Rapid Starting Hydrogen Peroxide Decomposition System

Hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) is an excellent way to store oxygen. It is infinitely miscible with water to produce easily handled solutions that are liquid from below 0 °C to above 100 °C. A liter of 50 wt% H2O2 contains as much available O2 as a cylinder of gas at a pressure of 2,860 psia, while a 90 wt% solution is equivalent to a pressure of 6,000 psia. Current systems for catalytically decomposing H2O2 are effective, but cannot start rapidly enough to efficiently supply a system operating in a pulsed mode, especially at low temperatures, without consuming either large amounts of electrical energy or a constant flow of peroxide. This system will use a flash heated catalyst bed to initiate both thermal and catalytic decomposition and quickly supply oxygen. It also includes a low thermal mass catalyst bed that quickly heats to operating temperature and carries out the continuing catalyses. The flash heating system operates for only a short time and is recharged using only a small power draw.