JPS5855810B2 - Gas generator and flotation device using it - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates to a gas generator and a flotation device using the gas generator used in a flotation device for, for example, recovering measuring equipment in ocean observation or flotation and recovery of fishing gear in fishing. It is.

Conventionally, there are various types of gas generators, including those that supply gas from high-pressure gas cylinders, those that generate gas by burning or decomposing gunpowder or combustible substances, and those that generate gas through a chemical reaction between a liquid and a solid. There are two types of gas generators, but all of them are designed to withstand the gas pressure inside the gas generator, the pressure during gas generation, and the heat during reaction.
Since a metal container was used, the overall weight of the device tended to be heavy.

Furthermore, when using such conventional gas generators underwater, especially in deep sea, the container must be thickened to withstand high water pressure, which increases the overall weight of the device. It was extremely heavy, making it unsuitable as a gas generator for flotation equipment.

An object of the present invention is to provide a simple and lightweight gas generator that does not require special pressure-resistant and heat-resistant structures, and a flotation device using the gas generator, in order to solve the above-mentioned problems. .

That is, the gas generator, which is the first object of the present invention, contains water stored in a deformable closed container that can be freely deformed without being ruptured by surrounding pressure, and has a water inlet and a gas outlet. A gas generating agent that generates gas by reacting with
A combustion agent for reaction initiation stored in a variable-shaped airtight container similar to the above, and an igniter for combusting the reaction initiation combustion agent, and, if necessary, stored in a variable-shaped airtight container similar to the above. It is characterized in that it also contains a reaction accelerator.

Further, the flotation device which is the second object of the present invention is (1) a gas collector having an exhaust valve at one end and a water inlet at the other end.

(2) The gas generator of the present invention described above; and (3) an operating device for operating the gas generator.

This flotation device may be configured by combining the gas collector, gas generator, and actuating device adjacently, but for example, the gas generator may be housed within the gas collector. With this configuration, the entire floating device becomes compact, which is convenient in practice.

When using the gas generator of the present invention as described above underwater,
Since the deformable sealed container described above is free to deform, it can be deformed without breaking even when the contents are compressed under high water pressure in the deep sea.

When using solid particulates as the gas generating agent and reaction accelerator, these solid particulate gas generating agents and reaction accelerators are mixed with a liquid that does not react with them, that is, a non-reactive liquid. By making it into a slurry, the sliding between solid particles is improved (and air bubbles are removed), so the influence of external pressure on the variable-shaped sealed container is further alleviated, and as a result, the wall thickness of the variable-shaped sealed container can be reduced. Can be made thinner.

Therefore, commercially available containers made of soft plastic sheets, containers made of rubber sheets, etc. can be used.

In addition, as described above, in a container having a water inlet and a gas outlet, which accommodates a variable-shaped sealed container, water can freely flow in and out from the water inlet, so even under high water pressure such as in the deep sea, the container can be used even under high water pressure. The pressure between the inside and outside of the container is always balanced, and the container itself is hardly affected by pressure, so pressure resistance is not required.

Therefore, the container can have a lightweight structure using a thin-walled synthetic resin container, a thin-walled metal container, etc., and the weight of the entire gas generator can be extremely light.

In addition, the combustion agent for starting the reaction is combusted by heating and igniting it by applying electricity to an igniter such as an electric resistance heating wire or a igniter ball with ignition powder applied around it, and it is placed in a variable-shaped airtight container. The stored material has sufficient combustibility to prevent combustion interruption even under high water pressure such as in the deep sea.

This reaction-initiating combustion agent uses the heat generated by combustion to thermally destroy the variable-shaped sealed container containing the gas generating agent and reaction accelerator, and efficiently mixes the gas generating agent, reaction accelerator, and water to cause a gas generation reaction. This is what starts the process.

For this reason, it is desirable that the variable-shaped sealed container containing the combustion agent for reaction initiation be placed in contact with the variable-shaped sealed container containing the gas generating agent and reaction accelerator along their entire length; The gas-generating reaction can be caused quickly.

