Int. J. Hydrogen Energy, Vol. 15, No. 7, p. 519, 1990. Pergamon Press plc. Printed in Great Britain. International Association for Hydrogen Energy.

N E W P A T E N T S

This Section contains abstracts and, where appropriate, illustrations of recently issued United States patents and published patent applications filed from over 30 countries under the Patent Cooperation Treaty. This information was obtained from recent additions to the Pergamon PATSEARCH ® online database in accordance with interest profiles developed by the Editors. Further information about Pergamon PATSEARCH ® can be obtained from Pergamon Orbit InfoLine Inc., 8000 Westpark Drive, McLean, Virginia 22102 U.S.A.

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4889604 4891181

PROCESS FOR THE PHOTOCATALYTIC

DECOMPOSITION OF WATER INTO HYDROGEN AND OXYGEN

M M Taqui Khan, R Chandra Bhardwaj, Gujarat, India assigned to Council of Scientific & Industrial Research

Hydrogen and oxygen are obtained by the photocatalytic decomposition of water by pas- sing light in an inert atmosphere through an aqueous solution of dioxygen complex of ruthenium and EDTA in which is suspended a semiconductor of hexagonal crystal structure loaded with a noble metal and a transition metal oxide. Hydrogen and oxygen are known to have various uses. Precipitation of the semiconductor material and annealing it at a temperature from 300 degrees-350 degrees C. result in the semi- conductor of hexagonal structure which is suspended in the aqueous solution.

APPARATUS FOR CONTROLLED COMBUSTION OF IGNITABLE

HYDROGEN-AIR MIXTURES IN THE CONTAINMENT OF WATER-

COOLED NUCLEAR REACTOR PLANTS

Reinhard Heck, Hanau, Federal Republic Of Germany assigned to Siemens Aktiengesel- lschaft

An apparatus for the controlled combustion of ignitable hydrogen-air mixtures in the contain- ment of water-cooled nuclear reactor plants in- cludes at least one ignition source having a self- sufficient energy reservoir with a charge status being monitorable at regular time intervals. A tripping element of the ignition source responds as a function of temperature for tripping an igni- tion process and triggering a discharge of the energy reservoir in the ignition source during a predetermined period of time.

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