System for filling cryogenic compressed hydrogen tanks and method of operation thereof

Abstract

An apparatus for filling a vessel with cryogenic compressed hydrogen is disclosed herein. The apparatus includes a filler controller configured to: vent the vessel based on a pressure of the vessel prior to a filling process; fill a mixing tank with at least cryogenic compressed hydrogen based on the pressure of the vessel and a pressure of the mixing tank, wherein the mixing tank is connected upstream of the vessel and is configured to include cryogenic compressed hydrogen; initiate the filling process of the vessel; adjust a temperature of the mixing tank in response to a temperature of the vessel not satisfying a target temperature of the vessel during the filling process, wherein the temperature of the mixing tank will be adjusted based on an increase or decrease in a flow of supercritical hydrogen; and end the filling process in response to the pressure of the vessel satisfying a target pressure of the vessel.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This disclosure generally relates to refueling tanks, and more specifically, to systems for refueling hydrogen tanks and methods of operating thereof. Background Technology

[0002] In recent years, hydrogen-powered vehicles (e.g., cars, aircraft, buses, ships, etc.) have become more prevalent. Consequently, advancements in hydrogen storage tanks and refueling methods have increased. A typical liquid hydrogen (LH2) refueling system includes a supply tank and / or trailer, flow control valves, volumetric flow meters, cryogenic valves, and vacuum jacketed flow lines. Along with onboard LH2 tanks, some hydrogen-powered vehicles (e.g., aircraft) also include cryogenic pumps or other mechanisms to supply gaseous hydrogen (GH2) to the engine for combustion and power generation. Some hydrogen-powered vehicles include onboard cryogenic compressed hydrogen (CcH2) tanks, storing hydrogen in a supercritical state (e.g., a supercritical gas) at a pressure higher than that of LH2 tanks but with a similar density. For example, CcH2 tanks can store hydrogen at a pressure of 36 kg / m³. 3 Up to 83kg / m 3 CcH2 can be stored in a density range, a pressure range of 100 bar to 350 bar, and a low temperature range of 40 Kelvin (K) to 70 K. Attached Figure Description

[0003] The specification with reference to the accompanying drawings sets forth a complete and feasible disclosure of preferred embodiments for those skilled in the art, including its best mode, wherein:

[0004] Figure 1 shows a known system for refueling a tank containing liquid hydrogen (LH2);

[0005] Figure 2 A first example cryogenic compressed hydrogen (CcH2) refueling system according to the teachings of this disclosure is shown;

[0006] Figure 3 A second example CcH2 dispensing system according to the teachings of this disclosure is shown;

[0007] Figure 4 A third example CcH2 dispensing system according to the teachings of this disclosure is shown;

[0008] Figure 5 An example hydrogen aircraft with an example onboard CcH2 tank is shown;

[0009] Figure 6 The relationship between saturation pressure and temperature, and density and temperature of LH2 are shown.

[0010] Figure 7The relationship between the density and pressure of CcH2 at two different temperatures is shown;

[0011] Figure 8 This is a flowchart illustrating the operation of the example CcH2 refueling system;

[0012] Figure 9 This is a flowchart illustrating the operation of the example CcH2 dispenser of the example CcH2 dispensing system;

[0013] Figure 10 An example processing platform is shown, which includes components configured to perform... Figure 8-9 The example processor circuitry contains machine-readable instructions.

[0014] The accompanying drawings are not drawn to scale. Instead, the thickness of layers or regions may be enlarged in the drawings. Generally, the same reference numerals will be used throughout the drawings and the accompanying written description to refer to the same or similar parts. As used herein, a statement that any part (e.g., layer, film, area, region, or plate) is in any way (e.g., positioned on, located on, disposed on, or formed on, etc.) another part indicates that the referenced part is either in contact with or above the other part, with one or more intermediate parts situated between them. Unless otherwise stated, connection references (e.g., attachment, coupling, joining, joining, separating, disconnecting, disconnecting, separating, etc.) will be interpreted broadly and may include intermediate members between sets of elements and relative movement between elements. As used herein, the term "disconnectable" refers to the ability of two parts to be attached, joined, and / or otherwise joined and then separated, disconnected, and / or otherwise nondestructively separated from each other (e.g., by removing one or more fasteners, removing the connecting portion, etc.). Therefore, connection / disconnection references do not necessarily imply that two elements are directly connected and have a fixed relationship with each other. Declaring that any part is "in contact" with another part means that there is no intermediate part between the two parts.

[0015] The descriptors “first,” “second,” “third,” etc., are used herein to identify multiple elements or components that can be individually mentioned. Unless otherwise specified or understood based on their context of use, such descriptors are not intended to assign any meaning of priority, physical order or arrangement in a list, or chronological order, but merely serve as labels to refer to multiple elements or components separately to facilitate understanding of the disclosed examples. In some examples, the descriptor “first” may be used to refer to an element in the detailed description, while different descriptors (e.g., “second” or “third”) may be used in the claims to refer to the same element. In such cases, it should be understood that such descriptors are only used for the convenience of referring to multiple elements or components. Detailed Implementation

