Tube type hydrogen generators
Stanley Meyers , Dave Lawton , Ravi Raju

Physical Cell Construction

The WFC consists of some number of independent sets of concentric tubular electrodes, where the gap between the Outer Tube and the Inner Tube of each set is no larger than 1.5mm.

While corrosion is not apparent in a mature operating WFC, it can occur during the cell's initial burn-in phase. Consequently, tubes of the 316L stainless steel alloy are preferred.
While welded tubes are less expensive, and can be used for the inner electrode, the outer tube should be extruded, to avoid any inner weld bead which might provide a conductive path to short out the interelectrode gap between them.
A thorough cleaning, to include an overnight soak in HaOH (lye) solution has been shown to enhance performance, most likely by dissolving any machine oils picked up on the tube surfaces in shipping (or carbon weld residues).
An initial high amperage "burn-in" of 100 hours has appeared to enhance performance as well; this is believed to result from hydrogen loading of the cathode's metal lattice, which changes its electrolytic properties. (See Cold Fusion).
In procuring tubes, one generally selects the outer diameters of 3/4" and 1", and adjusts the inner diameter of the outer tubes for the desired interelectrode gap. While a smaller gap is preferable, water flow issues impose practical limitations on this. Some cell designs with forced water flow seek to overcome this limitation.
It is believed that there may be acoustic resonance factors participating in the Meyer Effect, as well as electrical. Consequently, tubes are lightly mounted and allowed to vibrate, provided the inner and outer tubes are separated by spacers composed of a high voltage insulative material, such as teflon. When gas production peaks, a characteristic ringing of the tubes is audible; it is not known if this is a cause or effect of the process. (See Theoretical Considerations).
A WFC is not grounded, and the cell container itself should be insulated from any conductive path leading to ground.
Cell operating characteristics will change with the level of water in the cell; hence, an auto-fill system should maintain the water level on a constant basis as closely as possible.

The incremental current draw for each additional tube set in the Cell is less than that which came before, with new tube sets producing an equivalent amount of gas to those previously in the system, consequently, larger arrays are preferable and more efficient.

Pulsar Circuit

The Meyer Wave Form

The frequency generator for the unit will accept straight DC input at 12v/10a, and, produce a variable pulsed output of between 2Khz and 100Khz, in gated pulse trains of 4 to 10 pulses per train, with a variable gate width, enabling a duty cycle which can be throttled down from 90% to 10% during cell operation.

Contrary to popular misconceptions, the waveform is not a simple sawtooth wave. It is a ramp of individual square wave pulses, step charging the water capacitor. (See Theoretical Considerations). Each pulse train builds to the point of catastrophic dielectric breakdown, but is interrupted before current can actually flow through the cell.
There is no "magic frequency". The optimal frequency in any given circumstance is a function of the specific configuration and dimensions of the cell being used, the water composition and temperature, and other factors. A complete cell will sense its point of resonance, and vary the frequency in realtime to maintain that condition.
A relationship is known to exist between the length of the tubes and the frequencies used, which appears to observe the equations for Acoustic Resonance in metal tubes, used in the design of musical instruments, such as organ pipes.
While 555 timer MOSFETs have been used successfully, there are indications both from Meyer himself and from the work of independent researchers, that more primitive pulse forming circuits may in fact be better suited to the requirements of the system.
The circuit has been found to reach high voltage levels - in excess of 35,000v - in pulses with a duration of under 75 nanoseconds. Initial observations missed this, but faster instrumentation confirmed that multi-kilovolt levels were being achieved by Lawton, and that this is in keeping with Meyer's lectures and writings about his work.
The 555 MOSFETs can easily be blown by these high voltage spikes, and may give no outward indication of doing so (no 'snap, crackle, or pop', no discoloration or smoke), where the failure is only detectable if the right pin is being actively monitored. This can lead to researchers finding a 'false negative' result in their experiments. Protecting the timer with a 10v Zener diode is advised; a simple 10a fuse is insufficient.

Resonant Charging Chokes

Two Inductor Coils, placed on either side of the WFC electrically, amplify and reflect impulses through the Cell, and establish an electrical resonance between them. It is believed that the high voltage potential exchanged between them - which can translate instantaneously - is able to interrupt the flow of current before it crosses the Cell, thus conserving amperage and reducing net energy input requirements.

There is a relationship between the size of the RCCs in number of turns, and the length of the tubes in the Cell.
It is believed that a detail which Meyer left out of some patents to protect his design may have been the use of bifilar wire in the RCC coils.

The optimal coil core material is believed to be an engineering resin emulsion of River Hematite, an iron oxide compound widely found in nature, which various researchers (Lindeman, et al) have found to have superior properties with respect to magentization/demagetization for use in such devices. (See Theoretical Considerations).

Voltage Intensifier Circuit

The Missing Piece: The VIC transformer coils were bifilar

The Voltage Intensifier Circuit is a bifilar pancake coil transformer which provides distributed capacitance and inductance to the tube sets in the Cell. Its function is to manage the transfer of potential through the Cell, while inhibiting the passage of current by the circuit.

