Man Portable Hydrogen Generation System

The soldier of the twenty-first century will need extended, field deployable, high energy density power sources to run electronic devices such as image displays, range finders, laptop computers, cellular phones, portable digital assistants, and other electronic devices. Currently, the military relies on battery packs which restrict the speed and tactical capability because their low energy density and excessive weight. Polymer electrolyte membrane (PEM) fuel cells hold the promise of being an efficient field power source for the twenty-first century soldier but require a simple, lightweight and reliable hydrogen source. TDA Research, Inc. (TDA) has developed a soldier-portable hydrogen generator for man-portable fuel cell systems. A preliminary system design has been carried out and preliminary tests in our laboratories have shown that our approach is feasible. In the Phase I project, TDA will to carry out detailed feasibility studies from chemical development to manufacturing and production. We will also design and fabricate a pre-prototype device. In the Phase II project, TDA make prototypes for field-testing.