[0016] The operation of systems used for refueling hydrogen-powered vehicles (e.g., aircraft, cars, trucks, ships, etc.) with liquid hydrogen (LH2) typically involves LH2 supply tanks (e.g., on supply trucks / trailers) that have the same structure or function as onboard LH2 tanks. The refueling system uses pumps and other equipment to supply the hydrogen vehicle with LH2 at the correct temperature and saturation pressure. Some vehicles or machines (such as other hydrogen vehicles, spacecraft, municipal power, etc.) use cryogenic compressed hydrogen (CcH2) tanks instead of LH2 tanks to store hydrogen fuel for power generation. In some examples used herein, “cryocompressed hydrogen” refers to hydrogen (e.g., LH2, gaseous hydrogen (GH2), hydrogen vapor, etc.) that has been compressed to a pressure greater than the hydrogen critical point (e.g., 13 bar) while being at a cryogenic temperature (e.g., 40 K to 70 K). For example, at such pressures and temperatures, LH2 transitions to a supercritical fluid and can then be referred to as CcH2. Some hydrogen aircraft include onboard CcH2 tanks instead of onboard LH2 tanks, thus eliminating the need for cryogenic pumps on the aircraft. Instead, the CcH2 is already highly compressed (e.g., up to 350 bar) in the onboard CcH2 tank and can be supplied to the engine for combustion via a pressure-driven fuel supply system. Including an onboard CcH2 tank without a cryogenic pump saves weight and space on hydrogen aircraft compared to other hydrogen aircraft that include both an onboard LH2 tank and an LH2 pump. Examples disclosed herein include systems for fueling CcH2 tanks on or integrated into power generation facilities (e.g., municipal power plants using CcH2 fuel) to target pressures and temperatures, such that the target pressures and temperatures are achieved together and the CcH2 is not converted back to LH2.

[0017] In the examples disclosed herein, the CcH2 refueling system can be used to refuel onboard CcH2 canisters and / or other example CcH2 canisters, vessels, and / or containers to a target pressure while controlling the temperature within the example CcH2 canisters. During the refueling process using the example CcH2 refueling system, the reverse Joule-Thomson effect of hydrogen causes a partial decrease in temperature of the CcH2 in the CcH2 refueling system and the CcH2 canisters. In thermodynamics, the Joule-Thomson effect describes the temperature change of a real gas as it flows from a high-pressure region to a low-pressure region through an orifice (also known as a throttling orifice). At room temperature and constant enthalpy, hydrogen heats up during expansion due to the Joule-Thomson effect. However, at low temperatures (e.g., CcH2 temperatures of 40 K, 50 K, 70 K, etc.), the Joule-Thomson effect of hydrogen reverses, causing hydrogen to cool during expansion. In the examples disclosed herein, the CcH2 refueling system includes a valve (e.g., a proportioning valve, regulator valve, cryogenic valve, etc.) that throttles the CcH2 fuel, resulting in expansion and cooling of the CcH2 downstream of the valve and in the example CcH2 tank. The examples disclosed herein include a CcH2 refueling system that introduces gaseous hydrogen into the CcH2 fuel during the refueling process to controllably heat the CcH2 fuel and counteract the inverse Joule-Thomson effect of the CcH2.

[0018] The example CcH2 refueling system disclosed herein includes a CcH2 refueling unit, a CcH2 source, and a supercritical hydrogen (sH2) source to refuel CcH2 containers and / or vessels (e.g., on aircraft, spacecraft, integrated into municipal power systems, etc.) to a target pressure at a target temperature. The example CcH2 source may include a cryogenic pump to cryogenically compress LH2 into CcH2. Additionally or alternatively, the example CcH2 source may include a CcH2 supply tank. The example sH2 source may include a vaporizer to heat a portion of the CcH2 fuel to near ambient temperature (e.g., to 310 K when the ambient temperature is 313 K, or to 230 K when the ambient temperature is 233 K). Additionally or alternatively, the example sH2 source may include a hydrogen storage tank capable of storing hydrogen at high pressure (e.g., 20 bar or higher) and near ambient temperature, such that sH2 can be maintained in a supercritical state. In the examples disclosed herein, the CcH2 dispenser includes a mixing tank to mix CcH2 from a CcH2 source and sH2 ​​from an sH2 source before filling the CcH2 tank with CcH2 fuel. An example CcH2 dispenser controller causes adjustment of the flow rate of sH2 entering the mixing tank to control the temperature of the CcH2 fuel supplied to the CcH2 tank. For example, when the temperature of the CcH2 tank does not meet a target temperature (e.g., when the temperature drops below 40 K), the CcH2 dispenser controller increases the flow rate of sH2 entering the mixing tank until the temperature of the CcH2 tank meets the target temperature or until the temperature of the mixing tank meets the target temperature (e.g., or the target temperature of the mixing tank).

[0019] In some examples used herein, "saturation pressure" refers to the vapor pressure acting on the walls of a tank (e.g., an LH2 supply tank and / or an onboard LH2 tank) and on the surface of the liquid (e.g., LH2) within the tank when the vapor and liquid are in equilibrium. That is, the vapor is considered to be in equilibrium with the liquid when the liquid temperature remains relatively constant and does not increase sufficiently to cause further evaporation. Example onboard CcH2 tank 206 is referred to as storing CcH2 at "pressure" rather than "saturation pressure" because the CcH2 within onboard CcH2 tank 206 is a supercritical fluid in which LH2 is absent.

[0020] In some examples used in this article, "upstream" and "downstream" refer to the relative directions of fluid flow in a fluid path. The term "upstream" refers to the direction from which the fluid flows, and "downstream" refers to the direction from which the fluid flows. For example, if the system includes a pump and a flow meter, and the flow meter measures the flow rate of fluid leaving the pump, then the flow meter is downstream of the pump, and the pump is upstream of the flow meter.

