Metered acid acceleration of hydrogen generation using seawater as a reactant

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10179733-B2
Application number	US-201715415659-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jan 25, 2017
Priority date	Jan 25, 2017
Publication date	Jan 15, 2019
Grant date	Jan 15, 2019

Abstract

An underwater hydrogen generator can include a watertight reaction housing enclosing a metering chamber. The metering chamber can have an upper portion that terminates at a piston opening, and a lower portion that merges into a funnel, which can further terminate at a metering opening. The metering chamber can be filled with an acid accelerator, and the watertight reaction void can be partially filled with NaBH4 in solution. The generator can further include a seawater float valve that can be in fluid communication between the external environment, the metering chamber and the void defined by the reaction housing. The float valve, metering chamber and reaction housing can cooperate to generate hydrogen when said generator is submerged, by allowing seawater to contact both the acid accelerator and the NaBH4. The size of the metering opening can determine the rate at which acid accelerator is added to the NaBH4 solution.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A method for underwater generation of hydrogen, said method comprising the steps of:
A) providing one of NaBH 4 or an acid accelerator in a watertight reaction housing;
B) affording the other of said NaBH 4 or said acid accelerator in a metering casing so that said acid accelerator and said NaBH 4 are in fluid isolation, said watertight reaction housing being concentric to said metering casing; and,
C) selectively metering said acid accelerator into said NaBH 4 with a seawater valve, said seawater valve establishing selective seawater fluid communication with said NaBH 4 and said accelerator when said watertight reaction housing is submerged.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein said metering casing has an upper portion that terminates at a piston opening, and a lower portion that merges into a funnel, said funnel terminating at a metering opening, and further wherein said step C) is selectively accomplished by selecting the size of said metering opening.

3. The method of claim 1 , wherein said acid accelerator is B 2 O 3 .

4. The method of claim 1 , wherein said acid accelerator is NaHSO 4 .

Assignees

• Becker Carol A
• Glad Wayne E
• Wiedemeier Brandon J
• Us Navy

Inventors

• Becker Carol A
• Glad Wayne E
• Wiedemeier Brandon J

Classifications

• B01J19/0006

  Controlling or regulating processes (controlling or regulating in general G05) · CPC title

• H01M8/065

  by dissolution of metals or alloys; by dehydriding metallic substances · CPC title

• C01B3/06 Primary

  by reaction of inorganic compounds containing electro-positively bound hydrogen with inorganic reducing agents · CPC title

• B01J2219/00182

  controlling the level of reactants in the reactor vessel · CPC title

• C01B3/065

  by reaction of inorganic compounds with hydrides · CPC title