Centrifugal reservoir pump used for processing a hydrogen stream in an aircraft

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12480495-B2
Application number	US-202318173275-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Feb 23, 2023
Priority date	Feb 25, 2022
Publication date	Nov 25, 2025
Grant date	Nov 25, 2025

Abstract

A centrifugal reservoir pump for processing a hydrogen stream in an aircraft. In particular, a centrifugal reservoir pump including a pump casing, a hydrogen stream inlet, a rotor being rotatably arranged in the interior part of the pump and including rotor vanes for accelerating the hydrogen stream, and two hydrogen stream outlets. Further provided is a tank unit including the centrifugal reservoir pump and a reservoir for hydrogen. Further provided is an aircraft including a centrifugal reservoir pump or a tank unit. Further provided is a method of processing hydrogen in an aircraft.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A centrifugal reservoir pump, used for processing a hydrogen stream in an aircraft, comprising:
a pump casing encompassing an interior part of the pump;
a hydrogen stream inlet;
a rotor being rotatably arranged in the interior part of the pump and comprising rotor vanes for accelerating the hydrogen stream perpendicular to a rotating axis of the rotor and for accelerating the hydrogen stream in a circumferential direction; and
a first hydrogen stream outlet and a second hydrogen stream outlet,
wherein the pump casing comprises a pump housing and a cage, wherein the cage is rotatably arranged, and,
wherein the cage, being rotatably arranged, comprises through-holes for passing liquid hydrogen into a gap between the pump housing and the cage enabling a hydrostatic bearing.

2. The pump according to claim 1 , wherein at least one of a distance of the first hydrogen stream outlet to the rotating axis is larger than a distance of the second hydrogen stream outlet to the rotating axis.

3. The pump according to claim 1 , wherein the pump is used for processing the hydrogen stream comprising a liquid hydrogen stream portion and a gaseous hydrogen stream portion and the first hydrogen stream outlet is configured to allow an unloading of the liquid hydrogen stream portion out of the pump and the second hydrogen stream outlet is configured to allow an unloading of the gaseous hydrogen stream portion out of the pump.

4. The pump according to claim 1 , wherein at least one of the first hydrogen stream outlet or the second hydrogen stream outlet comprises a pitot tube, wherein the pitot tube vertically faces the circumferential direction.

5. The pump according to claim 1 , wherein the rotor vanes represent rotor tubes for passing the hydrogen stream within the rotor tubes from the hydrogen stream inlet into the interior part of the pump.

6. The pump according to claim 1 ,
wherein the rotor comprises a shaft forming a shaft tube connecting the hydrogen stream inlet with the interior part of the pump, and
wherein a low pressure mechanical seal is arranged downstream of the hydrogen stream inlet and upstream of the shaft tube.

7. The pump according to claim 4 , wherein at least one of the first hydrogen stream outlet or the second hydrogen stream outlet comprising the pitot tube further comprises a final tube portion downstream the pitot tube, wherein the final tube portion is arranged adjacent to the hydrogen stream inlet.

8. A tank unit for the aircraft comprising
a reservoir for hydrogen, and
the pump according to claim 1 .

9. The tank unit according to claim 8 , wherein the reservoir for the hydrogen is surrounded by a multilayer insulation.

10. The tank unit according to claim 8 , wherein the reservoir for the hydrogen is surrounded by a multilayer insulation configured for thermal isolation between an inner part and an outer part of the reservoir for the hydrogen.

11. An aircraft comprising:
a pump comprising:
a pump casing encompassing an interior part of the pump;
a hydrogen stream inlet;
a rotor being rotatably arranged in the interior part of the pump and comprising rotor vanes for accelerating the hydrogen stream perpendicular to a rotating axis of the rotor and for accelerating the hydrogen stream in a circumferential direction; and
a first hydrogen stream outlet and a second hydrogen stream outlet,
wherein the pump casing comprises a pump housing and a cage, wherein the cage is rotatably arranged, and,
wherein the cage, being rotatably arranged, comprises through-holes for passing liquid hydrogen into a gap between the pump housing and the cage enabling a hydrostatic bearing.

12. An aircraft comprising:
a tank unit comprising:
a reservoir for hydrogen; and,
a pump comprising:
a pump casing encompassing an interior part of the pump;
a hydrogen stream inlet;
a rotor being rotatably arranged in the interior part of the pump and comprising rotor vanes for accelerating the hydrogen stream perpendicular to a rotating axis of the rotor and for accelerating the hydrogen stream in a circumferential direction; and
a first hydrogen stream outlet and a second hydrogen stream outlet,
wherein the pump casing comprises a pump housing and a cage, wherein the cage is rotatably arranged, and,
wherein the cage, being rotatably arranged, comprises through-holes for passing liquid hydrogen into a gap between the pump housing and the cage enabling a hydrostatic bearing.

Assignees

• Airbus Operations Gmbh

Inventors

• Schulze-Reimann Kai

Classifications

• F04D29/4293

  Details of fluid inlet or outlet · CPC title

• F04D13/086

  the pump and drive motor are both submerged · CPC title

• F04D31/00

  Pumping liquids and elastic fluids at the same time · CPC title

• F04D29/5893

  heat insulation or conduction · CPC title

• B01D19/0052

  in rotating vessels, vessels containing movable parts or in which centrifugal movement is caused (B01D19/0026 takes precedence) · CPC title