[0021] In some examples used herein, “comprising” and “including” (and all forms and tenses thereof) are used as open-ended terms. Therefore, whenever a claim uses any form of “comprising” or “including” (e.g., including, comprising, having, etc.) in a preamble or in any type of claim statement, it should be understood that additional elements, terms, etc., may be present without exceeding the scope of the corresponding claim or statement. As used herein, when the phrase “at least” is used as a transitional term, for example, in the preamble of a claim, it is open-ended in the same way that the terms “comprising” and “including” are open-ended. The term “and / or”, when used, for example, in the form of A, B, and / or C, refers to any combination or subset of A, B, and C, such as (1) A alone, (2) B alone, (3) C alone, (4) A and B, (5) A and C, (6) B and C, and (7) A and B and C. As used herein in the context of describing structures, components, items, objects, and / or things, the phrase "at least one of A and B" is intended to refer to any implementation including (1) at least one A, (2) at least one B, and (3) at least one A and at least one B. Similarly, as used herein in the context of describing structures, components, items, objects, and / or things, the phrase "at least one of A or B" is intended to refer to any implementation including (1) at least one A, (2) at least one B, and (3) at least one A and at least one B. As used herein in the context of describing the conduct or execution of processes, instructions, actions, activities, and / or steps, the phrase "at least one of A and B" is intended to refer to any implementation including (1) at least one A, (2) at least one B, and (3) at least one A and at least one B. Similarly, as used herein in the context of describing the conduct or execution of processes, instructions, actions, activities, and / or steps, the phrase "at least one of A or B" is intended to refer to any implementation including (1) at least one A, (2) at least one B, and (3) at least one A and at least one B.

[0022] As used herein, singular references (e.g., “a,” “an,” “first,” “second,” etc.) do not exclude plurals. As used herein, the term “a” or “an” refers to one or more of that entity. The terms “a” (or “an”), “one or more,” and “at least one” are used interchangeably herein. Furthermore, although listed separately, multiple means, elements, or method actions can be implemented, for example, by a single unit or processor. Moreover, while individual features may be included in different examples or claims, these may be combined, and inclusion in different examples or claims does not imply that the combination of features is impractical and / or disadvantageous.

[0023] Throughout the accompanying drawings disclosed herein, the same numerals designate the same elements. Figure 1 is an illustrative block diagram representing a conventional LH2 refueling system 100. As shown in Figure 1, the LH2 refueling system 100 (“System 100”) includes an example LH2 supply tank 102, an example hydrogen vehicle 104, an example airborne LH2 tank 106, an example proportional valve 108, an example flow meter 110, and an example refueling valve 112, all connected in series via an example vacuum jacket (VJ) streamline 114 and an example flexible VJ streamline 116. Generally, System 100 is configured to supply LH2 to the airborne LH2 tank 106 at the same temperature and pressure as in the LH2 supply tank 102.

[0024] The example system 100 shown in Figure 1 includes an LH2 supply tank 102 to supply LH2 fuel to an example hydrogen aircraft 104 at known temperature and pressure. The example LH2 supply tank 102 may be mounted on a trailer of an LH2 supply truck for mobile fuel delivery. In some examples, the LH2 supply tank 102 is stationary and located near the intended docking area of ​​the aircraft 104. During storage, the LH2 temperature may rise, some LH2 may vaporize / evaporate, and therefore the pressure in the LH2 supply tank 102 may rise. In some examples, the LH2 supply tank 102 includes an venting mechanism to release hydrogen vapor and reduce pressure buildup caused by vaporization. The example LH2 supply tank 102 may also include insulating material and / or insulating structures (e.g., a vacuum layer between an inner and outer shell) to maintain the cryogenic temperature of the LH2 and limit excessive vaporization.

[0025] The example system 100 shown in Figure 1 includes an onboard LH2 tank 106 for storing LH2 fuel on an example aircraft 104. In some examples, the onboard LH2 tank 106 of the example aircraft 104 includes a similar or identical structure and function to the LH2 supply tank 102. The example onboard LH2 tank 106 contains hydrogen in two different states (e.g., LH2 and GH2), and the gradual evaporation of LH2 causes an increase in the saturation pressure of the onboard LH2 tank 106. In some examples, the onboard LH2 tank 106 includes one or more emission mechanisms to control the increased saturation pressure due to vaporization and to meet the saturation pressure threshold of the onboard LH2 tank 106.

[0026] In some examples, aircraft 104 includes a cryogenic pump (e.g., an LH2 pump) to supply LH2 fuel to other components of the fuel supply line (e.g., heat exchangers, compressors, buffer tanks, etc.) and ultimately to the engine's combustor. Because the saturation pressure in the example onboard LH2 tank 106 has a limited range (e.g., 1 bar to 10 bar), the internal saturation pressure is insufficient to drive LH2 fuel through the fuel supply line. Therefore, a cryogenic pump is included in the example onboard LH2 tank 106 to send LH2 to the heat exchanger and / or compressor, resulting in a phase change to GH2. GH2 can then be further supplied to the combustor as fuel via the cryogenic pump and / or another pump.

[0027] The example system 100 shown in Figure 1 includes a proportional valve 108 to control the flow rate of LH2 fuel through the system 100. In some examples, the proportional valve 108 is a servo valve that can be hydraulically or electronically actuated via a signal (e.g., digital or analog) to generate an effective outlet area. Standard control valves typically operate in a fully open or fully closed flow state. The example proportional valve 108 can adjust the position of the valve spool to control the flow rate of LH2 through one or more outlet streamlines. The pressure of LH2 upstream and downstream of the example proportional valve 108 remains constant, but the mass flow rate and volumetric flow rate of LH2 can vary depending on the desired refueling rate. The example proportional valve 108 can operate at a temperature below 233 K and can regulate the flow of cryogenic fluids (e.g., liquefied natural gas, liquid oxygen, LH2, etc.). The example proportional valve 108 is configured to thermally insulate the LH2 fuel during transmission to prevent or inhibit vaporization. In some examples, the proportional valve 108 is connected to upstream and / or downstream components via one or more VJ flow lines 114 and / or one or more flexible VJ flow lines 116.

