Has anyone seen or used this device?

http://www.ecofuelsystems.com/index.html

It sounds too good to be true, but I have found some studies done on it on the internet and it appears to be legit. The one for the 6.5L is the ECO-3 which runs about $350. I am trying to get some more feedback on this thing from one of the dealers, but I was wondering if it had been tried by anyone on here. I have some serious concerns about using it on the 6.5 since the fuel line pressure to the IP is so critical. I also don't know how long it lasts, how to keep it from clogging, etc. Any feed back would be appreciated.

I just got 2 emails back from the vendor - he answered my questions in the first one and sent me a news clip on the second. Below are the two email messages I got:

Well, it's not a sponge, it's copper screens. They never need replacing. The manufacturer has a 5 year warrantee on them. It goes in the line after the fuel filter so there is no clogging. It doesn't increase fuel pressure in a psi sense of the word. It increases the fuel vapor pressure...
When the fuel passes through the unit a catalytic reaction is created, breaking up the hydrocarbon chains in the fuel. This causes the vapor pressure (ability to go from a liquid to a gas) to increase. This allows the fuel injectors or carburetor jets to make a finer "spray" of fuel directly into the combustion chamber,
creating a more complete and efficient burn of the fuel. And.....the result
is increased power and performance, lower exhaust emissions and fuel
savings

No maintenance is required.
There are no adverse affects on any other engine components. Remember, it's not changing the fuel pressure in any way - only the fuel vapor pressure.

Thanks again!

Jon

----- Original message -----
From: Sink, Jeffrey (jsink@harris.com)
To: JonCurrah
Sent: Thursday, September 15, 2005 10:29 AM
Subject: RE: ECO 3


I was looking for propane injection for diesels and I typed in 'diesel propane' and it came up. This thing is very compelling, but it also looks to good to be true. I have several technical questions that I can't find answers for on any websites. Can you try and answer them for me please?

1. How long does it last before it needs to be replaced?
2. There were a few pictures down the inlet and it looks like a 'sponge' - how do you keep it from clogging?
3. Fuel line pressure is critical in my vehicle - 6.5L diesel. Many problems are traced back to improper fuel pressure getting to the injection pump. How exactly does it change the fuel line pressure? It says it increases it, but how much? Over time does it clog and decrease pressure?
4. What maintenance is required?
5. Does it have any adverse affects on any other engine compenents? For instance, does the fuel line pressure lead to premature failure of injection pump in some cases?

The literature you have is a good selling point, but it doesn't answer most of the technical questions alot of your potential customers might have

second email had this:
check this out. I just got it sent to me. San Antonio news story.
http://www.woai.com/mediacenter/?videoId=152002,565

Sounds promising.

I'm not buying it.

I can't comment on whether they actually can change the vapor pressure of diesel, but question whether this would be a good thing.

Lets say it works, this modified fuel is now headed to your IP where the risk of vapor lock or cavitation is now higher. Once thru the pump, the fuel is under very high pressure and isn't going to vaporize no matter what.

My understanding of diesel cumbustion is that we burn liquid fuel period. The injectors atomize, not vaporize the fuel (in a gasser it is both liquid and vapor). Plus, this is all happening again at extremely high presssure, so vaporization isn't going to be happening.

Nope, I'll stick with my fuel line molecular alignment magnet and "tornado" intake thanks....:joke:

The name of the device in and of itself makes it sound like snake oil and when I first saw it I thought to myself that it was somebody trying to make a quick buck. I did a little research online and actually was able to pull up 3 sets of test results that seem to back up at least part of the claims. I still can't believe a series of copper screens is capable of altering the chemical makeup of diesel. Even if it does, is this a good thing, bad thing, or indifferent? I know that our 6.5L engines are very finicky when it comes to fuel supply pressure and I don't know that this would work for our 6.5L engines even if it does work on MOST diesel engines.

I'm not a mechanic and definately don't claim to be one. I also wouldn't mind being a guinea pig on this thing IF I am certain that it won't damage my engine. My truck is my everyday vehicle and if there is a good chance I could damage the IP or some other component, it's not worth the risk. If it doesn't pose a high risk I may try it out and let you guys know how it works. Any 6.5L mechanics see any potential problems here - especially pertaining to the 6.5L diesel?

OK, I am an engineering student and the only way to change the vapor pressure of a liquid is to:

A) Change the temperature, increasing the temperature will increase the vapor pressure and allow the liquid to vaporize at a lower pressure.

It is all about chemistry and themaldynamics and even fluid motion and dynamics. You cannot change the specific imperial properties of a chemical liquid without changing the molecular structure.

What do you think they mean by 'catalytic' reaction? This may be a key since this device seems to be similar in make up to a catalytic converter on a car. I know CCs are supposed to reduce emissions and are basically a steel can with screens in it, but I don't know how or why they work? Anyone chime in on this?

Also - if the fuel vapor pressure INCREASES, wouldn't that mean that it would require more pressure to vaporize the fuel? More pressure would theorectically mean a cleaner burn ?right? - ?possibly?

Like I said before - this whole think looks hoaky to me, but I keep finding articles and test reports that back it up. In fact, I just found another news station that tested it and verified the claims. It looks too simple and I too do not understand how it would work with just 'copper screens'? If it is a hoax, somebody has gone thru a huge hassle of making up multiple test reports and fake news reports to substantiate it. I keep thinking back to the saying 'If it sounds too good to be true then....'

More info I found

http://www.KVBC.com/Global/story.asp?s=3724734

http://www.tnrcc.state.tx.us/oprd/sips/02-R01-27G%20Final%20Test%20Lab%20Report.pdf

A catalytic converter uses a coated mesh in which the coating absorbes the heat from the exhaust and is then heated to upwards of i think 900 F! Cats get really hot in order to burn the hydrocarbons that are unburned from combustion.

Doubtful you'll get a "reaction" from copper screens alone.

" breaking up the hydrocarbon chains in the fuel." the theory behind this is by passing over dissimilar metals or through a magnetic field or like MIT is working on passing fuel through a plasma chamber to break up fuel molecules they are trying to polarize the fuel molecules so that when they are released they will push away from each other like two same charged end magnets.

Their price is steep, do they have a money back trial period.

These thing's were around a few years back when gas price's were rocketing(late 70's)The only Molecular alignment you will get is money from your wallet too there's.

cats function because of a honey comb shape coated throughout with platinum. the plutonium oops platinum turns nox gas into water vapor which is what you see dripping out of the exhaust pipes of cars. the platinum is what makes cats pricey. whether copper can change the chemical structure like a cat does is subject to speculation. i imagine if you can change things on the way out why not on the way in. personally i'd rather see an exotic metal in there over copper. are pipe screens brass.

Well if a Cat would work i'am sure everyone here has one laying in the shop that they could try.Kind of hard to bush down too 3/8 though.

but why would you want to start the break-down process before the combustion of the fuel?

Not being a chemist, seems like hydrocarbons would be flying off left and right as it shot through the pintel of the injector at 1700 psi.....

Not being a chemist (me neither), seems like hydrocarbons would be flying off left and right as it shot through the pintel of the injector at 1700 psi.....
And into a combustion chamber at ~400+ psi.

Like I said earlier, there is no vaporization going on in a diesel. We are working with atomized, liquid fuel.