Hydrogen Production from Inorganic Compounds

A chemical hydride reactor is proposed by MicroCell Technologies, LLC to produce hydrogen gas for backup fuel cell power generators. In the Phase I program, we will develop and demonstrate our reactor design to operate with unpurified water sources to efficiently react all of the chemical hydride in a controllable manner. With this approach, it will be possible to use a variety of water sources including seawater and surface water with the chemical hydride reactor to produce high purity hydrogen gas for a proton exchange membrane fuel cell backup power generator. This hydrogen generator will shorten the start-up time for delivering hydrogen gas to the fuel cell generator allowing it to provide power quicker for forward theatre operations. During the Phase I program, we will develop the reaction process and control function culminating in a bench-scale reactor. With this approach, a Phase II program will culminate in a fast-start fuel processor designed to produce hydrogen for a 5 kW PEM fuel cell at 80 liters/min for 12 hours having an energy capacity of 837 W-hr/kg and 825 W-hr/liter.