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{{Perpetual motion machine {{Short description|Perpetual motion machine}}
{{This|a non-functional fuel cell using water as fuel|other purported water fueled devices|water-fuelled car|actual electrochemical cells running on other fuels|fuel cell}}
|name=Water fuel cell
|topics=] and ]
|claims= Device functions by fracturing water into constituent gases.
|origyear= 1989
|origprop=Stanley Meyer
|currentprop=unknown
|lawviolation=none
}}
The '''water fuel cell''' is a ] device that was supposed to function by breaking ] into ] and ] ]es using less ] than that present in the ] itself. The water ] was claimed to produce several times more energy than it consumed (for instance, by connecting it to an engine that would ] the hydrogen back into water), and a car prototype powered by a water fuel cell was assembled.


The '''water fuel cell''' is a non-functional design for a "] machine" created by Stanley Allen Meyer (August 24, 1940 – March 20, 1998). Meyer claimed that a car retrofitted with the device could use water as fuel instead of ]. Meyer's claims about his "Water Fuel Cell" and the car that it powered were found to be fraudulent by an Ohio court in 1996.<ref name="Narciso"/><ref name="Times">{{cite news | first=Tony | last=Edwards | title= End of road for car that ran on Water <!--| url= http://groups.google.com/group/sci.energy.hydrogen/msg/8ee0acb80e943e21?hl=endc310437cd1cee1e7&--> | work=] | publisher= Times Newspapers Limited | page= Features 12 | date=1996-12-01 }}</ref>
Since this concept violates the ] and this apparatus has never been demonstrated to work and has never been reproduced, it was met with much ]. The inventor, Mr. Stanley Meyer (died on ], ]<ref>'']'' 19: p. 50–51 (1998). </ref>), was later successfully sued by some disgruntled investors, whom he had sold "dealerships", and convicted for "gross and egregious ]".<ref name="sundaytimes1dec96">'']'' Innovation ]]. </ref>


== Purported design ==
Its name notwithstanding, the water fuel cell is not a ], even accepting it could work. It would be an electrolyser, as it is claimed to produce hydrogen from water and not the opposite. The name "fuel cell" may have been used as it is more captivating than "electrolyser".
⚫ ]


The water fuel cell purportedly split ] into its component elements, ] and ]. The hydrogen gas was then burned to generate energy, a process that reconstituted the water molecules. According to Meyer, the device required less energy to perform ] than the minimum energy requirement predicted or measured by conventional science.<ref name="Narciso"/> The mechanism of action was alleged to involve "]", a mixture of ] with a ratio of 2:1, the same composition as liquid water; which would then be mixed with ambient air (nitrogen, oxygen, argon, etc).<ref name = "Nature"/> The resultant hydrogen gas was then burned to generate energy, which reconstituted the water molecules in another unit separate from the unit in which water was separated. If the device worked as specified, it would violate both the ] and ] laws of thermodynamics,<ref name=" Narciso"/><ref name = "Nature"/> allowing operation as a perpetual motion machine.<ref name = "Nature"/>
==Construction==
]", as described in Meyer's patents.]]


Throughout his patents<ref name="US5149407"/><ref name="US4936961">{{US patent|4936961}}: Method for the production of a fuel gas</ref><ref>{{US patent|4826581}}: Controlled process for the production of thermal energy from gases and apparatus useful therefore; {{US patent|4798661}}: Gas generator voltage control circuit; {{US patent|4613779}}: Electrical pulse generator; {{US patent|4613304}}: Gas electrical hydrogen generator;{{US patent|4465455}}: Start-up/shut-down for a hydrogen gas burner; {{US patent|4421474}}: Hydrogen gas burner; {{US patent|4389981}}: Hydrogen gas injector system for internal combustion engine</ref> Meyer used the terms "fuel cell" or "water fuel cell" to refer to the portion of his device in which electricity is passed through water to produce hydrogen and oxygen. Meyer's use of the term in this sense is contrary to its usual meaning in science and engineering, in which such cells are conventionally called "]s".<ref name = "Definition">'']'' (], 2004) defines "fuel cell" as an "Electric cell in which the chemical energy from the oxidation of a gas fuel is converted directly to electrical energy in a continuous process"; and electrolysis as "Passage of an electric current through a conducting solution or molten salt that is decomposed in the process."</ref> Furthermore, the term "]" is usually reserved for cells that produce electricity from a chemical ],<ref>{{cite journal |title= Introduction: Batteries and Fuel Cells |author1=Whittingham, M. S. |author2=Savinell, R. F. |author3=Zawodzinski, T. |journal= Chem. Rev. |year= 2004 |volume= 104 |issue= 10 |pages= 4243–4244 |doi= 10.1021/cr020705e |pmid=15669154 |doi-access= }}</ref><ref>{{cite journal |last1=Winter |first1=Martin |last2=Brodd |first2=Ralph J. |title=What Are Batteries, Fuel Cells, and Supercapacitors? |journal=Chemical Reviews |date=1 October 2004 |volume=104 |issue=10 |pages=4245–4270 |doi=10.1021/cr020730k |pmid=15669155 |doi-access= free }}</ref> whereas Meyer's fuel cell consumed electricity, as shown in his patents and in the circuit pictured on the right. Meyer describes in a 1990 patent the use of a "water fuel cell assembly" and portrays some images of his "fuel cell water capacitor". According to the patent, in this case "...&nbsp;the term 'fuel cell' refers to a single unit of the invention comprising a water capacitor cell&nbsp;... that produces the fuel gas in accordance with the method of the invention."<ref name="US4936961"/>
Stanley Meyer was granted ]s in the ] and abroad starting in ]; patents, however, are not equivalent to ], and do not imply the findings have been confirmed and reproduced by independent parties.


