Patent ID: 8916305

Claim:
A method of generating hydrogen gas comprising: disposing a plurality of pellets within a cartridge, each pellet comprising at least one hydrogen containing material capable of releasing hydrogen gas when heated, said cartridge comprising: a casing; a plurality of solid heat transfer members, each in direct contact with but not penetrating the casing; a hydrogen outlet valve in the casing; and a hydrogen flow path from each pellet to the hydrogen outlet valve; wherein the plurality of solid heat transfer members are configured so that when heat is applied to a portion of the casing in direct contact with one or more solid heat transfer members, the solid heat transfer members transfer heat to one or more pellets to initiate a release of hydrogen gas; disposing the cartridge within a cavity of a compartment, said compartment configured to removably contain the cartridge, the compartment comprising: a housing comprising a wall; a hydrogen outlet through the housing; and a plurality of heating elements disposed within the housing such that when the cartridge is disposed within the cavity each heating element is in contact with a portion of the outer surface of the cartridge casing; selectively applying electrical current to one or more heating elements to heat one or more portions of the outer surface of the cartridge casing in contact with one or more of the solid heat transfer members of the cartridge.