From: The Independent - Serving Livermore, Pleasanton and Sunol, CA
February 18, 2010 - www.independentnews.com/
By: Jeff Garberson - Correspondent

A Livermore entrepreneur thinks he can help consumers deal with some common energy problems by installing hydrogen generators to boost the fuel efficiency of gasoline and diesel motors used in commercial trucks, pickup trucks, passenger cars and farm pumping equipment.

His company, National Vapor Industries Inc., offers a patented technology based on electrolysis... the use of electricity to separate water into its constituent elements, hydrogen and oxygen.

Electrolysis is an old technology. National Vapor is far from the only company using it to generate hydrogen. However, National Vapor claims advantages in simplicity and cleanliness because its catalyst involves minerals found in some common bottled drinking water, according to company CEO David Jewell, a Livermore resident.

Some other electrolytic processes use acids or lye, creating challenges in handling and cleanup. In a car, National Vapor’s hydrogen generator starts with three ounces of Pellegrino bottled water in a reservoir that should be refilled every time the gas tank is filled. Jewell says that tap water can ruin the system with unwanted minerals like iron. He recommends Aquafina (and uses it in his own truck), a bottled water commonly found in gas stations.

The company’s most dramatic claim for the technology is that it will enable commercial truckers to meet new state pollution standards for big rigs under the Global Warming Solutions Act, known as California law AB 32, for a cost of roughly $6,000 instead of the $22,000 commonly cited for a pollution filter.

Jewell states that the injection of hydrogen enables truck fuels to burn hotter and to consume potential pollutants rather than emit them. The hydrogen generators used in big trucks have water pumps and other components that raise the price compared to the versions needed for passenger cars and pickup trucks.

The simpler units cost under $1,000, installed. A typical vehicle will see mileage improvement of 20 percent or more with cleaner emissions than before, Jewell says. Because of the emission reduction, a vehicle owner should qualify for a tax credit.

It’s hard to be precise because of variations in gas mileage and driving habits. However, the hydrogen generator should pay for itself in just a few years, he estimates.

A unit for a car or pickup is about the size of a small fire extinguisher. The company recommends that it be installed by a competent mechanic. The job takes two or three hours. It is not so specialized that the installation has to be completed by a National Vapor technician. In fact the company has mailed hundreds of the units across the country for installation based on instructions posted on its website at www.nationalvapor.com/

The complexity of the car can determine how hard the hydrogen generator is to install. A unit might fit readily in the big, open engine compartment of an old vehicle, like Jewell’s 1992 half- ton Ford pickup truck, while the tightly crowded engine compart ment of a new passenger car might force it into the trunk.

A National Vapor hydrogen generator for a car comes with a one-year replacement guarantee. Jewell hasn’t found a car model in which the hydrogen generator can’t be installed. Some 2,000 of the units are now in use around the country, helping vehicle owners improve mileage and reduce emissions, he says.

Another big potential market is pumping water. There are something like 20,000 diesel powered pumps in California ‘s Central Valley alone, Jewell says. Running these costs money and pours pollutants into the air. As with cars and trucks, he says his hydrogen generators can reduce fuel costs and emissions.

A television show on the Fox network two weeks ago also brought several inquiries, but the company still has to hustle to market its services. Today, as the Independent is being delivered, Jewell will be in Tuolumne County pitching a combustion system to help clean up contaminated water from a mine, efficiently and with minimal pollution, while generating energy. In this case, a hydrogen assist would boost the output of a 2,800 degree propane burner that incinerates the contaminated material while producing steam for a turbine to produce energy.

National Vapor considers itself a “multi-platform green company” that can help deal with energy needs in a range of applications, Jewell says.

The real jackpot for National Vapor would be recognition by the California Air Resources Board that its hydrogen generator can reduce the emissions of commercial diesel trucks enough to meet the standards set by AB 32. There’s almost no limit to the potential market in that case. Older trucks need particulate pollution filters this year. Newer trucks will need other cleanup equipment in the next few years.

The cost of certification is intimidating, according to Jewell. Whatever the nature of the process or its eventual outcome, National Vapor doesn’t have that kind of money. “We are really a small company,” Jewell says.