== Media coverage ==
The fuel cell consists of ] plates arranged as a ], with pure water acting as the ]. A rising staircase of ] pulses is sent through the plates at roughly 42 ], 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 both undocumented and in contradiction with the first law of thermodynamics.
]


In a news report on an ], Meyer showed a ] he claimed was powered by his water fuel cell. He stated that only 22&nbsp;US&nbsp;gallons (83&nbsp;liters) of water were required to travel from Los Angeles to New York.<ref name="Action 6">Robinson, Ralph (Reporter), Tom Ryan (News caster) and Gail Hogan (News caster) "Unknown Episode <nowiki></nowiki>" Action 6 News. ]. '''Station call sign''': ]. Filmed in Groveport. Length: 1 Minute 45 seconds. Republished by {{Dead link|date=August 2023 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }} "." File name: {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080625195654/http://befreetech.com/media/stan_meyers_bb.wmv |date=2008-06-25 }}. Last updated {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090214010223/http://who.godaddy.com/WhoIs.aspx?domain=befreetech.com&prog_id=godaddy |date=14 February 2009 }}. Befreetech.Com. Accessed 23 June 2008.</ref> Furthermore, Meyer claimed to have replaced the ]s with "injectors" that introduced a hydrogen/oxygen mixture into the engine cylinders. The water was subjected to an ] that dissociated it into its basic atomic make-up. The water fuel cell would split the water into hydrogen and oxygen gas, which would then be combusted back into water vapor in a conventional ] to produce net energy.<ref name = "Times"/>
Meyer presented his fuel cell device to Professor ], ] of ] at ], ], ] ], a former controller of the ], and Dr. ], a ] ] ].<ref>'']'' January 1991. </ref> 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 ], rather than the amperes that conventional ] would require. The witnesses also stated:
]


], writing in academic journal '']'', characterized Meyer's claims as pseudoscience, noting that "It's not easy to establish how Meyer's car was meant to work, except that it involved a fuel cell that was able to split water using less energy than was released by recombination of the elements&nbsp;... Crusaders against pseudoscience can rant and rave as much as they like, but in the end they might as well accept that the myth of water as a fuel is never going to go away."<ref name = "Nature"/>
:''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. 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.''


== Lawsuit ==
The claim about amperage appears strange, as amperage measures the flow of charge (and therefore ]s, which have a fixed charge), and the quantity of charge to be transferred between the electrodes to split water is fixed to two ]s per ] water (about 10,700 ]s per ]). A reduction in the required energy to split water could have therefore only manifested itself in a reduction in ].


Stanley Meyer's invention was later termed fraudulent after two investors to whom he had sold dealerships offering the right to do business in Water Fuel Cell technology sued him in 1996. His car was due to be examined by the expert witness ], Professor of ] at ] and ] of the ]. However, Meyer made what Professor Laughton considered a "lame excuse" on the days of examination and did not allow the test to proceed.<ref name = "Times"/> His "water fuel cell" was later examined by three expert witnesses{{who|date=January 2018}} in court who found that there "was nothing revolutionary about the cell at all and that it was simply using conventional ]." The court found Meyer had committed "gross and egregious fraud" and ordered him to repay the two investors their $25,000.<ref name = "Times"/>
It should be remarked that neither Meyer, nor Laughton, nor Griffin, nor Hindley have published any peer-reviewed research papers in the scientific literature (as far as can be reviewed on ]), which is detrimental to their credibility. Mr. Laughton wrote a generic "Executive summary" about ] in the '']'', but no original research is presented. (An unrelated Anthony Griffin, from ], ], can appear in searches.)


