Saving civilization & getting rich

The last "big thing" that came out of Winnipeg, Canada, was Burton Cummings, Randy Bachman and the members of The Guess Who.

But Joe Williams Sr. is also a Winnipeg product, and he's invented something that could save Western civilization. (Or at least the part of civilization that requires energy.) Says the Montreal Gazette:

But before you sniff skeptically and skip to the next story, read on.

Because if Joe Williams turns out to be right, "I think Bill Gates and our group will be shaking hands," he says. "It's that big."

"It" is his Hydrogen Generating Module, or H2N-Gen for short.

Smaller than a DVD player - small enough to sit comfortably under the hood of any truck or car - it could be big enough to solve the world's greenhouse gas emission problems, at least for the near future. In fact, it could make the Kyoto protocol obsolete. Basically, the H2N-Gen contains a small reservoir of distilled water and other chemicals such as potassium hydroxide. A current is run from the car battery through the liquid. This process of electrolysis creates hydrogen and oxygen gases which are then fed into the engine's intake manifold where they mix with the gasoline vapours.
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It's a scientific fact that adding hydrogen to a combustion chamber will cause a cleaner burn. The challenge has always been to find a way to get the hydrogen gas into the combustion chamber in a safe, reliable and cost-effective way.

Williams claims he has achieved this with his H2N-Gen. His product, he said, produces a more complete burn, greatly increasing efficiency and reducing fuel consumption by 10 to 40 per cent - and pollutants by up to 100 per cent.

Most internal combustion engines operate at about 35 per cent efficiency. This means that only 35 per cent of the fuel is fully burned. The rest either turns to carbon corroding the engine or goes out the exhaust pipe as greenhouse gases.

The H2N-Gen increases burn efficiency to at least 97 per cent, Williams said. This saves fuel and greatly reduces emissions.

It also means less engine maintenance and oil changes. The only thing the vehicle owner has to do is refill the unit with distilled water once every 80 hours of engine use.

Tests show the unit itself should lasts for at least 10 years, Williams said.

It can be attached to any kind of internal combustion engine: diesel, gasoline, propane/natural gas.

The potential bottom line for Williams' device is two-fold: Williams will get rich and the world will have enough oil to handle ongoing activity and growth for at least a few more decades.

The only downside we see, in fact, is that Williams wants not only to profit from licensing and marketing his device, he'd also like to share in the windfall from the savings generated from its application.

That might make his price tag a little too expensive.

You have every right to be proud of your work, Mr. Williams. Please don't spoil it by getting greedy. How many billions of dollars do you really need to be happy, anyway?