Hydrogen fuel delivery systems
AssigneeAngstrom Power Incorporated
InventorsGerard Francis McLean, Joerg Zimmermann
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A method for providing hydrogen to a hydrogen-powered device comprises providing a buffer connected to supply hydrogen to the device. The buffer is filled with hydrogen by coupling the buffer to a cartridge containing a predetermined quantity of hydrogen. The hydrogen in the cartridge may be stored in a form having a higher energy density than the hydrogen in the buffer. Systems comprising hydrogen-powered devices that include such buffers are also described.
Claims25
A method for supplying hydrogen to fuel a hydrogen-consuming device, the method comprising:
- providing a buffer coupled to supply hydrogen to the device;
- providing a cartridge containing a predetermined quantity of one or more hydrogen precursors operable to generate hydrogen;
- placing the cartridge in fluid communication with the buffer and initiating the generation of hydrogen from the one or more hydrogen precursors;
- allowing the hydrogen generated from the predetermined quantity of the one or more hydrogen precursors to flow from the cartridge into the buffer;
- and,
- allowing the cartridge to be fluidly decoupled from the buffer solely by removal of the cartridge from the hydrogen-consuming device after a maximum useable amount of the predetermined quantity of hydrogen generated from the predetermined quantity of the one or more hydrogen precursors is transferred from the cartridge to the hydrogen-consuming device.
A system comprising:
- a hydrogen-consuming device;
- a buffer coupled to supply hydrogen from within the buffer to the hydrogen-consuming device;
- an externally engageable coupling for removably placing the buffer in fluid communication with a cartridge containing one or more hydrogen precursors operable to generate a predetermined mass of hydrogen;
- and,
- wherein the cartridge is coupleable to the buffer by way of the coupling that is configured to initiate fluid communication between the cartridge and the buffer solely upon engagement, wherein the engagement also initiates the generation of hydrogen gas from the one or more hydrogen precursors, the cartridge being further configured to discontinue the fluid communication solely upon disengagement, wherein the predetermined mass of hydrogen is sufficient to fill the buffer with a desired amount of hydrogen.
A system for fueling hydrogen-powered devices comprising a means for storing and transporting hydrogen fuel in a first form providing a high energy density;
- a means for transforming the hydrogen fuel from the first form into a second form having properties permitting convenient use as a direct fuel;
- and a means for removably and externally coupling to the hydrogen-powered device, and when removably coupled, the fueling of the hydrogen-powered device is initiated solely upon coupling to the hydrogen powered device.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.