==Meyer's water-fueled car== == Meyer's death ==
''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 ] ] on water instead of gasoline. He replaced the ]s with "injectors" to spray a fine mist into the engine cylinders, which he claimed were electrified at a ]. 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 .


Stanley Meyer died suddenly on March 20, 1998, while dining at a restaurant. His brother claimed that during a meeting with two Belgian investors, Meyer suddenly ran outside, saying "They poisoned me".<ref name="Narciso"/> After an investigation, the ] police agreed with the ] coroner report that ruled that Meyer, who had ], died of a ].<ref name="Narciso"/> Some of Meyer's supporters believe that he was assassinated to suppress his inventions.<ref name="Narciso">{{cite news |title=The car that ran on water |url=https://www.dispatch.com/story/news/2007/07/08/the-car-that-ran-on/987361007/ |work=The Columbus Dispatch |date=8 July 2007 }}</ref><ref name = "Nature">{{cite journal |last1=Ball |first1=Philip |title=Burning water and other myths |journal=Nature |date=14 September 2007 |pages=news070910–13 |doi=10.1038/news070910-13 |s2cid=129704116 |doi-access=free }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.dispatch.com/live/export-content/sites/dispatch/multimedia/audio/2007/07/Robinette.mp3 |title=Archived copy |website=www.dispatch.com |access-date=30 June 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110411031110/http://www.dispatch.com/live/export-content/sites/dispatch/multimedia/audio/2007/07/Robinette.mp3 |archive-date=11 April 2011 |url-status=dead}}</ref> Philippe Vandemoortele, one of the Belgian investors, stated that he had been supporting Meyer financially for several years and considered him a personal friend, and that he has no idea where the rumors came from.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Pepijn van Erp |date=2020-11-10 |title=Stanley Meyer, the inventor of the water-powered car, was not killed by Belgian investors |url=https://www.pepijnvanerp.nl/2020/11/stanley-meyer-the-inventor-of-the-water-powered-car-was-not-killed-by-belgian-investors/ |access-date=2020-12-15 |website=pepijnvanerp.nl |language=en-US}}</ref>
The vehicle failed to work during a required demonstration of the water-fueled car in a 1990 court case. An Ohio court found Stanley Meyer guilty of "gross and egregious fraud" in a case brought against him by disgruntled investors. The court decided that the centerpiece of the car, his water fuel cell, was a conventional ] device, and he was ordered to repay the investors $25,000.<ref name="sundaytimes1dec96" />


==Patents== == Aftermath ==
===Stanley Meyer===
⚫ *{{US patent|5,149,407}}: Process and apparatus for the production of fuel gas and the enhanced release of thermal energy from such gas
*{{US patent|4,936,961}}: Method for the production of a fuel gas
*{{US patent|4,826,581}}: Controlled process for the production of thermal energy from gases and apparatus useful therefore
*{{US patent|4,798,661}}: Gas generator voltage control circuit
*{{US patent|4,613,779}}: Electrical pulse generator
*{{US patent|4,613,304}}: Gas electrical hydrogen generator
*{{US patent|4,465,455}}: Start-up/shut-down for a hydrogen gas burner
*{{US patent|4,421,474}}: Hydrogen gas burner
*{{US patent|4,389,981}}: Hydrogen gas injector system for internal combustion engine
*


Meyer's patents have expired. His inventions are now in the public domain, available for all to use without restriction or royalty payment.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.uspto.gov/patents/resources/general_info_concerning_patents.jsp#heading-24 |title=General Information Concerning Patents |work=] |access-date=3 November 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110407192851/http://www.uspto.gov/patents/resources/general_info_concerning_patents.jsp#heading-24 |archive-date=7 April 2011}}</ref> No engine or vehicle manufacturer has incorporated Meyer's work.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.aardvark.co.nz/hho_mediaguide.shtml |title=HHO "run your car on water", a guide for journalists |work=Aardvark Daily |date=July 2008 |access-date=3 November 2022 |first=Bruce |last=Simpson}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://scientopia.org/blogs/goodmath/2011/10/17/i-get-mail-browns-gas-and-perpetual-motion/ |title=I get mail: Brown's Gas and Perpetual Motion |work=scientopia.org |author=MarkCC |author2=Bad Physics |date=27 October 2011 |access-date=3 November 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130303073118/http://scientopia.org/blogs/goodmath/2011/10/17/i-get-mail-browns-gas-and-perpetual-motion/ |archive-date=3 March 2013}}</ref>
===Other===
*{{US patent|6,419,815}}: Method for producing orthohydrogen and/or parahydrogen, Stephen Barrie Chambers


