THIS LETTER REPORT DESCRIBES THE ACTIVITY UNDER TASK ORDER NO. C DURING MARCH, 1958.

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP78-03642A001300010040-2
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: S
• Document Page Count: 6
• Document Creation Date: December 22, 2016
• Document Release Date: May 31, 2012
• Sequence Number: 40
• Publication Date: April 17, 1958
• Content Type: LETTER

A ~ A R w ~~ ~~ ~.
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April 17, 195$
CONFIDENTIAL
Phis letter report describes the activity under task Order
No. C during March, 1858.
During this period, two 1/5-scale runs were made, and some
of the experimental data were analyzed to determine (1) the effect
of increasing the CoCl2 concentration on total generation time, and
(2) the effect of altitude on the amount of water-vapor condensation
and lift. Also, modifications of the small-generator design and
operating procedure were made and evaluated.
Small-Generator Runs
The previous runs in the small experimental generator have
indicated that the quantitative relationship among catalyst concen-
tration, initial temperature, and time for total generation, as de-
duced from the small-scale laboratory studies of this system, needs
to be revised. The selection of catalyst-concentration values on
the basis of the above-mentioned quantitative relationship and the
use of the corresponding amounts of CoCl2 in experiments in the
1/5-scale generator have led to total generation times in excess of
the specified maximum, 60 minutes. In this connection, calculations
were made to investigate the effect of increasing the,CoC12 concen-
tration by a factor of 2. ?n the basis of the assumption that
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-2- April 17, 1958
~QNFIDENTIAL
adiabatic conditions prevail during the reaction, the calculations
showed that doubling the CoC12 concentration reduces the total
generation time by about 38 per cent.
Two 1/5-scale runs were made (Runs 9 and 10). In both,
the amounts of CoCl2 used were in excess of those indicated by the
previously arrived-at relationship. The CoCi2 was added as one
gallon of solution, via the 20-hole ring. The results are summarized
in Table 1; the data for Run 3 are included to provide a basis for
comparison for Run 10.
It is of interest to note that the total generation time
For Run 1C was about 31 per cent less than that for Run 3. This
result shows good agreement between the experimental and the calcu-
lated effect of doubling the CoC12 concentration.
Data on the volumes of hydrogen and water vapor were not
obtained for Run 10. The generation reaction in this run was
followed by recording the bath temperature rather than by measuring
the amount of generated gas by means of a flow meter. Theoretically,
the amount of hydrogen generated in this reaction from the beginning
to any particular time is directly proportional t? the corresponding
fraction of the total temperature rise, i.e., to the fraction
represented by the temperature rise incurred during the time period
of interest divided by the total temperature rise occurring from
the beginning till the completion of the reaction. Some of the ex-
perimental data obtained from previous runs corroborated this theo-
retical relationship.
~Q ~}~ FI D1=NTIAL~
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 Al+Al~P~
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-3- April 17, 195$
CONFIDENTIAL
TABLE 1. DATA FOR ADDITI?NAL RUNS IN 1/5-SCALE GENERATOR
Run No.
9 l0 3
Hydrogen, cu ft (corr}
6E36
-
6ti6
dater vapor, cu ft (corr)
15.2
-
31
Initial temperature, F
66
63
62
Total temperature rise, F
46 fi,
~
57~
63
CoC12.6H2O, lbs
67
~1.`
~ 2 l66
1.37
Excess* amount of catalyst, per cent
60
120.0
9
Total generation time, min
64'~^'
S9 ~c
~5
Completion of reaction, per cent
9??9
-
95.5
*Amount of catalyst in excess of that indicated by the previously
deduced relationship among catalyst concentration, initial tem-
perature, and total generation time.
"{FIDI=NTIAL
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-4- ~~ April 17, 1958
CONFtDENT1
Effect of Altitude on dater-Vapor
Condensation and on Lift
Calculations were made of the amount of water vapor con-
densed from a H2 H2~ mixture as the ambient temperature decreases
(i.e., as the balloon rises). The calculations were based on (1)
the data obtained from Run 5, where 51 cu ft of water vapor were
generated along with the hydrogen; (2) an average temperature of
the gas at sea level of 77 F; and (3) an assumed temperature drop
of 5.4 F per 1,~0~ feet of altitude. The results of the calcula-
tions are as followss
Altitude,
ft
Amount of dater Vapor
Condensed, per cent
0
61
1,660
65
3,30?
70
9 , 900
98
These data indicate that, at an altitude of about 10,40 feet,
practically all of the water vapor will be condensed.
To obtain. an approximation of the effect of the water-
vapor condensation on lift, calculations were made for the following
conditions:
Amount of H2
3,500 cu ft
Amount of water vapor
8.5 lb
Ambient temperature
70 F
Average gas temperature
91 F
~(}~FI~ENTIAL
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CONFIDENTIAL
The calculated values for lift under these conditions are 281 lb at
sea level and 257 lb at an altitude of 9,900 feet.
Additional calculations will be made for a variety of
conditions. The variables that will be considered are water-vapor
content, ambient temperature, average gas temperature, and altitude.
The Generator Units
The 1/5-scale generator was modified to incorporate some
of the design changes that are contemplated for the full-scale ex-
perimental unit. The 30-inch-long water-inlet zipper was patched
and sealed, and a ~-inch-diameter neoprene-coated-fabric water-
inlet tube was fabricated and attached to the small generator. A
2-inch-diameter catalyst-entry tube was fabricated and assembled to
the catalyst-feed tube. Aneoprene-coated-fabric bag was attached
to the end of the catalyst-entry tube. This bag was large enough
so that it could be pulled over a 5-gallon bucket and the bucket
upended so as to simulate the currently contemplated procedure of
pouring catalyst into the full-scale generator. This entry-tube
assembly and the feed tube were then used for adding the 1 gallon
of catalyst solution used in Runs 9 and 10.
A polyethylene container was fabricated and filled with
20 pounds of sodium borohydride for test pouring through a 5-inch-
diameter opening in the 1/5-scale generator. This container was
easy to handle and was emptied in approximately 1 minute.
CONFIDENTIAL
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 wrA~11PT
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~QNFIDENfiIaL
The 1/5-scale generator, modified as indicated shove,
was placed in water, 2 feet deep, and simulated field tests were
made in regard to the handling of the generator in water, the
entry of the water through the entry tube, the tie-off of the entry
tube, and the pouring of 5 gallons of water through the catalyst-
entry tube. Based on the experience gained from these tests, the
water-inlet tube and the catalyst-entry tube, as described above,
were incorporated in the design of the full-scale unit. However,
two water-inlet tubes were specified for the full-scale generator,
in order to reduce the time required to fill the unit to the proper
level.
The total appropriation on this Task Order was $39,375?
As of April 1, 1958, the unexpended balance was approximately
$7,100.
In Duplicate
~~N~ID~NTIAL
Declassified in Part - Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2012/05/31 :CIA-RDP78-03642A001300010040-2