Aircraft and method of managing evaporated cryogenic fuel

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9676491-B2
Application number	US-201314654685-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Nov 26, 2013
Priority date	Dec 28, 2012
Publication date	Jun 13, 2017
Grant date	Jun 13, 2017

Abstract

A method of managing evaporated cryogenic fuel in a storage tank of a cryogenic fuel system of an aircraft and an aircraft having at least one turbine engine providing propulsive force for the aircraft and a cryogenic fuel system including a passively cooled cryogenic fuel storage tank located within the aircraft, a pressure vent fluidly coupled to the cryogenic fuel storage tank and exhausting evaporated gas from the cryogenic fuel to define a natural gas vent stream, and a catalytic converter fluidly coupled to the pressure vent.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An aircraft comprising:
at least one turbine engine providing propulsive force for the aircraft; and
a cryogenic fuel system comprising:
a cryogenic fuel storage tank located within the aircraft;
a pressure vent fluidly coupled to the cryogenic fuel storage tank and exhausting evaporated gas from the cryogenic fuel to define a gas vent stream; and
a catalytic converter fluidly coupled to the pressure vent and to the exterior of the aircraft, such that the catalytic converter directly receives the gas vent stream from the pressure vent and converts the gas vent stream into a second gas stream comprising products of oxidation which is vented through the exterior of the aircraft to the atmosphere.

2. The aircraft of claim 1 , further comprising a first mixing device fluidly coupled to the gas vent stream upstream of the catalytic converter and configured to mix the gas vent stream with air prior to reaching the catalytic converter.

3. The aircraft of claim 2 wherein the cryogenic fuel storage tank is passively cooled.

4. The aircraft of claim 1 , further comprising a heater to heat the catalytic converter to between 400° F. and 600° F.

5. The aircraft of claim 1 wherein the catalytic converter comprises a core having a monolith honeycomb structure, formed from ceramic or metallic foil and where catalytic materials of the catalytic converter are formed from a precious metal.

6. The aircraft of claim 5 wherein the catalytic converter further comprises washcoat materials configured to increase surface area of the catalytic materials.

7. The aircraft of claim 1 wherein the cryogenic fuel storage tank is passively cooled.

8. The aircraft of claim 1 wherein the cryogenic fuel is liquefied natural gas.

9. An aircraft comprising:
at least one turbine engine providing propulsive force for the aircraft; and
a cryogenic fuel system comprising:
a cryogenic fuel storage tank located within the aircraft;
a pressure vent fluidly coupled to the cryogenic fuel storage tank and exhausting evaporated gas from the cryogenic fuel to define a gas vent stream; and

a catalytic converter fluidly coupled to the pressure vent and receiving the gas vent stream and converting the gas vent stream into a second gas stream comprising products of oxidation;
further comprising a first mixing device fluidly coupled to the gas vent stream upstream of the catalytic converter and configured to mix the gas vent stream with air prior to reaching the catalytic converter; and
further comprising a blower fluidly coupled to the mixing device and configured to provide the air to be mixed in the mixing device.

10. The aircraft of claim 9 wherein the blower is a high-volume, low-pressure blower.

11. The aircraft of claim 9 , further comprising a second mixing device fluidly coupled to the catalytic converter to receive the second gas stream and fluidly coupled to the blower and configured to mix the products of oxidation with air from the blower.

12. The aircraft of claim 11 , further comprising a splitter valve operably coupled to an output of the blower and configured to divide the air between the first mixing device and the second mixing device.

13. The aircraft of claim 9 wherein the cryogenic fuel storage tank is passively cooled.

14. The aircraft of claim 10 wherein the cryogenic fuel storage tank is passively cooled.

15. A method of managing evaporated cryogenic fuel in a storage tank of a cryogenic fuel system of an aircraft, comprising:
venting gas in the form of evaporated cryogenic fuel from the storage tank to maintain an internal pressure in the storage tank;
mixing the vented gas with air to form a vented gas and air mixture to form a first gas stream; and
passing the first gas stream through a heated catalytic converter to create a second gas stream of products of oxidation; and
venting the second gas stream through the exterior of the aircraft to the atmosphere.

16. The method of claim 15 wherein the air and natural gas are mixed to an equivalence ratio of 0.1.

17. The method of claim 16 wherein operating the catalytic converter at elevated temperatures comprises initially electrically or inductively heating the catalytic converter.

18. The method of claim 15 wherein operating the catalytic converter at elevated temperatures comprises initially electrically or inductively heating the catalytic converter.

19. A method of managing evaporated cryogenic fuel in a storage tank of a cryogenic fuel system of an aircraft, comprising:
venting gas in the form of evaporated cryogenic fuel from the storage tank to maintain an internal pressure in the storage tank;
mixing the vented gas with air to form a vented gas and air mixture to form a first gas stream; and
passing the first gas stream through a heated catalytic converter to create a second gas stream of products of oxidation;
further comprising mixing the second gas stream with air to lower an exhaust temperature of the catalytic converter.

20. The method of claim 19 wherein operating the catalytic converter at elevated temperatures comprises initially electrically or inductively heating the catalytic converter.

Assignees

• Gen Electric

Inventors

• Epstein Michael Jay
• Delgado Jr Adon
• Weisgerber Robert Harold

Classifications

• B64D37/02

  Tanks (tanks constructed integrally with aircraft wings B64C3/34) · CPC title

• B64D37/30 Primary

  Fuel systems for specific fuels · CPC title

• Y02T50/44

  Cross-Sectional Technologies · mapped topic

• Y02T90/44

  Cross-Sectional Technologies · mapped topic

• Y02T50/40

  Weight reduction · CPC title