U.S. Marines typically function in extraordinarily harsh environments — together with distant islands, scorching deserts, rugged mountains and frozen, barren landscapes.
Whereas these warfighters make use of refined, technologically superior gear and weaponry within the area, such instruments want massive quantities of gasoline and vitality to carry out — a tricky demand in austere working environments.
To handle this, the Workplace of Naval Analysis (ONR) International TechSolutions program is sponsoring efforts by the Massachusetts Institute of Know-how (MIT) Lincoln Laboratory to transform aluminum into hydrogen gasoline, which may doubtlessly function a transportable, available energy supply.
TechSolutions is ONR International’s rapid-response science and know-how program that develops prototype applied sciences to handle issues voiced by Sailors and Marines, usually inside roughly 12 months from mission initiation.
Marines not too long ago noticed an illustration of a TechSolutions mission that concerned a fuel-generation prototype system — known as the hydrogen tactical refueling level (H-TaRP) — at Marine Corps Base Camp Lejeune, North Carolina. A part of this demonstration included Marines studying find out how to assemble the H-TaRP in addition to receiving a static demonstration of how the H-TaRP gear works. The Marines realized how hydrogen will be produced with H-TaRP.
“ONR International TechSolutions acquired concerned with H-TaRP when the Marines expressed their need to get gasoline in an expeditionary setting,” mentioned Jason Payne, director of the ONR International TechSolutions program. “TechSolutions took the idea and reached out to our community of suppliers to create that resolution, and MIT was chosen by way of a aggressive course of. TechSolutions offered the assets wanted to develop a proof-of-concept prototype.”
When Marines are within the area, their vitality choices are usually both petroleum- or battery-based. Batteries are efficient however can weigh rather a lot and have to be continuously recharged by way of an influence supply.
H-TaRP — which contains an aluminum dispenser, reactor vessel, water cooling system and a management system manifold to fill an H2 tank — can handle these vitality points with a lighter, agile system that may in the end lighten the load for Marines.
“H-TaRP’s function is to eradicate the necessity for diesel gasoline transport and battery charging by having the ability to use domestically obtainable assets to provide hydrogen gasoline for all kinds of autos,” mentioned Erik Limpacher, chief of the Power Techniques Group at MIT Lincoln Laboratory.
Utilizing easy chemistry, MIT researchers exploited the response of aluminum blended with water to generate hydrogen fuel. Any type of water works within the chemical response: salty ocean water, river water, even urine. This allows H-TaRP to doubtlessly be utilized in many alternative environments.
Moreover, since steam is leftover after the hydrogen gasoline creation course of, it’s obtainable to be distilled and used for ingesting and hydration.
This mannequin of vitality logistics has many advantages over conventional liquid fuels. Using this particular aluminum as a precursor to hydrogen gasoline permits for the storage and transportation of an inert strong as an alternative of liquid gasoline or pressurized fuel, which tremendously improves security. Hydrogen fuel can be appropriate with gasoline cell utilization, which doesn’t generate the noise and warmth signature related to inner combustion engines.
“Looking forward to the Twenty first-century battlefield, Marines will probably be separated from their logistics many instances,” mentioned Maj. Steve Simmons, who commanded Marines in the course of the Camp Lejeune demo. “We anticipate our logistic strains will probably be too lengthy to be efficient to supply speedy help to Marines. Wanting on the battlefields for the following 100 years, we see the necessity for available assets to be transformed into pure vitality.”
Throughout the demo, junior infantry Marines acquired a short tutorial on assembling the H-TaRP system and fireplace groups of as much as 4 warfighters practiced placing it collectively a few instances. After one iteration, they assembled the system in simply 13 minutes — exhibiting the H-TaRP system might be deployed rapidly with minimal coaching. The Marines additionally offered suggestions and steering and confirmed the MIT engineers a two-man meeting course of for his or her system.
Future plans for H-TaRP contain prolonged operation and excessive stress H2 technology, in addition to making the system 50% smaller, aligning it with the Marine Corps commandant’s imaginative and prescient of fielding Marine items with higher mobility and agility.
Watch a video of the H-TaRP demo at .
Scott Hochenberg is a contractor for ONR Company Strategic Communications.
