Aircraft comprising a hydrogen supply device incorporating a hydrogen heating system positioned in the fuselage of the aircraft

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11840962-B2
Application number	US-202217878331-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Aug 1, 2022
Priority date	Aug 3, 2021
Publication date	Dec 12, 2023
Grant date	Dec 12, 2023

Abstract

An aircraft including a fuselage, a wing structure, at least one turbomachine running on hydrogen and generating thrust at a propulsion unit distant from the fuselage, at least one fuel tank positioned in the fuselage and configured to store hydrogen in the cryogenic state, at least one hydrogen supply device connecting the fuel tank and the turbomachine and including at least one pump positioned in the fuselage in the vicinity of the fuel tank, at least one hydrogen heating system positioned in the fuselage in the vicinity of the pump. This solution makes it possible to reduce a length of the complex double-walled pipes configured for carrying the hydrogen in the cryogenic state between the fuel tank and the hydrogen heating system.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. An aircraft comprising
a fuselage,
a wing structure,
at least one propulsion unit connected to the wing structure and distant from the fuselage,
said at least one propulsion unit comprising at least one turbomachine running on hydrogen and generating thrust at the propulsion unit,
at least one fuel tank positioned in the fuselage, and configured to store hydrogen in liquid and cryogenic states, and
at least one hydrogen supply device connecting the turbomachine and the fuel tank, the hydrogen supply device comprising
at least one pump connected to the fuel tank and positioned in the fuselage in a vicinity of the fuel tank, and
at least one hydrogen heating system positioned upstream of the turbomachine,

wherein the hydrogen heating system is positioned in the fuselage or in a region of a junction connecting the fuselage and the wing structure, in a vicinity of the pump wherein the hydrogen heating system comprises at least one of
a heat exchanger,
an electrical heating system, or
a catalysis-heating system,

wherein the hydrogen heating system comprises a return circuit configured to tap off some of the heated hydrogen leaving the hydrogen heating system and reintroduce the heated hydrogen into an inlet of the hydrogen heating system.

2. The aircraft as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the hydrogen heating system is separated from the fuel tank by a distance of less than 5 m.

3. The aircraft as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the hydrogen heating system comprises at least a heat exchanger through which a stream of air bled from outside the aircraft passes.

4. The aircraft as claimed claim 1 , wherein the hydrogen heating system comprises at least a heat exchanger configured to exchange heat energy between the hydrogen and a heat-transfer fluid coming from at least a source present in the aircraft.

5. The aircraft as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the hydrogen heating system comprises at least a main heat exchanger configured to exchange heat energy between the hydrogen and an intermediate heat-transfer fluid passing through at least a secondary heat exchanger.

6. The aircraft as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the hydrogen heating system comprises at least two main heat exchangers arranged in series and configured to exchange heat energy between the hydrogen and a one same intermediate heat-transfer fluid passing through at least one secondary heat exchanger.

7. The aircraft as claimed in claim 1 ,
wherein the at least one propulsion unit comprises a multiblade propeller,
wherein the at least one turbomachine is positioned in the region of a junction connecting the fuselage and the wing structure, and
wherein the aircraft comprises a mechanical drivetrain connecting the at least one turbomachine and the multiblade propeller.

8. The aircraft as claimed in claim 7 ,
wherein the at least one turbomachine comprises a rotor which has an axis of rotation, and
wherein the at least one turbomachine is positioned such that this axis of rotation is parallel to a longitudinal axis of the fuselage.

9. The aircraft as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the hydrogen supply device comprises a first double-walled pipe connecting the fuel tank and the pump and a second double-walled pipe connecting the pump and the hydrogen heating system.

10. The aircraft as claimed in claim 9 , wherein the hydrogen supply device comprises a third double-walled pipe connecting the hydrogen heating system and the at least one turbomachine.

11. The aircraft as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the at least one propulsion unit is positioned on a first side of the fuselage, wherein said aircraft comprises at least a second propulsion unit positioned on a second side of the fuselage and connected to the wing structure, said second propulsion unit being distant from the fuselage and comprising a turbomachine, said aircraft comprising at least a second a hydrogen supply device connecting the turbomachine of the second propulsion unit and the fuel tank.

Assignees

• Airbus Sas
• Airbus Operations Sas

Inventors

• Czapla Lionel
• Abele Antoine
• Thubert Benjamin
• Pissavin Alexis
• Verma Abhishek
• Forbes Alistair
• Carretero Benignos Jorge A
• Bammer Benedikt

Classifications

• B64D35/02

  specially adapted for specific power plants · CPC title

• F02C7/224 Primary

  Heating fuel before feeding to the burner · CPC title

• B64D37/30 Primary

  Fuel systems for specific fuels · CPC title

• B64D37/04

  Arrangement thereof in or on aircraft · CPC title

• B64D37/34

  Conditioning fuel, e.g. heating (during filling B64D37/18) · CPC title