The water fuel cell was a design that did not work, created by Stanley Allen Meyer (August 24, 1940 – March 20, 1998). Meyer said that a car changed to use the device could run on water instead of gasoline. In 1996, an Ohio court found Meyer's claims about his "Water Fuel Cell" and the car it powered to be false.

Purported design

The water fuel cell was said to split water into hydrogen and oxygen. The hydrogen gas was then burned to change chemical energy into heat energy, which put the water molecules back together. Meyer claimed that the device used less energy for electrolysis than what conventional science predicted or measured. The process was said to involve "Brown's gas," a mix of oxygen and hydrogen in a 2:1 ratio, the same as in liquid water. This gas would then be mixed with air around us, which includes nitrogen, oxygen, and argon. The hydrogen gas was then burned, causing the water molecules to form again in a different part of the device, separate from where the water was split. If the device worked as described, it would break the first and second laws of thermodynamics, allowing it to function as a perpetual motion machine.

In his patents, Meyer used the terms "fuel cell" or "water fuel cell" to describe the part of his device where electricity is used to split water into hydrogen and oxygen. This use of the term is different from the usual scientific meaning, where such cells are typically called "electrolytic cells." Also, the term "fuel cell" usually refers to cells that generate electricity from chemical reactions. However, Meyer's fuel cell used electricity, as shown in his patents and the circuit diagram on the right. In a 1990 patent, Meyer described a "water fuel cell assembly" and included images of his "fuel cell water capacitor." The patent states that in this case, "… the term 'fuel cell' refers to a single unit of the invention that includes a water capacitor cell … which produces the fuel gas as described in the method of the invention."

Media coverage

In a news report from an Ohio TV station, Meyer demonstrated a dune buggy he said was powered by a water fuel cell. He claimed that only 22 US gallons (83 liters) of water were needed to travel from Los Angeles to New York. Meyer also said he replaced the spark plugs in the vehicle with "injectors" that added a mixture of hydrogen and oxygen gas into the engine. The water was treated with an electrical process that separated it into hydrogen and oxygen atoms. The water fuel cell would split the water into these gases, which would then be burned in a standard car engine to create water vapor. This process was said to produce more energy than was used.

Philip Ball, who wrote for the academic journal Nature, described Meyer's claims as pseudoscience. He noted that it was unclear how Meyer's vehicle was supposed to work, except that it involved a fuel cell that split water using less energy than was released when the hydrogen and oxygen were recombined. Ball also stated that even though critics of pseudoscience may argue strongly, the idea of using water as a fuel continues to persist as a belief.

Lawsuit

Stanley Meyer's invention was later called not real after two investors who had bought dealerships to sell Water Fuel Cell technology sued him in 1996. His car was supposed to be tested by Michael Laughton, a professor of electrical engineering at Queen Mary University of London and a member of the Royal Academy of Engineering. However, Meyer gave what Professor Laughton called a "weak excuse" during the test and stopped the examination from happening. Later, three expert witnesses in court examined his "water fuel cell" and found that it was not special at all and only used regular electrolysis, which is a common method to split water into hydrogen and oxygen. The court decided Meyer had committed serious and severe fraud and told him to return $25,000 to the two investors.

Meyer's death

Stanley Meyer passed away unexpectedly on March 20, 1998, while eating at a restaurant. His brother said that during a meeting with two investors from Belgium, Meyer suddenly left the room and said, "They poisoned me." After an examination, the Grove City police agreed with the Franklin County coroner's report, which stated that Meyer, who had high blood pressure, died from a cerebral aneurysm. Some people who supported Meyer believe he was killed to stop his inventions. Philippe Vandemoortele, one of the Belgian investors, said he had financially supported Meyer for many years and considered him a personal friend. He also said he does not know where the rumors about his involvement in Meyer's death came from.

Aftermath

Meyer's patents have ended. His inventions are now in the public domain, meaning they can be used by anyone without limits or payment. No companies that make engines or vehicles have used Meyer's inventions in their products.