A gas generator and a method of generating a gas are provided. A gas generator includes a cartridge having a solid reactant and a liquid reactant distributor provided therein, and a liquid reactant supply in fluid communication with the liquid reactant distributor. The liquid reactant supply is configured to provide a liquid reactant under pressure to the liquid reactant distributor. The liquid reactant distributor comprises a plurality of normally closed holes configured to open at a predetermined fluid pressure to disperse the liquid reactant for reaction with the solid reactant in the cartridge.

A hydrogen generator can include, in some aspects, a reaction chamber configured to contain a reagent; a supply water tank; water conduit tubing provided inside the reaction chamber, the water conduit tubing including a water conduit tubing inlet being fluidically connected to the supply water tank and a water conduit tubing outlet; a water dispenser provided inside the reaction chamber, the water dispenser including a water dispenser inlet being fluidically connected to the water conduit tubing outlet and a surface with a plurality of water outlet channels; a water pump; an electric power supply; a controller adapted to activate the water pump for transferring water through the hydrogen generator for interacting with the reagent in the reaction chamber to generate hydrogen gas, and a hydrogen collector provided inside the reaction chamber, the hydrogen collector including a surface with a plurality of gas inlet channels for receiving the hydrogen gas.

The process for obtaining M.sup.1-BH.sub.4, the process comprising contacting M.sup.1-BO.sub.2 with a metal M.sup.2 in the presence of molecular hydrogen (H.sub.2) under conditions permitting the formation of M.sup.1-BH.sub.4 and M.sup.2-oxide, wherein the M.sup.1 is a metal selected from column I of the periodic table of elements or alloys of metals selected from column I of the periodic table of elements and M.sup.2 is a metal or an alloy of metals selected from column II of the periodic table of elements, provided that M.sup.2 is not Mg and M.sup.1 is different from M.sup.2.

An energy system with hydration of magnesium hydride, including: a magnesium hydride storage tank, a Covapor unit, a storage battery, a hydrogen buffer and temperature regulation tank, a meter, a molecular sieve filter, a hydrogen fuel cell, an exhaust gas purifier, a water tank, and an air purifier. A water outlet of the hydrogen fuel cell is connected to a water inlet of the magnesium hydride storage tank. A hydrogen outlet of the magnesium hydride storage tank is connected to a hydrogen inlet of the hydrogen fuel cell. A thermal conductive medium outlet of the magnesium hydride storage tank is connected to a jacket of the molecular sieve filter and the Covapor unit, respectively, and a jacket outlet of the molecular sieve filter and an outlet of the Covapor unit are respectively connected to a thermal conductive medium inlet of the magnesium hydride storage tank.

A solid hydrogen reaction system and method of liberating hydrogen gas includes the utilization of a reactor having a body that defines a reaction chamber, having a first narrow end and a second wider end such that the reactor has an increasing cross-sectional area from the first end toward the second end, for facilitating a reaction to liberate hydrogen gas stored in a hydrogen storage solid located within the reaction chamber.

The present invention includes an underwater vehicle power unit and method of operating the same comprising: a fuel and waste stack comprising one or more reactant or fuel storage bladders and one or more waste storage bladders that are volumetrically and gravitationally balanced during operation; a fuel reactor that generates hydrogen; a fuel cell capable of generating an electrical current when exposed to hydrogen; and a controller that controls the flow of fuel into the hydrogen generator, the flow of hydrogen into the fuel cell and the flow of waste from the hydrogen generator, and/or the fuel cell into the one or more waste storage bladders.

A catalytic device includes a hollow body, a piston housed in the hollow body, a catalyst of a gas generation reaction based on bringing a reactive liquid into contact with the catalyst, the catalyst being housed in a catalysis chamber, the piston and the hollow body defining a hermetic compression chamber for containing a compressible fluid, and being mobile relative to one another between a closed position in which the catalysis chamber is tight to the reactive liquid, and an open position for the entry of the reactive liquid into the catalysis chamber. The catalytic device is conformed to switch from the open position to the closed position, respectively from the closed position to the open position, when the compressible fluid is contained in the compression chamber and a force applied to the piston is greater than or equal to, respectively less than, a closure force.

Device including a catalytic system and an electromagnetic system, the catalytic system defining a catalysis chamber and including a catalyst of a reaction to generate a gas from a liquid, the catalyst being housed in the catalysis chamber, the electromagnetic system including a coil and a rod mobile relative to the coil, the rod being fixed to the catalytic system and including a magnet and a core, the electromagnetic system being configured to move the rod relative to the coil when an electrical current is passed through the coil, so as to dispose the catalytic system in an open position in which the catalysis chamber is in fluidic communication with the outside, the catalytic system being disposed in a closed position in which the catalysis chamber is hermetically closed in the absence of an electrical current through the coil.

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 NaBH.sub.4 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 NaBH.sub.4. The size of the metering opening can determine the rate at which acid accelerator is added to the NaBH.sub.4 solution.

A water exchanger for a fuel cell based power generator includes a plurality of hollow tubular structures. Each respective hollow tubular structure includes a membrane that is selectively permeable to water vapor over oxygen and hydrogen. A manifold is coupled to the tubular structures to provide wet air on one side of the membrane and hydrogen on the other side of the membrane.