Method and pressure container for producing hydrogen-storage metal

Abstract

The activation of a mass of metal granules capable of storing hydrogen with the formation of hydride in a pressure vessel, instead of having to be activated before use by repeated heating in a hydrogen atmosphere followed by cooling and evacuation before the next heating, is activated in the pressure vessel used for storage by first heating a small portion of the granulate to the necessary activation temperature and then allowing the heat developed by the activation of that portion to produce the activation of the remainder of the granulate. It is found that it thus possible to provide complete activation with only one heating step. The small portion that is first activated may be a part of the granulate that is of a different composition that is easier to activate, for example, LaNi.sub.5, which can be activated at room temperature, or iron-titanium alloys that are capable of activation under 100.degree. C. Alternatively, the entire mass of granulate may be selected for its hydrogen-storage capability rather than its ease of activation and a small part thereof can be activated first by means of a high temperature (up to 800.degree. C.) generated in a very small source of heat, as by a platinum wire electric heater, turned on for only 10 or 20 minutes, after which the activation produced provides enough heat for activating the remainder of the granular material.