| INTELLIGENT ENERGY, INC. Patent applications |
| Patent application number | Title | Published |
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| 20160104907 | Hydrogen Generator - A hydrogen generator and a fuel cell system including a fuel cell battery and the hydrogen generator. The hydrogen generator includes a cartridge, a housing with a cavity to removably contain the cartridge, and an initiation system. The cartridge includes a casing; a plurality of pellets including a hydrogen containing material; a plurality of solid heat transfer members in contact with but not penetrating the casing; a hydrogen outlet in the casing; and a hydrogen flow path from each pellet to the hydrogen outlet. A plurality of heating elements is disposed inside the housing. When the cartridge is in the cavity, each heating element is disposed so heat can be conducted from the heating element and through the casing and corresponding heat transfer member to initiate the release of hydrogen gas. The initiation system can selectively heat one or more pellets to release hydrogen gas as needed. | 04-14-2016 |
| 20160002030 | HYDROGEN GENERATOR HAVING LIQUID DELIVERY MEMBER - A hydrogen generator and method for generating hydrogen gas for a fuel cell stack. The hydrogen generator includes container, and a first reactant storage area configured to contain a liquid first reactant. The hydrogen generator also includes a reaction area and a solid second reactant within the reaction area, and a hydrogen outlet. The hydrogen generator further includes a flexible liquid delivery member extending into the reaction area and configured to deliver liquid reactant from the first reactant storage area to the reaction area. The flexible liquid delivery member includes a flexible portion that flexes to allow the delivery member to move with the solid second reactant as the second reactant is consumed. | 01-07-2016 |
| 20150340719 | Hydrogen Generator with Replaceable Fuel Unit and a Method of Producing Hydrogen Gas - Disclosed are a hydrogen generator and a method of producing hydrogen gas therefrom. A fuel unit containing a fuel that releases hydrogen gas when heated is removably disposed in a cavity within a housing having a door. A heater assembly for heating the fuel unit is disposed in the hydrogen generator. A mechanism retracts the heater assembly from the fuel unit when the door is opened and extends the heater assembly to contact the fuel unit when the door is closed. When the heater assembly is retracted, more space is available into which the fuel unit can be inserted to prevent damage to the heater assembly and the fuel unit, and when the heater assembly is extended, good contact is provided between the heater assembly and the fuel unit for efficient heating. A cam bar can move the heater assembly normal to the lateral motion of the cam bar. | 11-26-2015 |
| 20150340718 | Hydrogen Generator with Locking Door - Disclosed is a hydrogen generator with a door that can be opened to replace a fuel unit and closed to seal the door. A lock responds directly to pressure within the chamber to prevent opening when the pressure exceeds a threshold value. The lock includes a locking member with a lug that engages a retainer to seal the door when the door is locked and is disengaged from the retainer when the door is unlocked. An opening mechanism moves the locking member to lock and unlock the door. A movable key is engaged with the opening mechanism and the locking member when the pressure in the chamber is at or below the threshold value and disengaged from one of the opening mechanism and the locking member by an actuator (e.g., a flexible diaphragm) so the door cannot be unlocked and opened when the pressure is above the threshold value. | 11-26-2015 |
| 20150338260 | Hydrogen Generator with Fuel Gauge - The invention is a hydrogen generator with a fuel gauge and a method of fuel gauging. The hydrogen generator includes a replaceable fuel unit, containing a hydrogen-containing material (fuel) that can release hydrogen gas when heated and whose thermal conductivity is related to a quantity of releasable hydrogen contained therein, and a fuel gauge including a heat source and a temperature sensor adjacent to the fuel unit and a controller for determining a fuel level value based on a measured temperature. The temperature is measured at a pre-established time after activating the heat source, and the measured temperature is compared to a predetermined relationship between the measured temperature and a releasable hydrogen content in the fuel at the pre-established time. An output signal is provided (e.g., to a visible display, an audible signal or a controller). | 11-26-2015 |