[0028] The example system 100 shown in Figure 1 includes a flow meter 110 to detect the flow rate of LH2 through the system 100. In some examples, the flow meter 110 is a volumetric flow meter that can detect the volume of LH2 flowing per unit time. In some examples, the flow meter 110 measures the velocity of the LH2 flow and multiplies that velocity by the cross-sectional area of ​​the streamline in which the flow meter 110 is located. The example flow meter 110 can also determine the total volume of LH2 currently supplied to the onboard LH2 tank 106. For example, the flow meter 110 measures the current flow rate of LH2, and in response to the current flow rate not meeting a target flow rate, the system 100 increases the effective outlet area of ​​the proportional valve 108. In another example, the flow meter 110 determines the current total volume of LH2 in the onboard LH2 tank 106, and in response to the current total volume meeting a target total volume, the system 100 terminates the LH2 fueling process.

[0029] The example system 100 shown in Figure 1 includes a dispenser valve 112 to initiate or stop the flow of LH2 to the onboard LH2 tank 106. The example dispenser valve 112 is a cryogenic valve that can operate at a temperature below 233 K and can regulate the flow of the cryogenic fluid. The example dispenser valve 112 is configured to thermally insulate the LH2 fuel during transport to prevent or inhibit vaporization. In some examples, the dispenser valve 112 is connected to upstream and / or downstream components via one or more VJ flow lines 114 and / or one or more flexible VJ flow lines 116.

[0030] The example filler valve 112 shown in Figure 1 can be a manually operated or electronically actuated gate valve, butterfly valve, solenoid valve, etc. In some examples, the filler valve 112 operates in an open or closed state to fully allow or completely block fuel flow. In some examples, the filler valve 112 is a shut-off valve to quickly terminate flow to the onboard LH2 tank 106, preventing the onboard LH2 tank 106 from overfilling. In some examples, the filler valve 112 is a proportional valve that adjusts the outlet flow rate based on fluctuations in upstream pressure, temperature, density, etc.

[0031] The example system 100 shown in Figure 1 includes a VJ streamline 114 and a flexible VJ streamline 116 connecting the components of the system 100. In some examples, the VJ streamline 114 shown in the figures disclosed herein is rigid, flexible, and / or a combination thereof. The example VJ streamline 114 and the flexible VJ streamline 116 are designed with an inner line, an outer line, and an intermediate layer. The example intermediate layer may include multiple alternating layers of thermal barriers and non-conductive spacers to form a gap between the inner and outer lines. The example intermediate layer can be depressurized using a vacuum pump to create a static vacuum shield. The example vacuum shield can protect the cryogenic fuel from heat transfer caused by radiation, conduction, and / or convection. Therefore, the VJ streamline 114 and the flexible VJ streamline 116 are used to deliver example LH2 in the example system 100 to maintain cryogenicity and prevent or suppress vaporization. In some examples, the VJ streamline 114 and the flexible VJ streamline 116 include VJ valves, steam vents, steam vent heaters, VJ manifolds, etc., to further control the temperature of the LH2 fuel.

[0032] As previously described, an example onboard LH2 tank 106 is located on an example hydrogen aircraft 104 to store LH2 fuel for a hydrogen-powered turbine engine. The example hydrogen-powered turbine engine burns a mixture of compressed hydrogen and compressed air and / or oxygen to generate thrust. The example aircraft 104 may also include a cryogenic pump (e.g., an LH2 pump) to drive the fuel supply system and compress the LH2 exiting the onboard LH2 tank 106. In the examples disclosed herein, a CcH2 refueling system is used to supply CcH2 fuel to example vehicles (e.g., aircraft, cars, trucks, etc.) without including a cryogenic pump on the example vehicle, thus saving weight and space.

[0033] The example system 100 shown in Figure 1 refuels the hydrogen aircraft 104 with LH2 under conditions similar to the temperature and pressure within the LH2 supply tank 102. That is, system 100 cannot control the pressure or temperature of the LH2 fuel during the refueling process of aircraft 104. Therefore, system 100 cannot increase the density of the LH2 fuel relative to the density in the LH2 supply tank 102, nor can system 100 increase the mass of fuel supplied to aircraft 104. Furthermore, system 100 can only refuel the onboard LH2 tank 106 with LH2 fuel. Because system 100 refuels the example hydrogen aircraft 104 with LH2 fuel, aircraft 104 includes an onboard cryogenic pump to pressurize the fuel system and supply LH2 fuel to the engine. In the example disclosed herein, the CcH2 refueling system can refuel the onboard hydrogen tank to a pressure threshold with CcH2 fuel at a controlled temperature. Therefore, the example CcH2 refueling system disclosed herein can increase the density of CcH2 during the refueling process, and thus increase the mass of CcH2 fuel supplied relative to the mass of LH2 fuel that system 100 can supply. Furthermore, the example CcH2 refueling system disclosed herein can supply CcH2 at high pressure (e.g., 100 bar to 350 bar), such that the pressure in the onboard hydrogen tank is sufficient to pressurize the fuel system to supply CcH2 fuel to the engine without the need for a cryogenic pump. Therefore, the example CcH2 system disclosed herein can control the mass of CcH2 fuel supplied to the hydrogen carrier (e.g., a hydrogen aircraft), control the temperature of the CcH2 fuel (e.g., to prevent phase shift back to LH2), and pressurize the onboard hydrogen tank, thus eliminating the need for an onboard cryogenic pump and saving onboard space and weight.

