Method of and apparatus for generating hydrogen and projectile accelerating apparatus and method incorporating same.

摘要

A projectile (15, 18) is accelerated through a barrel (16) by a high pressure hydrogen gas jet that is derived by exothermically reacting water or a water-hydrogen peroxide liquid mixture with metal or a metal hydride. The temperature of the reaction is controlled by controlling the power in a plasma discharge applied to a reaction chamber (13) containing the liquid and particles of the metal or metal hydride. A non-vaporous metal oxide resulting from the reaction is centrifugally separated (14) from the hydrogen that drives the projectile.