| 20150255816 | HEATER ASSEMBLY, HYDROGEN GENERATOR AND METHOD OF PROVIDING HYDROGEN GAS - A heater assembly for use in a hydrogen generator can be retracted to facilitate insertion and removal of a replaceable fuel unit without damaging the heater assembly or the fuel unit and extended to provide good thermal contact with the fuel unit during use of the hydrogen generator. The heater assembly includes a support member, a heater, and an actuator for extending and retracting the heater assembly. When the heater is energized it heats the actuator, thereby extending the heater assembly to contact the adjacent fuel unit, and when the heater is deenergized the actuator cools to retract the heater assembly and provide a gap between the heater assembly and the adjacent fuel unit. The actuator is movably secured to the heater or the support member by a retainer such that an end of the actuator is movable within the retainer as the actuator changes shape during heating and cooling. | 09-10-2015 |
| 20150244014 | Hydrogen Generator Having Reactant Pellet with Concentration Gradient - A hydrogen generator is provided for generating hydrogen gas for a fuel cell stack. The hydrogen generator includes a container, and a liquid reactant storage area configured to contain a liquid including a first reactant. The hydrogen generator also includes a reaction area within the container, and a solid containing a second reactant within the reaction area and having a concentration gradient that varies along an axis such as length of the solid. The hydrogen generator further includes a liquid delivery member for delivering the liquid to the solid in the reaction area to generate hydrogen. The concentration gradient controls a reaction rate of the first and second reactants. | 08-27-2015 |
| 20150217267 | HYDROGEN GAS GENERATOR - A hydrogen generator, a fuel pellet assembly for use in the hydrogen generator and a fuel cell system are disclosed. The hydrogen generator includes a housing having a lid pivotally connected to a base and a strip having a plurality of heaters on one side and a second plurality of heaters on the opposite side. A first cartridge is disposed on one side of the strip and a second cartridge is disposed on the opposite side. Each of the first and second cartridges has a plurality of fuel pellets, each including a hydrogen-containing material that will release hydrogen gas when heated. The heaters are selectively activated to heat one or more fuel pellets to initiate the release of hydrogen gas. | 08-06-2015 |
| 20150210543 | METHOD FOR PREPARATION OF CRYSTALLINE ALANE USING QUARTERNARY AMMONIUM ALUMINUM HYDRIDE - The invention relates to a method of forming α-alane. The method includes reacting a tetraalkyl ammonium alanate solution in toluene with an alkyl halide or other proton source such as HCl or H | 07-30-2015 |
| 20150203353 | FUEL UNIT, GAS GENERATOR AND SYSTEM - Disclosed is a fuel unit for a gas generator such as a hydrogen gas generator that can supply gas to a gas consuming system such as a fuel cell system. The fuel unit includes a housing containing a solid fuel composition and a heat producing material. The fuel composition contains gas releasing solid material that reacts to release gas when heated. The heat producing material reacts exothermically to produce heat. A plurality of quantities of the heat producing material are in thermal communication with corresponding portions of an unsegregated quantity the fuel composition such that, following initiation of a reaction of each quantity of the heat producing material, the quantity of heat producing material will heat the corresponding portion of the unsegregated quantity of the fuel composition, and the corresponding portion of the unsegregated quantity of the fuel composition will react to release a quantity of the gas. | 07-23-2015 |
| 20150182938 | HYDROGEN GAS GENERATOR - A hydrogen generator, a fuel cell for use in the hydrogen generator and a fuel cell system are disclosed. The hydrogen generator includes a housing and a plurality of fuel pellets disposed in the housing. Each fuel pellet includes a hydrogen-containing reactant that will react to release hydrogen gas when heated. The hydrogen generator also includes a plurality of heating elements extending into the plurality of fuel pellets to generate heat to selectively heat one or more fuel pellets to initiate a reaction to produce hydrogen gas. The hydrogen generator further includes a plurality of electrical contacts operatively coupled to the plurality of heating elements to selectively supply electrical power to the plurality of heating elements. | 07-02-2015 |
