Solar-energy liberation from water by electric arcs

Abstract

This paper reports progress in an experimental investigation, started in the Hathaway laboratory in 1994, dealing with the liberation of intermolecular bond energy from ordinary water by means of an arc discharge. Photographic evidence of fog generation and explosion during the arcing period is included. A new fog accelerator is described and a table of results of the kinetic energies of fog jets is provided. A renewable water energy cycle is outlined. The fog kinetic energy has been found to be greater than the difference between the capacitor input energy and the heat losses. Given energy conservation, the only external energy input that can account for the fog kinetic energy is solar heat from the atmosphere.