==See also== == See also ==
* ]
⚫ * ]
* ]
* ]
* ]
* ]
* ]
* ]


* {{anl|Free energy suppression conspiracy theory}}
==Notes==
⚫ * {{anl|History of perpetual motion machines}}
<references/>


==External links== == References ==
*
⚫ *
*.
*—Text of the article of the London '']''.
⚫ *—summary of the article in ''New Energy News''.
⚫ *.
*
*
* For a detailed report, please click .
*


{{refs}}
⚫ ]


== External links ==
]

* {{Cite web |url=http://www.waterfuelcell.org/ |title=Stanley Meyer's Water Fuel Cell |access-date=August 25, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140820140713/http://www.waterfuelcell.org/ |archive-date=August 20, 2014 |url-status=dead |df=mdy-all }}
⚫ *
⚫ * &nbsp;— summary of the article in ''New Energy News''.
⚫ * .

⚫ ]
]
]
]
]
]
]

Latest revision as of 09:13, 29 October 2024

Perpetual motion machine This article is about a non-functional fuel cell using water as fuel. For other purported water fueled devices, see water-fuelled car. For actual electrochemical cells running on other fuels, see fuel cell.

The water fuel cell is a non-functional design for a "perpetual motion machine" created by Stanley Allen Meyer (August 24, 1940 – March 20, 1998). Meyer claimed that a car retrofitted with the device could use water as fuel instead of gasoline. Meyer's claims about his "Water Fuel Cell" and the car that it powered were found to be fraudulent by an Ohio court in 1996.

Purported design

The circuit

The water fuel cell purportedly split water into its component elements, hydrogen and oxygen. The hydrogen gas was then burned to generate energy, a process that reconstituted the water molecules. According to Meyer, the device required less energy to perform electrolysis than the minimum energy requirement predicted or measured by conventional science. The mechanism of action was alleged to involve "Brown's gas", a mixture of oxyhydrogen with a ratio of 2:1, the same composition as liquid water; which would then be mixed with ambient air (nitrogen, oxygen, argon, etc). The resultant hydrogen gas was then burned to generate energy, which reconstituted the water molecules in another unit separate from the unit in which water was separated. If the device worked as specified, it would violate both the first and second laws of thermodynamics, allowing operation as a perpetual motion machine.

Throughout his patents Meyer used the terms "fuel cell" or "water fuel cell" to refer to the portion of his device in which electricity is passed through water to produce hydrogen and oxygen. Meyer's use of the term in this sense is contrary to its usual meaning in science and engineering, in which such cells are conventionally called "electrolytic cells". Furthermore, the term "fuel cell" is usually reserved for cells that produce electricity from a chemical redox reaction, whereas Meyer's fuel cell consumed electricity, as shown in his patents and in the circuit pictured on the right. Meyer describes in a 1990 patent the use of a "water fuel cell assembly" and portrays some images of his "fuel cell water capacitor". According to the patent, in this case "... the term 'fuel cell' refers to a single unit of the invention comprising a water capacitor cell ... that produces the fuel gas in accordance with the method of the invention."

Media coverage

The water fuel cell

In a news report on an Ohio TV station, Meyer showed a dune buggy he claimed was powered by his water fuel cell. He stated that only 22 US gallons (83 liters) of water were required to travel from Los Angeles to New York. Furthermore, Meyer claimed to have replaced the spark plugs with "injectors" that introduced a hydrogen/oxygen mixture into the engine cylinders. The water was subjected to an electrical resonance that dissociated it into its basic atomic make-up. The water fuel cell would split the water into hydrogen and oxygen gas, which would then be combusted back into water vapor in a conventional internal combustion engine to produce net energy.