| 20150093579 | METHOD OF PREPARATION OF ALANE-ETHERATE AND ALANE - The invention to preparing alane-etherate and alane by producing an alane-etherate complex using an acid including one or a combination of hydrochloric acid and methanesulfonic acid and a metal tetrahydroaluminate in a solvent including an ether such as diethyl ether. The alane-etherate can be desolvated using a spray desolvation process such as electrospraying. | 04-02-2015 |
| 20150093578 | METHOD OF MANUFACTURING ALANE INCLUDING DESOLVATION OF AN ALANE -ETHERATE COMPLEX - The invention relates to methods of preparing α-alane by desolvating an alane-etherate complex. The methods include electrospraying or electrospinning the alane-etherate complex in order to remove solvent. Solid alane is obtained and can be in either fine particulate form or fiber form. The alane can be encapsulated with a stabilizing agent. | 04-02-2015 |
| 20150093325 | METHOD FOR PREPARATION OF AN ALANE-ETHERATE COMPLEX AND ALANE - The invention relates to methods of forming an alane-etherate complex and α-alane from the alane-etherate complex. The methods include reacting an alkyl halide with a metal alanate in a solvent including an ether. A tertiary amine may also be added to the reaction. The alane is collected after removal of the solvent and/or the tertiary amine. An electrospraying process can be used to remove the solvent. | 04-02-2015 |
| 20150089796 | METHOD OF MAKING A PACKAGED FUEL UNIT FOR A HYDROGEN GENERATOR - A method of making a package for a fuel unit, a fuel unit including the package, and a hydrogen generator including one or more of the fuel units are disclosed. The package includes a package strip made by forming apertures in a nonconductive substrate strip, forming conductor sections in a conductor strip, aligning the substrate and conductor strips, bonding the conductor sections to the substrate strip to cover the apertures, and removing non-bonded portions of the conductor strip. A package enclosing a hydrogen generating reactant is formed by securing a segment of the package strip to itself, to one or more other segments and/or to one or more other package components. One or more conductor sections in the package strip are in thermal contact with one or more quantities of reactant composition so heat can be transferred thermally decompose the reactant composition and generate hydrogen gas. | 04-02-2015 |
| 20150072256 | REFILLABEL HYDROGEN GENERATOR - A hydrogen generator and a fuel cell system including the hydrogen generator are disclosed. The hydrogen generator includes a reactant that undergoes a thermal decomposition reaction to produce hydrogen when heated. A laser is used to initiate the reaction. The reactant is contained in a reactant composition in a user-replaceable disc-shaped fuel unit. The reactant composition can be segregated into individual quantities. The fuel unit and the laser beam are periodically realigned by incrementally rotating the fuel unit and/or incrementally redirect the laser beam. | 03-12-2015 |
| 20150064104 | HYDROGEN GENERATOR WITH SEQUENTIAL FUEL INITIATION - Disclosed is a hydrogen generator that produces hydrogen by thermal decomposition. An electric circuit including a plurality of parallel branches, each including at least one electric heating element, is arranged in a sequence. The circuit also includes a normally open switch between adjacent branches and a normally closed switch in each branch but the last to provide current to the heating elements in the sequence of the parallel branches. Each heating element provides heat to thermally decompose a portion of a reactant, open the normally closed switch in the same branch, and close the normally open switch following that branch, energizing and deenergizing the heating elements in sequence. Each of the normally open switches includes a switch material with a resistivity that permanently decreases to close the switch in response to heating, and each of the normally closed switches opens in response to heating. | 03-05-2015 |
| 20150030530 | Hydrogen Generator - A hydrogen generator including an initiator assembly having one or more contact members within a compressible member, and a removable fuel unit adjacent a surface of the compressible member. The fuel unit contains a hydrogen containing material that can release hydrogen gas when heated and an exothermic mixture that can react exothermically upon initiation by the initiator assembly. When no fuel unit is in the hydrogen generator, the compressible member is uncompressed and the contact members are at or below its surface, and when a fuel unit is disposed in the hydrogen generator, the compressible member is compressed so the contact members extend beyond the surface to make thermal contact with the fuel unit. Energy from the initiator assembly is conducted by the contact members to corresponding quantities of the exothermic mixture to initiate an exothermic reaction, providing heat for the release of hydrogen gas from the hydrogen containing material. | 01-29-2015 |
