The system could ultimately weigh less than a kilo. A soldier would have to carry ten times as much of the best lithium batteries currently available to provide equivalent power for one week. In addition, unlike most military batteries, the generator's fuel processor allows the system to be refueled so it can be used again. And the generator will hopefully cost much less than an equivalent supply of batteries too, keeping the bean counters in the Pentagon happy. It uses a proprietary catalyst to produce hydrogen from hydrocarbon fuels.
Reactions take place within small channels of a catalytic converter.
These micro-channels enhance heat and mass transfer rates and significantly speed up chemical reactions, which helps reduce the device's size. And hence leave more room in the backpack for bullets. Or plasma magazines. Copyright 2001 Beyond Online Limited. All rights reserved.