Examples of the gas generating agent that generates gas by reacting with water used in the present invention include boron hydride compounds of alkali metals such as potassium and sodium, beryllium,
Boron hydride compounds of alkaline earth metals such as magnesium and calcium, boron hydride compounds of metals from Group I of the Periodic Table of the Elements such as aluminum and gallium, lithium,
Alkali metal hydrides such as potassium and sodium, alkaline earth metal hydrides such as calcium and strontium, and mixtures thereof can be used.

Further, the reaction accelerator is used as necessary depending on the type of gas generating agent used.

That is, when using a metal hydride as described above as a gas generating agent, a reaction promoter is not particularly required, but when using a metal boron hydride compound as described above as a gas generating agent, the gas generation rate may be reduced. It is desirable to use a reaction accelerator in combination to speed up the reaction appropriately.

Reaction accelerators used for this purpose include inorganic acids, organic acids, metal chlorides, and mixtures thereof, such as dilute hydrochloric acid, oxalic acid, acetic acid, cobalt chloride, and the like.

The following table shows the gas generation time (time until 95% or more of gas is generated) when various reaction accelerators are used for 1 mole of sodium borohydride.

Next, the combustion agent for starting the reaction used in the present invention is as follows:
There are combustible compositions made of metal powder and metal oxides or metal peroxides, such as silicon iron-lead combustible compositions and aluminum-barium peroxide combustible compositions. .

For example, liquid paraffin, isopropyl alcohol, benzene, etc. are used as the non-reactive liquid to be mixed with the solid gas generating agent and the reaction promoter to form a slurry. Water is used as a useful non-reactive liquid.

In the flotation device of the present invention, the gas collector of the flotation device is equipped with a water inlet, so water can freely flow in and out, and the external pressure and internal pressure are always kept in equilibrium underwater. Not affected.

Therefore, like the container of the gas generator, a thin synthetic resin container, such as a thin polyvinyl chloride container, or a thin metal container, such as a thin iron plate container, can be used.

Further, the operating device for operating the gas generator may be any device that can energize the igniter of the gas generator when required, and various energizing operating devices that are normally used for this purpose can be used. .

For example, a timer mechanism that turns on the power after a predetermined time;
An automatic actuation device such as a pressure switch mechanism that turns on the power when a predetermined water depth is reached, or a remote-controlled actuation device that turns on the power switch by wired operation, radio waves, ultrasonic, or other wireless operation can be used.

Next, a gas generator of the present invention and a floating device using the same will be specifically explained with reference to an example shown in the drawings.

FIG. 1 is a longitudinal cross-sectional view showing one example of the gas generator of the present invention, and FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view taken along line n-I[' in FIG. 1.

In the figure, 1 is the gas generator of the present invention, 2 is the water inlet 3
The container is made of iron plate and has a thickness of 0.5 mm and a gas discharge port 4.

5a. 5b and 5c are variable-shaped airtight containers made of polyethylene sheets with a thickness of 0.05 mm, each containing a gas generating agent 6 made of sodium borohydride slurried with liquid paraffin, oxalic acid and A reaction accelerator 7 in the form of an aqueous solution or water slurry consisting of cobalt chloride, and a combustion agent 8 for initiating a reaction using a silicon-iron-lead-based combustible composition are stored.

9 is a variable airtight container 5c containing a combustion agent 8 for starting the reaction.
The igniter is inserted into the igniter and connected to the power supply circuit with a lead wire 10.

The igniter 9 is, for example, a plastic case in which an ignition ball and a pyrotechnic charge are sealed.

Next, FIG. 3 is a longitudinal sectional view showing an example of a flotation device of the present invention using the gas generator 1 shown in FIG. 1.

In the figure, 11 is a flotation device of the present invention, and a water inlet 3b
The gas collector 13 is made of hard vinyl chloride resin and has a wall thickness of 3 mm and has an exhaust valve 12 and an exhaust valve 12, a gas generator 1 housed in the gas collector 13, and an actuator 14. .

15 is a cylindrical guide that guides gas leaking from below the gas generator 1 to above the gas collector 13.