Philip Ball, writing in academic journal Nature, characterized Meyer's claims as pseudoscience, noting that "It's not easy to establish how Meyer's car was meant to work, except that it involved a fuel cell that was able to split water using less energy than was released by recombination of the elements ... Crusaders against pseudoscience can rant and rave as much as they like, but in the end they might as well accept that the myth of water as a fuel is never going to go away."

Lawsuit

Stanley Meyer's invention was later termed fraudulent after two investors to whom he had sold dealerships offering the right to do business in Water Fuel Cell technology sued him in 1996. His car was due to be examined by the expert witness Michael Laughton, Professor of Electrical Engineering at Queen Mary University of London and Fellow of the Royal Academy of Engineering. However, Meyer made what Professor Laughton considered a "lame excuse" on the days of examination and did not allow the test to proceed. His "water fuel cell" was later examined by three expert witnesses in court who found that there "was nothing revolutionary about the cell at all and that it was simply using conventional electrolysis." The court found Meyer had committed "gross and egregious fraud" and ordered him to repay the two investors their $25,000.

Meyer's death

Stanley Meyer died suddenly on March 20, 1998, while dining at a restaurant. His brother claimed that during a meeting with two Belgian investors, Meyer suddenly ran outside, saying "They poisoned me". After an investigation, the Grove City police agreed with the Franklin County coroner report that ruled that Meyer, who had high blood pressure, died of a cerebral aneurysm. Some of Meyer's supporters believe that he was assassinated to suppress his inventions. Philippe Vandemoortele, one of the Belgian investors, stated that he had been supporting Meyer financially for several years and considered him a personal friend, and that he has no idea where the rumors came from.

Aftermath

Meyer's patents have expired. His inventions are now in the public domain, available for all to use without restriction or royalty payment. No engine or vehicle manufacturer has incorporated Meyer's work.

See also

References

  1. ^ "The car that ran on water". The Columbus Dispatch. 8 July 2007.
  2. ^ Edwards, Tony (1996-12-01). "End of road for car that ran on Water". The Sunday Times. Times Newspapers Limited. p. Features 12.
  3. ^ 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
  4. ^ Ball, Philip (14 September 2007). "Burning water and other myths". Nature: news070910–13. doi:10.1038/news070910-13. S2CID 129704116.
  5. ^ U.S. patent 4,936,961: Method for the production of a fuel gas
  6. 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
  7. The Columbia Encyclopedia (Columbia University Press, 2004) defines "fuel cell" as an "Electric cell in which the chemical energy from the oxidation of a gas fuel is converted directly to electrical energy in a continuous process"; and electrolysis as "Passage of an electric current through a conducting solution or molten salt that is decomposed in the process."
  8. Whittingham, M. S.; Savinell, R. F.; Zawodzinski, T. (2004). "Introduction: Batteries and Fuel Cells". Chem. Rev. 104 (10): 4243–4244. doi:10.1021/cr020705e. PMID 15669154.
  9. Winter, Martin; Brodd, Ralph J. (1 October 2004). "What Are Batteries, Fuel Cells, and Supercapacitors?". Chemical Reviews. 104 (10): 4245–4270. doi:10.1021/cr020730k. PMID 15669155.
  10. Robinson, Ralph (Reporter), Tom Ryan (News caster) and Gail Hogan (News caster) "Unknown Episode " Action 6 News. Unknown Network. Station call sign: WSYX. Filmed in Groveport. Length: 1 Minute 45 seconds. Republished by Annaheim, Kurt W. "Media Page - See, Hear and Discover Free Electricity." File name: stan_meyers_bb.wmv Archived 2008-06-25 at the Wayback Machine. Last updated 7 May 2008 Archived 14 February 2009 at the Wayback Machine. Befreetech.Com. Accessed 23 June 2008.
  11. "Archived copy". www.dispatch.com. Archived from the original on 11 April 2011. Retrieved 30 June 2022.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  12. Pepijn van Erp (2020-11-10). "Stanley Meyer, the inventor of the water-powered car, was not killed by Belgian investors". pepijnvanerp.nl. Retrieved 2020-12-15.
  13. "General Information Concerning Patents". uspto.gov. Archived from the original on 7 April 2011. Retrieved 3 November 2022.
  14. Simpson, Bruce (July 2008). "HHO "run your car on water", a guide for journalists". Aardvark Daily. Retrieved 3 November 2022.
  15. MarkCC; Bad Physics (27 October 2011). "I get mail: Brown's Gas and Perpetual Motion". scientopia.org. Archived from the original on 3 March 2013. Retrieved 3 November 2022.

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