[0034] Figure 2 A first example CcH2 refueling system 200 (“System 200”) is shown to supply CcH2 fuel to an example vehicle up to a target onboard pressure, while also achieving controlled and / or consistent temperature. Example System 200 includes an example LH2 supply tank 102, an example proportional valve 108, an example flow meter 110, an example refueling valve 112, an example VJ streamline 114, and an example flexible VJ streamline 116, as shown in Figure 1. Figure 2As shown, the example system 200 further includes an example CcH2 dispenser 202, an example hydrogen vehicle 204, an example airborne CcH2 tank 206, an example first pressure sensor 208, an example first temperature sensor 210, and an example delivery pump 214. The example CcH2 dispenser 202 of the example system 200 includes an example cryogenic pump 216, an example pump motor 218, an example mixing tank 220, an example second pressure sensor 222, an example second temperature sensor 224, an example vaporizer 228, an example check valve 230, an example vent valve 232, an example diverter valve 234, an example hydrogen container 236, an example CcH2 dispenser controller 238, an example processor circuit 240, an example memory 242, an example flow rate loop circuit 244, an example pressure loop circuit 246, an example temperature loop circuit 248, and an example position loop circuit 250. For the figures disclosed herein, a portion of the streamlines is labeled as VJ streamline 114. However, in addition to the streamline marked as flexible VJ streamline 116, some or all of the streamlines shown in the accompanying drawings disclosed herein may be VJ streamline 114.

[0035] Figure 2 The example system 200 shown includes an example hydrogen vehicle 204 as a carrier to be refueled with CcH2 fuel via an example CcH2 refueling unit 202. Although Figure 2 A hydrogen aircraft 204 is depicted, but different vehicles (e.g., hydrogen-powered cars, trucks, boats, ships, helicopters, rocket engines, etc.) or individual CcH2 tanks can be refueled with CcH2 fuel via system 200. In some examples, the hydrogen aircraft 204 will be refueled after a flight in which a portion (e.g., some, all, most, etc.) of the CcH2 fuel has already been used to power the hydrogen aircraft 204. Therefore, a portion of unused CcH2 fuel may be included in the aircraft 204, and an example CcH2 refueling device 202 may vent the aircraft 204 before the refueling process. The example hydrogen aircraft 204 includes fuel lines, pumps, valves, etc., to supply fuel to the hydrogen engine. Once at the engine, the combustor oxidizes and burns the hydrogen fuel, which causes an exothermic reaction that powers the turbine and generates thrust.

[0036] Figure 2The example system 200 shown includes an example onboard CcH2 tank 206 for storing CcH2 fuel on a hydrogen vehicle 204. The example onboard CcH2 tank 206 can store CcH2 at pressures higher than the pressure limits of LH2 tanks (e.g., LH2 supply tank 102 and onboard LH2 tank 106 of Figure 1). For example, the onboard CcH2 tank 206 stores CcH2 in a pressure range of 100 bar to 350 bar with included safety factors (e.g., 1.5, 3, 10, etc.). In contrast, the example onboard LH2 tank 106 can store LH2 in a saturation pressure range of one bar to ten bar with the same or similar safety factors. The CcH2 within the example onboard CcH2 tank 206 does not undergo vaporization like the LH2 in LH2 storage tanks (e.g., LH2 supply tank 102 and onboard LH2 tank 106 of Figure 1) because the example onboard CcH2 tank 206 contains supercritical CcH2. Therefore, instead of including an emission mechanism, the example onboard CcH2 tank 206 can release CcH2 fuel into the fuel supply system to control the internal pressure of the onboard CcH2 tank 206. Unlike the example onboard LH2 tank 106 as described above, the CcH2 fuel can be driven through the fuel supply system and components (e.g., heat exchanger, compressor, buffer tank, etc.) solely via the internal pressure of the onboard CcH2 tank 206 (e.g., 100 bar to 350 bar), without relying on an onboard LH2 pump. When CcH2 is released from the onboard CcH2 tank 206, the internal temperature rises due to heat loss, which may be ideal for maintaining a constant pressure (e.g., isobaric) in the onboard CcH2 tank 206 during CcH2 fuel release. In some examples, when heat loss is insufficient to maintain isobaric conditions in the onboard CcH2 tank 206, the onboard CcH2 tank 206 includes a heater to further increase the internal temperature and thus maintain a constant internal pressure.

[0037] In some examples, airborne CcH2 tank 206 can store CcH2 at a density similar to that of LH2 in example airborne LH2 tank 106, but at different pressures and temperatures. For example, airborne CcH2 tank 206 stores CcH2 at a density of 64.2 kg / m³ at a pressure of 300 bar and a temperature of 70 K. 3The airborne LH2 canister 106 stores CcH2 at a density of 100, while the airborne LH2 canister 106 stores LH2 at the same density but at a saturation pressure of 3.4 bar and a temperature of 25 K. In some examples, the airborne CcH2 canister 206 is a double-walled cryostat comprising an inner cryove and an outer vacuum vessel. Example cryoves of the airborne CcH2 canister 206 include thicker walls than example airborne LH2 canister 106, but example vacuum vessels of the airborne CcH2 canister 206 have the same wall thickness as the airborne LH2 canister 106 because the vacuum vessels of both canisters 106 and 206 are designed for the same pressure differential (e.g., 0.5 atm, 0.25 atm, 1 atm, etc.). In some examples, both the cryove and vacuum vessel of the airborne CcH2 canister 206 are type 3 vessels, comprising an aluminum bushing completely encased in a fiber-resin composite material.

