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An interesting topic to be analyzed is the decarbonisation of the engine, thanks to hydrogen. Many myths have been created over the years. Is all this useful or useless? Is it beneficial or is it harmful to the engine? On YouTube there are many videos ... we will try to make a careful and detailed analysis in an objective way.
- Premise
- Why do the decarbonization of the engine
- The role of the professional
- Washing or cleaning?
- Can damage be done?
- How much?
- YouDriver
Premise
First of all, let's define what decarbonisation is.
We are talking about the process that allows you to remove carbon deposits from the engine. The latter are formed by unburnt hydrocarbons and will “dirty” the engine and its components. The EGR valve as well as the particulate filter (Fap) and the turbocharger are therefore in the eye of the storm.
Decarbonisation is very useful on diesel engines in order to avoid the formation of internal deposits, due to the deposit of combustion residues.
Everything stems from anti-pollution regulations, in particular from anti-pollution systems such as the Fap. The latter, in order to trigger the catalyzing process correctly, needs very high temperatures which, however, directly affect the engine and various other internal parts of the car. These, in turn, are cooled and lubricated by the oil which, due to the continuous thermal cycles or the famous regenerations, tends to degrade quickly.
Hot degraded oil creates oily vapors which re-enter the car's combustion cycle via aspiration. The EGR valve plays a fundamental role, as it allows the reintroduction of exhaust gases, always at the engine intake.
In this way, the hot gases and the exhausted oil crystallize and form real hard solidifications like cement in the combustion chamber. All this, of course, weakens and creates some problems for the engine, which makes it mandatory to eliminate carbon residues.
The removal of encrustations can take place mechanically, by disassembling and then cleaning the encrusted components with solvents and special tools. Another possible solution is the additives to be mixed with the fuel, but they seem more effective in preventing the phenomenon than in remedying it. Another idea is to burn the carbonaceous encrustations, but to work you need a fuel that burns perfectly without deposits: and there are already enough of them in a dirty engine.
This identikit identifies precisely in hydrogen the adequate gaseous fuel that can be produced with a negligible level of impurities close to zero. Its combustion with oxygen produces only water vapor and therefore does not add residues, but rather burns the carbonaceous ones that encrust the engine.
If routine interventions are not carried out, the encrustations can lead to important breakages and high intervention costs.
That is why it is best to change the oil frequently and use high-quality lubricants. Recall that each car, of course, has its own characteristics and oils that are more recommended than others. Let's not forget the Fap either, which is subject to a high level of encrustation.
In some online videos, it is noted that these encrustations cannot be removed. The images show how the intake manifold fails to be cleaned in some cases. However, all this is not true, as everything takes place in the combustion chamber and downstream.
The same goes for the EGR valve, as it takes a lot of part to have a real cleaning. As for the Fap, on the other hand, if the latter is clogged and compromised, we can hardly work miracles and clean it impeccably.
Why do the decarbonization of the engine
The first reason is linked to the desire to clean the combustion chamber, eliminating the internal deposits. This intervention cannot be carried out sporadically, but must always be done in a programmatic way that is constant over time.
We cannot consider intervening when the damage is already in place. It is recommended to carry out this procedure every few kilometers in order to protect the engine. The goal is to avoid clogging of the EGR valve and FAP, as well as a cleaner combustion chamber with consequent lower consumption and less wear.
The role of the professional
A fundamental role, in this case, is that of the professional.
Hydrogen, as previously illustrated, is very important to the cleaning procedure and is the real secret to good success. On the market there are different types of plants and different capacities to generate hydrogen.
Some systems useful for this purpose work only with water, while with others they also require the intervention of chemical agents. The professional, therefore, must carefully evaluate several aspects to decide which system to use. Much depends on the mileage of the car, but also on daily use (if more on the highway or in the city).
Let us not forget the type of travel, that is, small trips or long motorway trips. Average temperatures and climate also influence the topic. There is an important difference between those who live in northern Italy and those who live in Sicily.
This is why the professional's competence is fundamental and must be maximum to implement a perfect customization of the process. Each car will have its own washing and cleaning mode and time.
As soon as a decarbonization process with hydrogen has been carried out, it is obviously necessary to carry out a service, then change the oil filter and perform a forced regeneration in the case of diesel.
Washing or cleaning?
Browsing online, you often notice the use of different words to identify the same topic. In our case, the words cleaning and washing stand out.
Correctly, in the case of hydrogen, we will talk about cleaning and not washing, as the latter is more closely linked to the chemicals that wash the different components. The action of hydrogen instead carries out a process of dissolution of the encrustations, thanks to combustion.
The encrustations are in fact dissolved and not detached. In fact, if you remove them, they would cause serious damage to the engine. The gradual dissolution process with various combustion cycles allows these deposited microparticles to be transported into the exhaust gas.
It is the same process that occurs in the Fap to be clear.
The duration of the whole process depends on the amount of dirt present in the engine. We can define an interval between one hour and two and a half hours.
Can damage be done?
It is clearly not possible to give a single answer, but a lot depends on the state of the car and its maintenance. That is why it is necessary to carry out the intervention at a professional and use all his knowledge. In fact, only the professional knows how to evaluate the risks and advantages of the intervention. If you decide to carry out this intervention not by your mechanic, we recommend that you bring all the interventions that your mechanic has carried out on your car with you. Simply bring your receipts or descriptions of the latest maintenance.
But pay attention to the cooling system. In consideration of the fact that this process leads to an increase in engine operating temperatures, the cooling system and other components must obviously be efficient.
The question arises: why then do we see videos on YouTube with problems in the event of decarbonisation with hydrogen? The main reason is the tightness of the injectors which are held in place by rubber pads. In the case of high mileage, the car could probably have this component damaged. After so many years of honored career your car can clearly have aged and dry rubber pads, and this can create a serious and important problem for our car.
A second aspect is linked to the design quality of the melting machines. If they are of low quality, instead of dissolving the encrustations, they detach them because they put too much hydrogen and increase the risk of having clogging problems. If, on the other hand, hydrogen is contained, obviously nothing happens.
How can we therefore rely on valid and competent professionals? Clearly looking for certified networks. In Italy there are several networks of professionals who carry out this important and delicate process.
How much?
As with everything, a lot depends on the individual case. It is difficult to give a price, because it also depends on other interventions, such as manual cleaning of the intake manifold and any other maintenance interventions .
To these, we must add the time taken for the operation which can vary, as we have said, up to two and a half hours and depending on the type of machinery used.
However, an aspect that we would like to underline is the important savings that can be obtained. In fact, it has been shown that there are real values of lower consumption. An advantage is also not to clog the DPF, a very expensive component when it needs to be replaced.
YouDriver
Inside YouDriver, you can find all the services of the single workshop in the workshop cards. By entering the job filters in the search, you will then be able to find the workshop capable of carrying out this procedure.
On the other hand, the workshops will be able to upload the jobs and create a form for each type of intervention. YouDriver is an excellent app that allows you to combine the world of workshops with the needs of the individual driver.
photo credit FREEPIK
