Controlled hydrogen production from hydrolysable hydride gels

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2016365589-A1
Application number	US-201514738136-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Jun 12, 2015
Priority date	Jun 12, 2015
Publication date	Dec 15, 2016
Grant date	—

Abstract

Today, energy requiring equipment commonly relies on batteries for power. The excessive weight and size of batteries severely limits their performance. Described herein is a lightweight portable energy system which includes an ultra-high capacity hydrolysable hydride gel cartridge for use in supplying hydrogen gas to hydrogen based energy generators. Hydrolysable hydride reactivity is controlled by tuning the amounts of hydrophilic and hydrophobic content in a polymer gel encapsulant of the cartridge.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1 . A hydrogen production system comprising:
a hydrolysable hydride gel material including a plurality of at least one type of hydrolysable hydride particle dispersed in a polymer material; a hydrolysable hydride gel cartridge holding the hydrolysable gel material; and a hydrolyzer having an input port and an output port, wherein the input port is configured to receive at least one of water and water vapor and the output port is configured to output hydrogen gas.

2 . The system according to claim 1 wherein the hydrolysable hydride gel material uses mixtures of hydrophobic and hydrophilic monomers.

3 . The system according to claim 2 , wherein the hydrolysable hydride gel material is a tuned material, having at least some of the plurality of hydrolysable hydride particles positioned at predetermined locations with respect to the hydrophobic and hydrophilic monomers to control timing of reactions of the at least some of the plurality of hydrolysable hydride particles.

4 . The system according to claim 1 wherein the plurality of at least one type of hydrolysable hydride gel material is at least one of a water and water vapor controlled swelling composite.

5 . The system according to claim 1 wherein the hydrolysable hydride particles have particle sizes in a range from 10 nanometers to 5 millimeters.

6 . The system according to claim 1 wherein the hydrolysable hydride gel material is a water access control material, which controls access to the plurality of hydrolysable hydride particles.

7 . The system according to claim 1 wherein the hydrolysable hydride gel cartridge and the hydrolyzer are integrated as a single component.

8 . The system according to claim 1 wherein the hydrolysable hydride gel cartridge is a separate component detachable from the hydrolyzer.

9 . The system according to claim 1 wherein the hydrolysable hydride gel cartridge is formed to provide multiple points of water and/or water vapor entry into an interior of the hydrolysable hydride gel cartridge, wherein the water and/or water vapor has access to the hydrolysable hydride gel material at multiple locations.

10 . The system according to claim 1 wherein the hydrolysable hydride gel material is a mold-formed material, the form of the mold resulting in the gel material being formed in a shape corresponding to the mold.

11 . An integrated power generating system comprising:
a hydrogen production system including: a hydrolysable hydride gel material including a plurality of at least one type of hydrolysable hydride particle dispersed in a polymer material; a hydrolysable hydride gel cartridge holding the hydrolysable hydride gel material; and a hydrolyzer having an input port and an output port, wherein the input port is configured to receive at least one of water and water vapor and the output port is configured to output hydrogen gas; a fuel cell configured to receive the hydrogen gas; and a recycling system configured to recycle at least one of water and water vapor produced by operation of the fuel cell back to the input port of the hydrolyzer for use in hydrogen production.

12 . The integrated power generating system of claim 12 further including a water vapor separator positioned to stop water vapor from being provided to the fuel cell.

13 . The integrated power generating system of claim 12 further including a cooling system configured to receive at least one of water and water vapor generated by operation of the fuel cell and to move the at least one of water and water vapor into operational contact with the hydrolyzer to cool the hydrolyzer.

14 . The integrated power generating system of claim 13 , wherein the cooling system further includes a heat exchanger in physical contact with the hydrolyzer.

15 . A curable material formulation comprising hydrolysable hydride particles dispersed in a mixture of hydrophilic and hydrophobic monomers and radical polymerization initiators which do not react with the hydrolysable hydride particles.

16 . The curable material formulation of claim 15 wherein the curable material formulation is fabricated by:
placing a plurality of the hydrolysable hydride particles into a preformed mold;
infusing the mold with the mixture of hydrophilic and hydrophobic monomers and radical polymerization initiators to fill inter-particle gaps; and
curing the mixture to produce a solid polymer composite material.

17 . The curable material formulation of claim 16 wherein the curing is performed by heating or by exposure to a curing light.

18 . The curable material formulation of claim 15 wherein the hydrophilic monomer is selected from a group of polyethylene glycol diacrylate, N,N-dimethylacrylamide, 1-vinyl-2-pyrrolidone, and highly ethoxylated bisphenol A diacrylates.

19 . The curable material formulation of claim 15 wherein the hydrophobic monomers are selected from a group of hydrocarbon or polyester or polyether or polyurethane and mixtures thereof containing from 1 to 6 acrylate or methacrylate polymerizable groups.

20 . The curable material formulation according to claim 15 wherein the hydrolysable hydride particles are selected from a group comprising lithium hydride, sodium hydride, potassium hydride, beryllium hydride, magnesium hydride, calcium hydride, lithium aluminium hydride, sodium aluminium hydride and the metal borohydride is selected from a group comprising lithium borohydride, sodium borohydride, potassium borohydride, magnesium borohydride, beryllium borohydride, calcium borohydride, aluminium borohydride, titanium borohydride, zinc borohydride, manganese borohydride, ammonium borohydride, lithium borohydride ammoniate, lithium borohydride diammoniate, magnesium borohydride di-ammoniate, magnesium borohydride hexa-ammoniate and mixtures thereof.

Assignees

• Palo Alto Res Ct Inc

Inventors

• Iftime Gabriel
• Rivest Jessica Louis Baker
• Garner Sean R
• Sheridan Martin J
• Sahu Saroj Kumar

Classifications

• C01B3/065

  by reaction of inorganic compounds with hydrides · CPC title

• H01M8/04291

  Arrangements for managing water in solid electrolyte fuel cell systems (H01M8/04119 takes precedence) · CPC title

• B01J2208/00893

  Feeding means for the reactants · CPC title

• H01M8/04164

  by condensers, gas-liquid separators or filters · CPC title

• B01J2208/00814

  the particulate material being provides in prefilled containers · CPC title