I've seen this used on a decorative lamp, but this would actually be useful. Many people prefer cooking with gas because the heat envelopes the cookware evenly, relying on mass transfer and convection alone instead of the hot spots created by conduction. Not every home has gas lines, though. Proposed is a rangetop unit consisting of a water electrolysis unit, fed from the mains electricity and municipal water supply, where the products of hydrogen and oxygen are fed to the cooker units for heating cookware. Two additional benefits: the electricity can be generated by renewable means, and the oxygen supply ensures the oxygen in the room isn't depleted by the combustion.
-- kevinthenerd, Jun 24 2017

[+] suggest that the electrolysis be done in the home's water heater, given the 60% conversion efficiency.
-- FlyingToaster, Jun 24 2017


This is a surprisingly good idea, although there would be a constant hazard of a massive explosion from a stoic fuel/oxidiser mixture. [+]
-- 8th of 7, Jun 24 2017


//there would be a constant hazard of a massive explosion from a stoic fuel/oxidiser mixture.//

You can draw off the gasses from the anode and cathode separately, and only combine them when you need them. It's only rocket science.
-- Loris, Jun 25 2017


You're no fun any more.
-- 8th of 7, Jun 25 2017


//draw off the gasses from the anode and cathode separately, and only combine them when you need them.//

Would there not be enough free oxygen in the air to cause hydrogen alone to combust?
There is a fellow in Greece who uses solar panels to run a dehumidifier, then splits the pure water into Hydrogen and Oxygen, sells the compressed oxygen and runs every gas motor on his property on Hydrogen alone as there is enough Oxygen in the combustion chamber to ignite. The side effect is that the expanding gas cools the motor so he needs no radiators. I thought that was brilliant.
-- 2 fries shy of a happy meal, Jun 25 2017


//Would there not be enough free oxygen in the air to cause hydrogen alone to combust?//

Yes, but It seemed kevinthenerd was saying he wanted to use the oxygen in combustion.
Hydrogen mixed with pure oxygen in stoichiometric quantities does burn much more fiercely than hydrogen with air (approximately 20% oxygen, 80% nitrogen). You /definitely/ don't want to store them mixed, unless your 'cooker' is really an IED. You might have to mix some air into the oxygen before burning to temper the reaction.

Conversely, if hydrogen gas production and consumption are decoupled, you probably don't want to be releasing the oxygen into the dwelling. It's a fire risk.
-- Loris, Jun 25 2017


<nods, tries hard to look solemn>
-- 8th of 7, Jun 25 2017



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