In the WFC, Current performs no work, and is considered counter-productive, and a waste of energy.
A perfect WFC would pass no current whatsoever, merely switching massless potential (Voltage) between the electrodes.
The challenge is to trigger the sudden catastrophic dielectric breakdown within the Cell, between electrodes, while inhbiting the passage of current between them. When this occurs, all current required to effect the breakdown must be pulled from solution.

Meyer left a subtle element out of the patents, to protect his technology; the fact that the VIC coil is wound of bifilar wire, as found in many Tesla devices.

Electron Extraction Circuit

Lamp powered entirely by the Free Electron Current drawn from solution by the EECL

The Meyer Effect is occasioned by the establishment and maintenance of an electron deficit in the water. As the Cell operates, a free electron current develops as two electrons are liberated per water molecule, through first, the ionization and then, the disassociation of each molecule. For this reason, the WFC is a "true" Water Fuel Cell, generating electric power as it operates, the fact that it is also producing fuel gas, notwithstanding. Removing these free electrons is necessary to prevent ionized species from dropping back down to equilibrium, and preventing Hydrogen and Oxygen from recombining back into water before the gases are released from solution. To remove the free electron current from solution, the EEC is incorporated into the Cell, but it is a separate circuit from the rest of the system.

The Cell must not be grounded (either intentionally or by inadvertent conductive ground path), or its potential will entrain unwanted electrons from ground, as the EEC operates.
The free electron current drawn from solution is substantial and has the ability to perform useful work. Bright incandescent bulbs and muffin fans providing practical cooling have been powered from EEC outputs in WFC experiments. Since this current is necessarily directly proportional to the number of water molecules processed by the Cell, the greater the current which can be extracted, the more combustible gas is produced.
That the water carries a strong electrostatic charge is evidenced by visible changes in surface tension, meniscus, froth, and other factors.

Theoretical Considerations

The Meyer Effect has been established through circumstances which expressly exclude the operation of normal electrolysis. The water is not conductive, and no electrolyte is added to increase conductivity. The amperage used is insufficient to produce the gas volumes observed, and, when the effect is evident, there is a relationship between the net voltage (and frequency) reaching the cell, rather than its amperage.

All polarity in the Cell is in one direction, at least per tube set, and never crosses the centerline. The objective is to produce the maximum possible unidirectional electro-dynamic stress on water molecules within the inter-electrode gap, and not allow their reorientation or return to equilibrium.
This polarization affects the quantum state of the water molecule, as does photonic (light) input, but to a much greater degree, extending and elongating the electron sphere of the outer valence electrons.
Meyer correctly anticipated the work of Scragg, Mills and Santilli, with respect to photo-kinetic effects, fractional quantum states and magnecular bonding in Hydrogen, and these are all directly relevant to the operation of the WFC.
Pulsed potential impacts on the polarized, aligned water molecule not only extend its electron sphere, raising its quantum state, but also affect the photoelectron yield of the water, in effect rendering it more susceptible to photo disassociation than it is in a normal ground state. With photon emission occurring from Oxygen upon liberation, the quantum efficiency of photolysis becomes greater than one, with each dissociated water molecule triggering the dissociation of others. The peak absorption point of this photosensitivity is believed to be in the Infrared, around 900nm, which does not correspond with that of normal water, which is in the UV portion of the spectrum.
Electrical resonance occurs with in the circuit between the RCC coils and VIC transformer, and also within the Cell, between the tubular electrodes, while there also appears to be an acoustic resonance at work. There may be a phase relationship between these three resonant phenomena.
- The acoustic factors could be as simple as vibrating gas bubbles loose from the electrode surface faster, thereby exposing more effective surface area per unit time. Whatever else applies, this is probably also happening.
- Another possibility strongly indicated by the dynamics of the process is that a standing acoustic wave arises between the electrodes, inhibiting ion transport and delaying dielectric breakdown until higher potentials are reached.
- Other researchers (Keely, et al) have reported phonodissociation of water at various acoustic frequencies, as low as 42.8 Khz; other harmonics may also be possible and at work in this system.
Indications are that the VIC and RCC coils in the circuit behave in the same relationship as coils in the Bearden Motionless Electromagnetic Generator, and that current less potential is switched in an analogous manner, with the water serving as the 'degenerate semiconductor'. The voltage potential is pulsed at rates inside the relaxation time of the water, and similar effects are observed.
References in Meyer literature and patents to a self-tuning mechanism may related to physical properties in nature, rather than (or in addition to) a phase-locked loop within the circuit itself. The similarity of the output waveform of other FE/OU devices, i.e. Newman, and the input waveform of the WFC is not coincidental. (See Below)

Harmonics

Stanley Meyer Harmonics - Mark Cooper writes: "It came to me the other day. I was reading a book which has nothing to do with technology and I had an epiphany. Stan's device and Bob Boyce's device are the same in operation. They both use harmonics."