Reference numeral 16 indicates an underwater object such as an observation device that is lifted up by the flotation device 11;
This is the rope hanging below 1.

Next, the gas generator 1 and the flotation device 11 illustrated in the above figure will be described.
The operation will be explained with reference to FIG.

The underwater object 16 is suspended from the flotation device 11, and the exhaust valve 1 is opened.
2 is opened and the flotation device 11 is immersed in water, water enters the gas collector 13 from the water inlet 3b while expelling air from the exhaust valve 12, and gas is generated from the water inlet 3a. The container 1 is also filled with water.

Here, after closing the exhaust valve 12, this flotation device 11
When the underwater use object 16 is allowed to sink, a water pressure equal to the outside water pressure is applied to the inside of the flotation device 11 as well.

In such a state, water pressure is applied directly to the variable-shaped sealed containers 5a, 5b, and 5c in the gas generator 1, but since they themselves have flexibility, they can withstand water pressure up to their compressible limit. be able to.

For example, variable airtight containers 5a, 5b, and 5c made of polyethylene sheets with a wall thickness of 0.05 mm have a thickness of approximately 300 mm.
It was able to withstand water pressure of kg/crrt without tearing.

The underwater object 16 suspended from this flotation device 11 is
In order to raise the device after using it underwater, the flotation device 11 is activated.

For example, an ultrasonic signal is sent to the actuating device 14 consisting of an ultrasonic actuating switch and a power source battery to turn on the power circuit by remote control, and the ignition ball of the igniter 9 is energized from the battery through the lead wire 10. , ignites the igniter 9.

Then, the combustion agent 8 for starting the reaction is ignited, and the combustion heat generated by the combustion agent 8 causes the deformable closed containers 5 a , 5 b , and 5 c to be ignited.
is broken, and the gas generating agent 6 and reaction accelerator 7 are released into the container 2 of the gas generator 1 and pass through the water inlet 3a.
It is mixed with water coming in from the outside, and in this example, sodium borohydride, which is the gas generating agent 6, reacts with the water to generate hydrogen gas as described below.

This reaction is accelerated by the presence of reaction accelerator 7.

Na2B2H6+2H20→Na2(BH20H)2+
2H2 The generated hydrogen gas enters the gas collection volume 13 from the gas discharge port 4, pushes out a portion of the water that was filled there from the water inlet 3b, and accumulates at the top of the gas collector 13 to form a flotation device. Gives buoyancy to 11.

Even if the water pressure decreases as the flotation device 11 rises and the hydrogen gas expands, the water in the gas collection amount 13 is pushed out from the water inlet 3b according to the expansion to balance the external water pressure and the internal pressure. can be maintained, and the containers of the water lagooning device 11 do not need to be particularly pressure resistant.

As described above, the gas generator of the present invention and the flotation device using the same have a structure that is not affected by external pressure underwater, so the various containers that are its constituent members are thin. The weight of the entire device is extremely light.

Moreover, the structure is simple and inexpensive materials can be used, so
The gas generator and flotation device of the present invention are very inexpensive and can be easily assembled on site.

Therefore, the gas generator of the present invention is particularly useful as a buoyancy generation source, power source, etc. for underwater equipment, such as in ocean development fishing.

[Brief explanation of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a longitudinal cross-sectional view showing one example of the gas generator of the present invention, and FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view of the river-1 canal in FIG. 1. FIG. 3 is a longitudinal cross-sectional view showing an example of the flotation device of the present invention using the gas generator of FIG. 1. 1: Gas generator, 2: Container, 3 a, 3 b: Water inlet, 4: Gas discharge port, 5 a, 5 b, 5 c: Variable sealed container, 6: Gas generating agent, 7: Reaction accelerator, 8 : Combustion agent for reaction initiation, 9: Ignition tool, 11: Floating device, 12: Exhaust valve, 13: Gas collector, 14: Actuating device.