[0038] Figure 2 The example system 200 shown includes an example first pressure sensor 208 and an example first temperature sensor 210 to monitor the pressure and temperature of CcH2 within the onboard CcH2 tank 206 during the refueling process. In some examples, the first pressure sensor 208 is a cryogenic pressure sensor that can operate within a temperature range of 40K to 70K and a pressure range of 0 bar to 415 bar. The example first temperature sensor 210 may be a cryogenic silicon sensor, a silicon diode, a sheathed thermocouple, a platinum resistance sensor, a cryogenic temperature monitor, etc. In some examples, the onboard CcH2 tank 206 includes more than one first pressure sensor 208 and / or more than one first temperature sensor 210. The example first pressure sensor 208 and the example first temperature sensor 210 are coupled to the CcH2 refueling unit 202 via a wired or wireless connection to transmit current pressure and temperature measurements of the CcH2 stored in the onboard CcH2 tank 206. Further details regarding how the example CcH2 refueling unit 202 uses the pressure and temperature measurements are described below.

[0039] Figure 2 The example system 200 shown includes an example transfer pump 214 to transfer LH2 from an example LH2 supply tank 102 to an example CcH2 dispenser 202. The LH2 supply tank 102 may contain LH2 at a pressure slightly above atmospheric pressure (e.g., three bar, four bar, five bar, etc.). The example transfer pump 214 may increase the pressure of the LH2 (e.g., to four bar, five bar, six bar, etc.) to drive the LH2 downstream to an example cryogenic pump 216. Figure 2The example transfer pump 214 shown is an immersion cryogenic pump within the LH2 supply tank 102. In some examples, the transfer pump 214 is externally connected to the LH2 supply tank 102. The example transfer pump 214 may be an electrically and / or hydraulically driven cryogenic centrifugal pump. In some examples, the transfer pump 214 provides LH2 at a variable flow rate via a control panel on the LH2 supply tank 102. In some examples, the transfer pump 214 includes a gearbox that provides LH2 at a fixed or variable flow rate to the CcH2 dispenser 202.

[0040] Figure 2 The example system 200 shown includes an example CcH2 dispenser 202 to dispense an example onboard CcH2 tank 206 to a target pressure while maintaining a target temperature using CcH2. The example CcH2 dispenser 202 monitors a first temperature in the onboard CcH2 tank 206 and adjusts a second temperature in the mixing tank 220 based on the first temperature. As shown and disclosed herein, the CcH2 dispenser 202 sends CcH2 to the mixing tank 220 to control the temperature of the CcH2 in the mixing tank 220, thereby controlling the temperature of the CcH2 in the onboard CcH2 tank 206.

[0041] Figure 2The example system 200 shown includes an example cryogenic pump 216 to cryogenically compress LH2 from an LH2 supply tank 102 and drive CcH2 to a mixing tank 220 and a proportional valve 108. In some examples, the cryogenic pump 216 includes a suction adapter, a cold-end piston, and an example pump motor 218. A suction line is connected to a delivery pump 214 to deliver LH2 to the suction adapter of the cryogenic pump 216. In the suction adapter, the LH2 is heated, and a portion of the LH2 evaporates into GH2. The example cryogenic pump 216 further includes a return line leading from the suction adapter back to the LH2 supply tank 102 to recirculate GH2 and ensure that a net positive suction head (NPSH) is always present in the cryogenic pump 216. The NPSH promotes a pressure-driven flow of LH2 into the cryogenic pump 216 and allows the pump motor 218 to freely adjust the rate and amount of CcH2 leaving the cryogenic pump 216. Example cryogenic pump 216 includes a cold-end piston to compress LH2 from an input pressure (e.g., 1 bar to 10 bar) to an output pressure (e.g., 100 bar to 350 bar) at cryogenic temperatures (e.g., 25 K, 30 K, 40 K, etc.). In some examples, a single cold-end piston is used in cryogenic pump 216 to vary the output pressure (e.g., between 100 bar and 350 bar). In some examples, multiple cold-end pistons are included in cryogenic pump 216 and used in series to vary the output pressure. As previously described, by increasing the pressure of LH2 at cryogenic temperatures, LH2 undergoes a conversion / transformation / phase transition to a supercritical state, and the fuel leaving cryogenic pump 216 can be referred to as CcH2. Example output CcH2 has a similar temperature (e.g., within 10 K, 20 K, 30 K, etc.) and a similar density (e.g., at 10 kg / m³) to the input LH2. 3 20kg / m 3 20kg / m 3 45kg / m 3 (within etc.)

[0042] Figure 2 The example system 200 shown includes an example motor 218 to accelerate CcH2 away from the cryogenic pump 216 and adjust the flow rate of CcH2 through the system 200. As previously described, the example flow meter 110 can measure the volumetric flow rate and / or mass flow rate of CcH2 through the system 200. In some examples, the system 200 will dispense the onboard CcH2 tank 206 within a time range threshold (e.g., 30 minutes, 45 minutes, one hour, etc.). For example, when the volume of the onboard CcH2 tank 206 is 20 m³. 3 Furthermore, if the filling process has a 30-minute threshold, then the pump motor 218 will operate at a rate of at least 0.011 cubic meters per second (m³ / s). 3The desired volumetric flow rate ( / s) is used to fill the onboard CcH2 tank 206. In some examples, and discussed in further detail below, the CcH2 dispenser controller 238 detects via flow meter 110 when CcH2 is flowing at a rate less than the desired flow rate. In response, the example CcH2 dispenser controller 238 sends a signal to pump motor 218 to increase the motor's operating speed, thereby increasing the CcH2 flow rate.

