Comparative Design Analysis of Dry-Cell vs Wet-Cell HHO (Brown’s Gas) Generators

DOI

10.2991/978-94-6463-982-7_25How to use a DOI?

Keywords

HHO generators; Dry-cell; Wet-cell; Thermal management; Durability

Abstract

Hydrogen-based energy systems are increasingly explored as low-emission alternatives to fossil fuels, with oxyhydrogen (HHO) generators emerging as compact, on-demand hydrogen providers for automotive and small-scale power applications. This review synthesizes findings from forty-three studies comparing dry-cell, wet-cell, and hybrid HHO generator architectures, focusing on how electrode geometry, material selection, electrolyte formulation, and thermal management influence gas output, efficiency, and durability. Wet-cell configurations consistently demonstrate the highest production capacity—reaching up to 1375 mL/min using 20 g/L NaOH—but suffer from rapid thermal escalation, gasket degradation, and limited operational lifespan. Dry-cell systems, in contrast, offer lower peak outputs (typically 250–350 mL/min) yet maintain superior thermal stability, making them better suited for long-duration vehicle integration. Hybrid multistack designs show emerging potential by distributing thermal load and improving per-plate efficiency by approximately 20%, although research remains limited and lacks standardized evaluation protocols. The novelty of this review lies in consolidating fragmented empirical findings into a unified design framework, identifying performance trade-offs, and highlighting critical research gaps, including the absence of standardized metrics (e.g., Wh/L), durability testing, and predictive safety controls. The insights presented provide a foundation for next-generation HHO generator development optimized through simulation, advanced materials, and integrated control systems.

Copyright

© 2025 The Author(s)

Open Access

Open Access This chapter is licensed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/), which permits any noncommercial use, sharing, adaptation, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, as long as you give appropriate credit to the original author(s) and the source, provide a link to the Creative Commons license and indicate if changes were made.

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TY  - CONF
AU  - Nurul Ulfah
AU  - Yosef Adicita
AU  - Nugroho Pratomo Ariyanto
AU  - Nurul Laili Arifin
AU  - Ari Wibowo
AU  - Roza Puspita
PY  - 2025
DA  - 2025/12/29
TI  - Comparative Design Analysis of Dry-Cell vs Wet-Cell HHO (Brown’s Gas) Generators
BT  - Proceedings of the  8th International Conference on Applied Engineering (ICAE 2025)
PB  - Atlantis Press
SP  - 397
EP  - 429
SN  - 2352-5401
UR  - https://doi.org/10.2991/978-94-6463-982-7_25
DO  - 10.2991/978-94-6463-982-7_25
ID  - Ulfah2025
ER  -