Water fuel cell

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Perpetual motion machine: Water fuel cell
Disciplines:	physics and engineering
Core Tenets:	Device functions by fracturing water into constituent gases.
Year Proposed:	1989
Original Proponents:	Stanley Meyer
Current Proponents:	unknown
Theory violation:	First law of thermodynamics
Water fuel cell is reportedly a perpetual motion machine. Such machines violate the known laws of physics. Claims of the development of such devices are considered pseudoscience by most scientists.

The water fuel cell, invented by American Stanley Meyer, is a device reportedly able to convert water into its component elements, hydrogen and oxygen, using less energy than that present in the elements' bond itself. The water fuel cell could reportedly produce several times more energy than it consumed. In theory, an engine could be connected to a cell and, through the Combustion process, convert the hydrogen back into water. At least one car prototype powered by a water fuel cell has been assembled.[3][4]

In concept, the function of the fuel cell violates conventional interpretations of the first law of thermodynamics. As a result, the cell was met with much skepticism from established scientists when it was first presented.

Its name not withstanding, the water fuel cell is not a true fuel cell. It would be an electrolyser, as it is claimed to produce hydrogen from water and not the opposite.

1 Construction
2 Meyer's water-fueled car
3 Patents
- 3.1 Stanley Meyer
- 3.2 Other
4 See also
5 Notes
6 External links

[edit] Construction

The electrolysis "capacitor", as described in Meyer's patents.

Stanley Meyer was granted patents in the United States and abroad starting in 1989. (Patents should not be seen as implying a peer review has taken place, and do not imply the findings have been confirmed and reproduced by independent parties.)

The fuel cell consists of stainless steel plates arranged as a capacitor, with pure water acting as the dielectric. A rising staircase of direct current pulses is sent through the plates at roughly 42 kHz, which is claimed to play a role in the water molecules breaking apart with less directly applied energy than is required by standard electrolysis. The mechanism of this reaction is undocumented.

Meyer presented his fuel cell device to Professor Michael Laughton, Dean of Engineering at Queen Mary College, London, Admiral Sir Anthony Griffin, a former controller of the British Navy, and Dr. Keith Hindley, a UK research chemist.^[1] According to the witnesses, the most startling aspect of the Meyer cell was that it remained cold, even after hours of gas production as his system appeared to operate on mere milliamperes, rather than the amperes that conventional electrolysis would require. The witnesses also stated:

The circuit used to drive the electrolysis device, as described in Meyer's patents.

After hours of discussion between ourselves, we concluded that Stan Meyer did appear to have discovered an entirely new method for splitting water which showed few of the characteristics of classical electrolysis. Possible Theory On How The Water Fuel Cell Works Confirmation that his devices actually do work come from his collection of granted US patents on various parts of the WFC system. Since they were granted under Section 101 by the US Patent Office, the hardware involved in the patents has been examined experimentally by US Patent Office experts and their seconded experts and all the claims have been established.

[edit] Meyer's water-fueled car

It Runs on Water is a video with Stanley Meyer demonstrating the water fuel cell in a car. Meyer claimed that he could run a 1.6 liter Volkswagen dune buggy on water instead of gasoline. He replaced the spark plugs with "injectors" to spray a fine mist into the engine cylinders, which he claimed were electrified at a resonant frequency. The fuel cell would split water into hydrogen and oxygen gas, which would combust back into water vapor in a conventional hydrogen engine to produce net energy. Estimates made showed that only 22 US gallons (83 L) of water were required to travel from one US coast to the other. Meyer also demonstrated his vehicle for his city's local news station Action 6 News. A video of the buggie in action can be found here.

Stanley Meyer was later successfully sued by disgruntled investors, to whom he sold "dealerships". He was convicted of "gross and egregious fraud" by an Ohio court in 1990 after the vehicle failed to work during a required demonstration of the water-fueled car .^[2]

In its findings, the court found that the centerpiece of the car, his water fuel cell, was a conventional electrolysis device. Meyer was ordered to repay the investors $25,000.^[2]

Stanley Meyer died after eating at a restaurant on the 21 March 1998. An autopsy report showed the cause of death to be poisoning, leading to widespread popular theories [5] regarding the involvement of oil companies and the United States government in his death.

[edit] Patents

[edit] Stanley Meyer

U.S. Patent 5,149,407 : Process and apparatus for the production of fuel gas and the enhanced release of thermal energy from such gas
U.S. Patent 4,936,961 : Method for the production of a fuel gas
U.S. Patent 4,826,581 : Controlled process for the production of thermal energy from gases and apparatus useful therefore
U.S. Patent 4,798,661 : Gas generator voltage control circuit
U.S. Patent 4,613,779 : Electrical pulse generator
U.S. Patent 4,613,304 : Gas electrical hydrogen generator
U.S. Patent 4,465,455 : Start-up/shut-down for a hydrogen gas burner
U.S. Patent 4,421,474 : Hydrogen gas burner
U.S. Patent 4,389,981 : Hydrogen gas injector system for internal combustion engine
Collection of information about patents