Snake oil, or perhaps battery oil? If this was really a viable method there would be competition. I'd be interested in a deconstruction of the video by Maine Sail.I saw this product being used on one of the U Tube electric boat videos.
Person claimed he only needed to add very little water twice in the course of year & there's no outgassing.
https://www.thermoil.com/
Does it work, I don't know.
Is it worth doing, I don't know.
Snake oil or a very well kept secret? I don't know.
Bob
There will not be enough hydrogen to make a difference in a diesel engine. Some aspiring chemist could actually calculate how much hydrogen could be released from a battery and what volume is the critical volume to reach the LEL and when I was an aspiring chemist, I could do the math, but that was 45 years ago.So factory bmw battery and most European battery come with a vent hose attachment ( 1/4 tube ) because battery is in trunk to vent gas or acid out of car thinking about running tube to mason jar to catch acid then running tube to intake manifold of engine because when engine running is when I get most of my charging. Do you think the hydrogen will burn in little diesel maybe give More hp
Basically, it will depend on how much water your batteries are using. For each pound (pint) of water you will evolve 1/18 pound-mole of H2, which will occupy 20 ft^3 at standard conditions. At 4% LEL, that's 500ft^3. However, given that H2 goes up and diffuses very fast, and that this will tank 6 months, any reasonable amount of ventilation results in very low risk. As others have said, eliminate all chances of spark, make certain there are vent openings, and the risk is trivial.There will not be enough hydrogen to make a difference in a diesel engine. Some aspiring chemist could actually calculate how much hydrogen could be released from a battery and what volume is the critical volume to reach the LEL and when I was an aspiring chemist, I could do the math, but that was 45 years ago.
As for the acid, I think most of it will condense on the top of the battery compartment and drip back down on the battery. Again, the amount is mostly inconsequential, however, things that are sensitive to acid, like battery chargers, electronics, etc would be better placed in a separate compartment from the batteries.
Ventilation is the key. Hydrogen wants to go up, not down or sideways, give it a path and it will leave.
Drew, thanks for the math. Always good to have a real chemist around.Basically, it will depend on how much water your batteries are using. For each pound (pint) of water you will evolve 1/18 pound-mole of H2, which will occupy 20 ft^3 at standard conditions. At 4% LEL, that's 500ft^3. However, given that H2 goes up and diffuses very fast, and that this will tank 6 months, any reasonable amount of ventilation results in very low risk. As others have said, eliminate all chances of spark, make certain there are vent openings, and the risk is trivial.
The acid gas damage threat is more serious. As others have said, keep sensitive things away, and apply heavy grease to the rest. Grease Grease (Omni) and Lanicote are both well proven for anti-corrosion in testing (Practical Sailor).
The old electrolysis experiment. Collect the gas in a beaker, stick a smoldering wood splint into the Oxygen side and like magic it ignited. Stick it in the hydrogen side and POP! I still like the hydrogen balloons from the youtube videos. If my college chem professors had let us blow things up, I might have become a chemist.OK who remembers the HS Science teacher with a beaker of Hydrogen adding oxygen to the beaker till there was an explosion that caused the class to jump?
This is the key... How much!Basically, it will depend on how much water your batteries are using.
If the batteries are in a covered box, most of the acid vapors will condense in the box and show up as moisture on the surface of the battery. If there is nothing near the batteries that would be sensitive to acid vapors, then there would be no apparent damage.My boat is 30 years old and has had FLA batteries under the aft berth. There is no sign of any kind of damage from 30 years of gassing