Re: Fuel Savers - Competition for ZERO?
STWA's Zero Hi-Tech device appears to fall into the broad category of "fuel savers". Fuel savers, from what I've gathered from searching the net, come in many forms but all work on the same principle: if you can perfectly burn fuel, all that will remain is essentially carbon dioxide and water thus reducing harmful emissions and improving fuel economy.
I found one company, Eagle Research, that calls itself "A Non-Profit Organization that Develops & Distributes Practical Energy Saving Methods & Devices." Their web site, eagle-research.com, is actually quite an interesting read if one is interested in the mechanics of the fuel burning process. For example, I found this paragraph interesting:
There are many ways of vaporizing fuel. A look in the patent office shows thousands of patents covering these methods quite well. I once counted fourteen completely different ways to vaporize fuel. In spite of that, we are still using nearly the same method for vaporizing fuel (even with fuel injection) that we were using in gasoline engines 100 years ago. eagle-research.com
On the one hand the author makes a good point about there being many ways to vaporize fuel. On the other hand, one wonders why if they were any good why they wouldn't be in wide use by now. No, I don't buy the conspiracy theories about the big automakers buying and shelving products that might cut into their business.
I found lots of products that claim to do what Zero Hi-Tech does. First, here's what STWA says their product does:
Save The World" Air Inc. (STWA) owns the world wide manufacturing and marketing rights to ''Zero Hi-Tech'', a revolutionary new invention, that reduces carbon monoxide, hydro carbon's and other toxic fuel emissions to as low as zero and improves fuel economy by up to as much as 42%. savetheworldair.com
Here's some of the "competition" and what they claim:
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D2+PLUS® is a revolutionary new fuel ACCELERATORTM scientifically formulated to enhance the burn ratio of fuel. D2+PLUS® differs from additives that simply burn hotter. It actually changes the molecular structure of the fuel to assure more complete combustion, thereby increasing power, reducing emissions, improving the fuel's lubricity characteristics and resulting in more miles to the gallon. D2+PLUS® also fortifies the fuel by introducing several important additives.
When used regularly, D2+PLUS® will:
Boost the power of your engine Increase fuel efficiency (more miles per gallon) Clean fuel injectors Reduce emissions Reduce engine noise Reduce cylinder scuffing Lower exhaust temperature Stabilize fuels Disperse water Minimize costly repairs.
fuelsplusinc.com
The chemical process provides for a dispersion of the fuel and the almost complete combustion of the fuel (99.9%).
fuelsplusinc.com
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Exhaust Emission Reduction
Fuel is mostly evaporated to carbon dioxide and water if perfectly burned. In this case, exhaust pollution will be removed and smoky smell will disappear. You can see the water outcoming and spattering out through a tailpipe.
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Pursuing the best effect, SUPER-TECH
SUPER-TECH Fuel Saver installed in the fuel tank will emit the optimized far-infrared electromagnetic waves to entire fuel in tank and influence on the whole area evenly to activate all the fuel molecules. Regardless of engine revolutions or intake controlling, liquid fuel will be burned perfectly, and thus the engine power will be increased and exhaust pollution will be decreased dramatically.
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Problems of Existing Fuel Saver
Types of Fuel Saver
(1) Magnetic Fuel Saver - Generating ions by adding magnetic waves to the fuel line.
(2) Electronic Controlled Fuel Saver - Controlling suction of fuel according to engine revolutions.
(3) Air Suction Controlled Fuel Saver - Controlling intake through air turbulence by mounting the product in an air intake.
Problem
(1) Magnetic Fuel Saver - The product wraps the line through which fuel passes. Fuel passes too fast and continuously to activate entire fuel effectively. However magnetic wave is not strong enough to influence on liquid fuel.
(2) Electronic Controlled Fuel Saver - The power and the revolutions of an engine depend on explosion efficiency of fuel combustion. Basically unless fuel is burned perfectly, this technique controling fuel suction is not strong enough to influence on liquid fuel.
(3) Air Suction Controlled Fuel Saver - More air intake, less fuel intake. When the combination is optimized, better fuel will burn but unless the components of fuel itself are changed, perfect combustion can not be achieved.
skoba.com
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Wasted fuel is the main cause of atmospheric pollution. The best way to clean up our environment is to burn fuel more efficiently, to reduce emission of exhaust gases to below international standards.
skybusiness.com
As may be seen from the sketches (above left), without FUELSAVER 2000 the combustion process suffers from incomplete combustion, with the resulting explosion being only about 70% effective.
Once FUELSAVER 2000 is fitted to the fuel system in the correct place, the strong magnetic field acts on the fuel to cause a substantial static electric charge on the fuel, flowing in the fuel line. Once this charged fuel is atomised, in either the carburettor, or the fuel injectors, this static electric charge has the effect of dispersing the fuel particles more efficiently due to the fact that every particle of fuel now has the same electric charge. It is a well-known scientific fact that like charges repels each other, thus causing a better distribution of fuel in the combustion chambers of the engine. The effect of this process is shown in the right hand sketch above, where it is abundantly clear that more complete combustion takes place. The end result is a far better utilisation of the fuel in the combustion chambers, with more power being generated for a smaller amount of fuel used.
skybusiness.com
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I saved the best for last. Someone has created an entire web site to accuse the American Technologies Group (OTCBB: ATEG) of being a scam. ATEG markets a product called The Force:
After decades of limited success by the auto industry in improving combustion with fuel additives, ATG has finally developed a better way. The Force "super charges" air coming into your engine. Mixed with gasoline or diesel, the treated air creates a perfect combustion mixture. It burns more completely, and the benefits touch virtually all areas of performance.
216.71.160.147
Here's what the alleged scambusters say about the product:
"The Force" or "The Farce"? - The Engine Sausage Scam
One of ATG's "IE crystal" consumer products is "The Force", a sausage-shaped pack which is placed in a car's air filter and supposedly releases an "airborne fuel additive" into the system. ATG claims that the product is a catalyst which enhances combustion and increases engine performance.
The Financial Fraud/Consumer Protection division of the Oregon Department of Justice took a rather different stance on The Force and the product claims being used to sell it...
pecan.srv.cs.cmu.edu
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So, what about all those claims that the STWA product "works"? Based only on what I've read, and not being a car mechanic, it appears there is a vast difference between how an engine works when it is idling versus operating to move a vehicle. This might explain why the STWA tests were all conducted in garages. I'll defer to those more knowledgeable that I on the subject to weigh in on whether and how this makes sense.
- Jeff |