Standalone hydrogen generator based on chemical decomposition of water by aluminum

• Main Authors: V.K. Milinchuk, E.R. Klinshpont, V.I. Belozerov
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: National Research Nuclear University (MEPhI) 2015-12-01
• Series: Nuclear Energy and Technology
• Subjects: Hydrogen; Water; Aluminum; Aluminum oxide; Standalone hydrogen generator
• Online Access: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2452303816000285

A standalone hydrogen generator (SHG) has been developed based on chemical decomposition of water in heterogeneous compositions containing finely dispersed aluminum powder and crystallohydrates of sodium metasilicate. The kinetics of hydrogen generation has been studied depending on constants of the aluminum activation and oxidation rate, and aluminum and oxygen concentrations. In the hydrogen accumulation kinetics, the length of the induction period is determined by the concentration of oxygen. The SHG design, hydrogen selection and capacity are discussed. The availability and low cost of domestically manufactured chemical agents make the SHG a promising choice as the source of hydrogen for various applications, including nuclear power plants (NPP).