Patent ID: 8323614

Claim:
A method for hydrolysis of a chemical hydride comprising: adding a chemical hydride to a first reaction chamber; exposing the chemical hydride in the first reaction chamber to a temperature of at least about 100° C. in the presence of water such that the relative humidity in the reaction chamber is at least about 20% in the absence of an acid or a heterogeneous catalyst, wherein a portion of the chemical hydride undergoes hydrolysis to form hydrogen gas and a byproduct material while the remaining portion of chemical hydride remains unreacted, and further wherein a portion of the water forms steam as a result of heat generated by the hydrolysis; feeding the hydrogen gas and steam to a condensing radiator wherein condensate water formed from the steam is returned to the first reaction chamber from the condensing radiator; and transferring the remaining unreacted portion of the chemical hydride and the byproduct material to a second reaction chamber wherein the unreacted portion of the chemical hydride undergoes hydrolysis to form hydrogen gas.