Device for the recombination of hydrogen and oxygen and nuclear power

Abstract

A device for the recombination of hydrogen and oxygen includes catalyst bodies having surfaces and a catalytic coating on the surfaces over which a gas and vapor mixture containing hydrogen to be eliminated is to be conducted. A casing which surrounds and retains the catalyst bodies has at least one permanently open gas inlet aperture and one permanently open gas outlet aperture, and a gas flow path in the casing through which the apertures communicate. The catalyst bodies are disposed downstream of the gas inlet aperture in the gas flow path. The catalyst bodies are flat bodies formed of multi-layered sheet metal in a multi-channel configuration forming a plurality of mutually parallel gas flow channels. Some of the gas flow channels have channel cross sections being defined by at least an adjacent two of the flat bodies being spaced-apart, and the gas flow channels at ends of the configuration have channel cross sections being defined by at least one of the flat bodies. The flat bodies each have a metal support sheet, a porous adhesion-promoting surface structure of the support sheet with a thickness of less than 10 .mu.m, a porous intermediate layer, preferably of Al.sub. O.sub. 3, applied to the surface structure for increasing surface area, and a catalyst coating of platinum or palladium being applied to the intermediate layer and distributed finely enough to preserve porosity of the intermediate layer.