System and method for supplying a lighter-than-air vehicle with hydrogen gas

A method for generating hydrogen gas comprising:

• providing a manifold including a plurality of vessels, wherein each vessel includes a first chamber and a second chamber, the first chamber holding liquid water and separated from the second chamber by a barrier, the second chamber having within a reactant container containing a solid reactant;
• opening a trigger valve integrated with the barrier of each vessel to transition the liquid water from the first chamber to the second chamber at a desired time for generating the hydrogen gas;
• passing the liquid water through a thermal regulator for controlling a pre-reaction temperature of the liquid water before the liquid water reacts in a chemical reaction upon the liquid water reaching the solid reactant in the reactant container of each vessel, the thermal regulator surrounding the reactant container within the second chamber of each vessel;
• combining the liquid water with the solid reactant and a catalyst in the reactant container within the second chamber of each vessel to generate the hydrogen gas from the chemical reaction among the liquid water, the solid reactant, and the catalyst;
• opening a pressure relief valve disposed on each vessel to allow the generated hydrogen gas to exit the vessel at a predetermined pressure;
• sensing a sensed temperature inside the second chamber of each vessel with a temperature sensor disposed in the second chamber;
• controlling a flow of a coolant through the thermal regulator of each vessel for limiting the sensed temperature to a set temperature so that the generated hydrogen gas exiting the vessels at the predetermined pressure attains a substantially constant flow rate during the chemical reaction;
• and
• connecting a lighter-than-air (LTA) vehicle to the manifold to supply the LTA vehicle with the hydrogen gas generated in the vessels.