[0043] Figure 2 The example system 200 shown includes an example mixing tank 220 to combine CcH2 with varying amounts of sH2, thereby adjusting the temperature of CcH2 in the airborne CcH2 tank 206. The example mixing tank 220 is a cryogenic compression tank with a structural design identical or similar to that of the previously described airborne CcH2 tank 206. In some examples, the mixing tank 220 has a smaller internal volume than the airborne CcH2 tank 206 (e.g., 5 m³). 3 10m 3 15m 3 (etc.). The pressure within the example mixing tank 220 is adjusted according to the pressure output of the cryogenic pump 216 and is typically maintained at a pressure slightly higher than that within the onboard CcH2 tank 206 (e.g., 1 bar, 2 bar, etc.). Therefore, positive pressure drives CcH2 to flow downstream from the mixing tank 220 to the onboard CcH2 tank 206.

[0044] Figure 2 The example system 200 shown includes an example second pressure sensor 222 and an example second temperature sensor 224 to send pressure and temperature measurements via electrical signals to a CcH2 dispenser controller 238 (described in more detail below). For example, when the temperature sensor 224 sends a temperature reading to the CcH2 dispenser controller 238 to indicate that the temperature of CcH2 in the mixing tank 220 is below a temperature threshold (e.g., 40 K), the CcH2 dispenser controller 238 increases the flow of sH2 into the mixing tank 220, thereby increasing the temperature of CcH2 in the mixing tank 220 and the onboard CcH2 tank 206. The example second pressure sensor 222 and the example second temperature sensor 224 may have the same or similar type as the first pressure sensor 208 and the first temperature sensor 210 previously described.

[0045] Figure 2 The example system 200 shown includes a vaporizer 228 to heat CcH2 to high-pressure sH2, which is mixed with CcH2 in a mixing tank 220. The example vaporizer 228 may be a cryogenic vaporizer that uses fins to transfer heat from ambient air to the CcH2 flowing from a proportional valve 108. When the example vaporizer 228 increases the temperature of the CcH2, due to the high density of CcH2 (e.g., 62 kg / m³), the CcH2 vaporizes rapidly. 3(or higher), the pressure of sH2 remains essentially the same. The hydrogen leaving the example vaporizer 228 is in the same supercritical state as the upstream CcH2, but no longer at a lower temperature. Therefore, as previously stated, the hydrogen downstream of vaporizer 228 and upstream of mixing tank 220 is referred to as supercritical hydrogen (sH2). When CcH2 is heated in the supercritical state (e.g., due to vaporizer 228), hydrogen molecules can expand within the same volume at the same pressure. Therefore, the sH2 downstream of vaporizer 228 has the same pressure as the CcH2 upstream of vaporizer 228 and in mixing tank 220. Therefore, sH2 can flow freely into mixing tank 220 and combine with CcH2.

[0046] In some examples, after the filling process is complete, the temperature of CcH2 downstream of vaporizer 228 (e.g., in mixing tank 220) may increase over time. During that time, the pressure within CcH2 filler 202 and downstream of cryogenic pump 216 may increase. Additionally or alternatively, during the filling process, CcH2 may accumulate and / or solidify in vaporizer 228, causing flow blockage (e.g., ice) and an increase in pressure upstream of vaporizer 228. Example system 200 includes example check valve 230 to prevent the pressure directly downstream of cryogenic pump 216 from exceeding a pressure threshold. For example, if the pressure downstream of vaporizer 228 is 50 bar before the filling process, and without check valve 230, cryogenic pump 220 must provide a startup output pressure of at least 50 bar to drive downstream flow. This would cause the flow to reverse upon startup, which could damage cryogenic pump 216 or cause CcH2 to flow upstream into LH2 supply tank 102. Example check valve 230 allows CcH2 fluid to flow in a first direction (e.g., from proportional valve 108 to vaporizer 228), but does not allow CcH2 fluid to flow in a second direction opposite to the first direction. In some examples, check valve 230 includes a body, an inlet port, and an outlet port, and operates automatically without requiring CcH2 dispenser controller 238 to operate check valve 230 or actuate mechanisms in the valve. Example check valve 230 may be designed with a resealing pressure specification to prevent the formation of sufficiently large back pressures. For example, check valve 230 is designed to close, suppress, and / or prevent reverse flow of CcH2 when the pressure difference between the inlet and outlet ports meets a pressure difference threshold (e.g., a pressure difference of 1 bar, 1.5 bar, 0.5 bar, etc.).

[0047] In some examples, system 200 refuels aircraft 204 after a flight that has used a portion (e.g., 95%, 90%, 80%, etc.) of the CcH2 fuel. As previously described, the example onboard CcH2 tank 206 is isobaric and can deliver CcH2 fuel to the engine while maintaining a constant pressure. Therefore, the example onboard CcH2 tank 206 can be above an initial pressure threshold before the refueling process begins. The initial pressure threshold (e.g., 1 bar, 5 bar, 10 bar, etc.) is the pressure that the onboard CcH2 tank 206 has before the refueling process can begin. Therefore, in some example use cases, the refueling process includes venting unused CcH2 from example aircraft 204 to reduce the pressure in the onboard CcH2 tank 206 before refueling.

[0048] Figure 2 The example system 200 shown includes an example vent valve 232 to release unused CcH2 from the onboard CcH2 tank 206 prior to refueling the aircraft 204. The example vent valve 232 can open in response to a command from the pressure loop circuit 246 and / or the position loop circuit 250 if the onboard pressure does not meet an initial pressure threshold. For example, if the initial pressure threshold is 10 bar and the onboard pressure prior to refueling is 50 bar, the vent valve 232 opens to facilitate flow to downstream areas with lower pressure (e.g., mixing tank 220, hydrogen container 236, open atmosphere, etc.). In some examples, the vent valve 232 is similar to that in Figure 1 and... Figure 2 The proportional valve 108 is a proportional valve that allows a variable outlet flow rate under given fluctuations in inlet pressure, temperature, density, etc. In some examples, the vent valve 232 is a cryogenic valve similar to the filler valve 112 of Figures 1 and 2, which can switch from fully open to fully closed several times faster (e.g., two times, five times, ten times, etc.) than the example proportional valve 108.

