Qinetiq Limited

Philip Nicholas Barnes

Darren Paul Scattergood

William Ranulf Slee

Graham Manton

Robert John Vere Churton

Gareth Thomas Flegg

Kevin J Green

James C Wilson

Susan J Howe

A pyrolytic hydrogen generator comprising a pressure vessel containing a plurality of cardboard receptacles for the thermally decomposable hydrogen generating material and an associated ignition system. Also, a modular pellet tray assembly for use in the generator comprises a plurality of trays having pellet holders and associated igniters and held in a stack by support rods that also provide electrical connectivity to the trays.

Hydrogen generators

A pyrolytic hydrogen generator comprising a pressure vessel containing a plurality of cardboard receptacles for the thermally decomposable hydrogen generating material and an associated ignition system. Also, a modular pellet tray assembly for use in the generator comprises a plurality of trays having pellet holders and associated igniters and held in a stack by support rods that also provide electrical connectivity to the trays. Also, a pellet tray assembly comprises a plurality of pellet holders, wherein some of more outwardly disposed pellet holders contain only outwardly facing vents and are fired first. Also, the generator has an array of hydrogen generating elements arranged side by side and separated from one another into cells by partitioning provided with directional venting that only permits laterally exiting gases to vent outwardly. Alternatively, the elements can be separated into cells by a baffle system comprising gas confining and gas venting elements, which may be heat conductive.

An electrochemical cell ( ) comprises an anode ( ), a solid cathode ( ) and an electrolyte ( ). The electrolyte comprises an electrochemically reactive conductive salt, an organic liquid phase comprising one or more organic compounds; and less than 0.25 M of all ionically charged additive, distinct from the electrochemically reactive conductive salt. The additive comprises a conductive salt which in use is not electrochemically reactive and which has a nitrogen containing cation in a sufficient quantity that conductivity is improved and percentage material utilisation of the cathode is improved at increased discharge rates as compared with a cell using an electrolyte which does not contain the additive. An improvement of approximately 10% in conductivity is achieved for a cell according to the invention using an electrolyte (c) with an additive.

Electrochemical cell comprising a liquid organic electrolyte with a conductive additive

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Portsmouth, United Kingdom

Philip Nicholas Barnes