Hot water heater for diver using hydrogen catalytic reactions

Abstract

A catalytic heater supplies heated water that circulates to heat a diver's suit. An insulating housing closed at opposite ends by cap members defines a chamber containing a catalyst inside of a multi-tube heat exchanger. Fittings in the cap members pass water through the multi-tube heat exchanger to and from the suit, and a gas circuit flows mixed hydrogen and oxygen to the catalyst that reacts with the mixed hydrogen and oxygen to produce heat that heats the water in the multi-tube heat exchanger for the diving suit. Optionally, hydrogen may be mixed with oxygen from a breathing gas mixture so that after heating the water, the gases remaining may be breathed by the diver. The catalytic heater provides a safe, reliable source of warm water for active thermal protection of divers over a wide range of diving applications. The heater can be used in an open, closed or semi-closed configuration to support surface tethered diving applications or autonomous, self-contained missions with free-swimming divers or within wet or dry underwater vehicles. Water temperatures can be easily adjusted when using this heater by regulating the percentage of hydrogen injected into the bed of catalyst. The catalytic heater can be used either as the primary active heating source or as a backup heating system in the event failure occurs to the primary heat source.