| 20150023846 | Hydrogen Generator - A hydrogen generator and a fuel cell system including a fuel cell battery and the hydrogen generator. The hydrogen generator includes a cartridge, a housing with a cavity to removably contain the cartridge, and an initiation system. The cartridge includes a casing; a plurality of pellets including a hydrogen containing material; a plurality of solid heat transfer members in contact with but not penetrating the casing; a hydrogen outlet in the casing; and a hydrogen flow path from each pellet to the hydrogen outlet. A plurality of heating elements is disposed inside the housing. When the cartridge is in the cavity, each heating element is disposed so heat can be conducted from the heating element and through the casing and corresponding heat transfer member to initiate the release of hydrogen gas. The initiation system can selectively heat one or more pellets to release hydrogen gas as needed. | 01-22-2015 |
| 20140377677 | Fuel Unit For Hydrogen Generator - Disclosed are a fuel unit for a hydrogen generator and methods for producing the fuel unit and the hydrogen generator. A fuel sheet ( | 12-25-2014 |
| 20140248546 | HYDROGEN GENERATOR FOR A FUEL CELL - A hydrogen generator includes a housing, a pellet strip with a plurality of pellets disposed on a flexible carrier, the pellets including a hydrogen containing material that will release hydrogen gas when heated. A feed system feeds the pellet strip to sequentially position one or more pellets in proximity to a heater that heats the pellets to release hydrogen gas. The pellet strip can be folded or wound on a reel, stored in a compartment in the hydrogen generator or in a user-replaceable container. The hydrogen generator can be part of a fuel cell system that includes the hydrogen generator and a fuel cell battery. | 09-04-2014 |
| 20140248185 | Method of Generating Hydrogen Gas - Methods for generating hydrogen gas and related systems are disclosed. Aspects of methods include providing a solid reactant component to an expandable reactant zone within an expandable reaction chamber, providing a liquid reactant component to a collapsible receptacle, controllably transporting the liquid reactant component in the collapsible receptacle to the expandable reaction chamber, and reacting the liquid reactant component with the solid reactant component. In some instances, components are configured for volume exchange among the expandable reaction chamber, the expandable reactant zone, and the collapsible receptacle. | 09-04-2014 |
| 20130034785 | HYDROGEN GENERATION UTILIZING INTEGRATED CO2 REMOVAL WITH STEAM REFORMING - A steam reformer may comprise fluid inlet and outlet connections and have a substantially cylindrical geometry divided into reforming segments and reforming compartments extending longitudinally within the reformer, each being in fluid communication. With the fluid inlets and outlets. Further, methods for generating hydrogen may comprise steam reformation and material adsorption in one operation followed by regeneration of adsorbers in another operation. Cathode off-gas from a fuel cell may be used to regenerate and sweep the adsorbers, and the operations may cycle among a plurality of adsorption enhanced reformers to provide a continuous flow of hydrogen. | 02-07-2013 |
| 20090220394 | STEAM REFORMING UNIT - A hydrogen generation system is disclosed that includes an integrated steam reforming reactor. The reactor has an overall cylindrical shape, receives a reformate and separately receiving a combustion gas mixture. The reactor includes a plurality of reforming stages arranged in a stacked series of disc shaped stage configuration, wherein each reforming stage has a disc shaped combustion portion adjacent a disc shaped catalyst pack through which the reformate passes, wherein the reformate is directed axially between stages and radially within each stage; and the combustion mixture is directed radially between groups of stages and circumferentially within each stage. | 09-03-2009 |
| 20090041641 | HYDROGEN PURIFICATION PROCESS AND SYSTEM - A hydrogen generation system is disclosed that includes a fuel reforming reactor generating a hydrogen-rich reformate gas at a temperature greater than 150 C., a pressure swing adsorption (PSA) hydrogen purification unit that separates the reformate gas into a relatively pure hydrogen stream and an off-gas stream, and a catalytic reactor down stream of the PSA unit that converts carbon monoxide (CO) and hydrogen (H | 02-12-2009 |
| 20080295403 | Modular Reformer with Enhanced Heat Recuperation - The thermal reformer system ( | 12-04-2008 |
