Lightweight Integrated Navigation and Communication Radio System

Our Phase I ammonia-based hydrogen generation system will be developed into a viable commercial and military product. During Phase I, we have demonstrated the effectiveness of a high-activity catalyst for the dissociation of ammonia at relatively lowtemperatures. Our mesochannel reactor architecture offers substantial improvements in performance compared with the conventional thermocatalytic, packed-bed reactors used in industry. Rapid heat and mass transfer in the small channels allows forsignificantly smaller reactor and heat-exchanger volumes, lighter system weight, and faster startup. When coupled with high-performance materials for thermal insulation and trace-ammonia adsorption, our mesochannel reactor system will achieve abreakthrough hydrogen storage density of greater than 1 kW-hr/kg based on a fuel-cell efficiency of 50%.During Phase II, we will develop our mesochannel-based reactor system into a safe, rugged hydrogen supply for hydrogen/air fuel cells. Our steady-operation, 50-watt Phase I system will be improved to reduce size and weight and to improve itsmanufacturability. Further, we will develop a lightweight control system to reduce the required operator attention and to incorporate load-following capability. The feasibility of continually regenerating and/or increased-capacity adsorbents will also bedetermined.