator clips should be attached to pans on the opposite sides of the generator. This lid will prevent a spill from quickly splashing over the sides of the container. The lid should have a glue plug from a hot glue gun to hold the cord in place. Be careful not to melt the insulation on the cord when gluing it. The plug should be air tight and the whole apparatus should be checked for this after each use.
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7
Cut a hole on top of the bucket where a plastic water bottle should be glued, with the threaded mouth facing the hole. On the underside, facing skywards, the collecting tube should be glued. The bottle helps to keep water from getting sucked up into the tube in case any water would have gotten in front of the gas bubbles in the tube. If desired, a small ping-pong ball can be placed into the water bottle which mill indicate gas production by moving around as gas moves around it.
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8
Put the bucket into the disposable cement tub to help catch any spillage. Check once more to make sure that the device and the operator are clear of conductive materials. The operator should dry their hands completely and consider insulating gloves. The operator should plug in the device and listen for evidence of gas production. The ping-pong ball should indicate if significant amounts are being produced, though this method is not fool-proof.
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9
Plug in to start the device generating hydrogen. If the circuit breaker in the wire is tripped and turns off, get a variable resistor or a light dimmer to decrease the amount of power flowing through the circuit by turning the resistance up and down. Be careful not to let any of the gas that is generated escape, since gas and electricity or any source of ignition can be hazardous. Hydrogen explodes if it ignites.
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Tips & Warnings
Don't use pans that have a non-slip coating since the pans may not conduct electricity. Metal pans should be used but should not be copper. Even though copper is an excellent conductor the copper will corrode in the water until it dissolves completely, even in distilled water. Remember that hydrogen and oxygen are odorless and can escape without making a sound. A (hydrogen) gas detector is the only way of knowing if there is a leak and may be rented or bought.
Always make sure that anything that is drilled is firmly anchored so that it will not move when the drill is turned on. Hydrogen is flammable and explosive. Oxygen also is very dangerous and is a byproduct of this hydrogen generator. Follow all laws and handle according to the MSDS (material safety data sheet) guidelines. Do NOT plug in the device until it is ready to be used and has already been hooked up. The operator of this device should never be wet or touching any water/conductive surfaces. Stand on higher ground so that if the bucket does manage to spill, the water will not contact the operator. If the bucket does spill, immediately release the circuit breaker and pull the plug out of the wall. This activity is extremely dangerous and is better left to trained professionals. Don't try this at home.
