List of pseudoscientific water fuel inventions


This article attempts to list pseudoscientific inventions wherein common water is used to either augment or generate a fuel to power an engine, boiler or other source of power. This is not to be confused with legitimate inventions in which the kinetic energy of flowing water is used for power.

Electrolysis

The electrolysis of water splits water into hydrogen and oxygen, producing a usable fuel. However, the energy required for electrolysis is greater than the energy released by burning this fuel, so this is not a viable way to manufacture energy. Nonetheless, several people have claimed to create devices that do exactly this.
Removing only one hydrogen atom from the water molecule requires less than 1/2 the energy required to remove both hydrogen atoms based on enthalpy of formation calculations. If this could be accomplished using high voltage pulsed partial electrolysis, then the hydrogen gas generated could theoretically be burned with atmospheric oxygen for net energy gain as postulated by Brian Glass in his YouTube explanation. The law of conservation of energy is maintained as the byproducts of the partial electrolysis will ultimately be passed on to the environment and there will be an endothermic reaction with environmental molecules.

Submerged gasification

Water is claimed to be transformed into a fuel itself, by the addition of some ingredient. This may be either a highly concentrated addition, or a catalyst.