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1. In a container having a water inlet and a gas outlet, (a)
A gas generating agent that is stored in a variable-shaped airtight container and generates gas by reacting with water. (b) A combustion agent for initiating a reaction stored in a variable airtight container. (e) A gas generator comprising an igniter for burning the combustion agent for initiating the reaction and, if necessary, a reaction accelerator housed in a variable airtight container. 2. Patents using boron hydride compounds of alkali metals, alkaline earth metals, or metals from Group I of the Periodic Table of Elements, hydrides of alkali metals or alkaline earth metals, or mixtures thereof as gas generating agents. A gas generator according to claim 1. 3. The gas generator according to claim 2, wherein sodium borohydride is used as the alkali metal boron hydride compound of the gas generating agent. 4. The gas generator according to claim 2, wherein potassium boron hydride is used as the alkali metal boron hydride compound of the gas generating agent. 5. The gas generator according to claim 2, wherein beryllium boron hydride is used as the boron hydride compound of alkaline earth metal of the gas generating agent. 6. The gas generator according to claim 2, in which boron aluminum hydride is used as the boron hydride compound of a metal of Group I of the Periodic Table of the Elements for the gas generating agent. 7. The gas generator according to claim 2, wherein lithium hydride is used as the alkali metal hydride of the gas generating agent. 8. The gas generator according to claim 2, wherein potassium hydride is used as the alkali metal hydride of the gas generating agent. 9. The gas generator according to claim 1, which uses an inorganic acid, an organic acid, a metal chloride, or a mixture thereof as a reaction accelerator. 10. The gas generator according to claim 9, wherein dilute hydrochloric acid is used as the inorganic acid of the reaction accelerator. 11. The gas generator according to claim 9, wherein acetic acid is used as the organic acid of the reaction accelerator. 12. The gas generator according to claim 9, which uses oxalic acid as the organic acid of the reaction accelerator. 13. The gas generator according to claim 9, which uses cobalt chloride as the metal chloride of the reaction promoter. 14. The gas generator according to claim 1, which uses a flexible plastic sheet container or a rubber sheet container as the variable-shaped airtight container. 15. The gas generator according to claim 14, wherein the flexible plastic sheet container is a polyethylene sheet container. 16. The gas generator according to claim 1, which uses a combustible composition comprising metal powder and a metal oxide or metal peroxide as a combustion agent for starting the reaction. 17 Claim 16, in which a silicon iron-lead based combustible composition is used as the combustible composition of the combustible agent for reaction initiation.
The gas generator described in section. 18. The gas generator according to claim 16, wherein an aluminum-barium peroxide-based combustible composition is used as the combustible composition of the combustible agent for reaction initiation. 19. The gas generator according to claim 1, which uses an electric resistance heating wire as the igniter. 20. The gas generator according to claim 1, which uses as the igniter an ignition ball formed by applying ignition powder around an electric resistance heating wire. In a container having a water inlet and a gas outlet, (a)
A gas generating agent that reacts with water and generates gas, which is stored in a variable-shaped airtight container and mixed with a non-reactive liquid. (b) A combustion agent for initiating a reaction housed in a variable airtight container. (C) An igniter for burning the combustion agent for initiating the reaction. A gas generator, which is also equipped with a reaction accelerator mixed with a non-reactive liquid and housed in a variable-shaped airtight container as necessary. Claim 21: One or more non-reactive liquids selected from the group consisting of liquid paraffin, isopropyl alcohol and benzene are used as the non-reactive liquid, and this is mixed with the gas generating agent. The gas generator described in section. 23. The gas generator according to claim 21, which uses water as the non-reactive liquid and mixes it with a reaction promoter. 24 (1) A gas collector having an exhaust valve at one end and a water inlet at the other end. (2) In a container having a water inlet and a gas outlet, (a
) A gas generating agent that is stored in a variable-shaped airtight container and generates gas when it reacts with water. (b) A reaction accelerator housed in a variable-shaped sealed container. (C) A combustion agent for initiating a reaction stored in a variable airtight container. (d) An igniter for burning the combustion agent for initiating the reaction. A gas generator equipped with (3) An operating device for operating the gas generator. A flotation device equipped with 25. The flotation device according to claim 24, wherein the gas generator is housed in a gas collection container.