[0049] Figure 2 The example system 200 shown includes an example diversion valve 234 to direct or transfer CcH2 from the onboard CcH2 tank 206 to a mixing tank 220, a hydrogen container 236, and / or a secondary destination (e.g., open atmosphere, another hydrogen storage tank, LH2 supply tank 102, etc.). In some examples, the diversion valve 234 directs or transfers CcH2 to a secondary destination when the mixing tank 220 and the hydrogen container 236 are at higher pressures than the onboard CcH2 tank 206 and when the pressure in the onboard CcH2 tank 206 exceeds an initial pressure threshold.

[0050] In some examples, the CcH2 refueling unit 202 will refuel the example aircraft 204 after landing and / or venting, at which point the onboard CcH2 tank 206 may contain a small fraction of CcH2 (e.g., 10% capacity, 15% capacity, etc.) at high pressure (e.g., 100 bar to 350 bar) and high temperature (e.g., 350 K, 250 K, etc.). Before refueling, the example CcH2 refueling unit controller 238 determines whether the onboard pressure meets an initial pressure threshold (e.g., 5 bar, 20 bar, 30 bar, etc.). When the example onboard pressure is greater than the initial pressure threshold, the CcH2 refueling unit 202 opens the vent valve 232 to the desired flow rate. In some examples, when the pressure in the onboard CcH2 tank 206 does not meet the pressure threshold and when the pressure in the mixing tank 220 is less than the pressure in the onboard CcH2 tank 206, the diversion valve 234 directs / transfers CcH2 to the mixing tank 220. In some examples, when the pressure in the onboard CcH2 tank 206 does not meet the pressure threshold and when the pressure in the mixing tank 220 is greater than or equal to the pressure in the onboard CcH2 tank 206, the diversion valve 234 directs / transfers CcH2 from the onboard CcH2 tank 206 to the hydrogen container 236 and / or another secondary destination (e.g., the atmosphere). Figure 2 The example hydrogen container 236 shown may be at a low pressure (e.g., 2 bar, 5 bar, etc.) or atmospheric pressure (e.g., 14.7 psi, 1 bar, etc.) before venting / refueling the example aircraft 204. In some examples, the hydrogen container 236 is at a sufficiently high pressure (e.g., 20 bar, 50 bar, etc.) to include a compressor to drive onboard CcH2 into the hydrogen container 236. When included in example system 200, the compressor is located upstream of the hydrogen container 236 and downstream of the diversion valve 234.

[0051] Figure 2 The example system 200 shown includes a CcH2 dispenser controller 238 to automatically control and facilitate the operation of the CcH2 dispenser 202. In some examples, the CcH2 dispenser controller 238 is a closed-loop control system including processor circuitry 240 and memory 242. The example processor circuitry 240 includes an example flow rate loop circuitry 244, an example pressure loop circuitry 246, an example temperature loop circuitry 248, and an example position loop circuitry 250. The example processor circuitry 240 can be instantiated (e.g., created, generated, materialized, implemented, etc. over any time period). Figure 2 The CcH2 dispenser controller 238. In some examples, processor circuitry 240 is a central processing unit that executes instructions. Additionally or alternatively, processor circuitry 240 may be an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC) or a field-programmable gate array (FPGA) configured to perform operations corresponding to instructions. It should be understood that... Figure 2Some or all of the processor circuitry 240 can therefore be instantiated at the same or different times. Some or all of the processor circuitry 240 can be instantiated, for example, in one or more threads that execute concurrently on the hardware and / or serially on the hardware. Furthermore, in some examples, one or more virtual machines and / or containers executing on the microprocessor can be implemented. Figure 2 Some or all of the processor circuitry 240. Figure 2 The example flow rate loop circuit 244, example pressure loop circuit 246, temperature loop circuit 248, and position loop circuit 250 shown are integrated on the processor circuit 240. In some examples, the flow rate loop circuit 244, pressure loop circuit 246, temperature loop circuit 248, and / or position loop circuit 250 are integrated on separate circuits (e.g., processor circuitry, FPGA, ASIC, microprocessor, etc.).

[0052] Figure 2 The example flow rate loop circuit 244 shown causes the flow rate of CcH2 through system 200 to be adjusted based on the actual flow rate measured by example flow meter 110 and the target flow rate determined by flow rate loop circuit 244. In some examples, CcH2 dispenser 202 includes output devices (e.g., display screen, monitor, headphones, etc.) to communicate information (e.g., system status, actual and target onboard pressure, actual and target onboard temperature, etc.) to the user of CcH2 dispenser 202. In some examples, CcH2 dispenser 202 includes input devices (e.g., knob, mouse, keyboard, touch screen, etc.) to receive input from the user. In response to machine-readable instructions and / or user input indicating a target flow rate, an example program or application stored in memory 242 can cause flow rate loop circuit 244 to command (e.g., via electrical signals) pump motor 218 to adjust the operating speed of pump motor 218. In some examples, user input indicates a target time span for the dispensing process. The example flow rate loop circuit 244 can calculate the target flow rate based on the target time span and the volume of the example airborne CcH2 tank 206. For example, if the airborne CcH2 tank is 15m... 3 Given that the target time span is 20 minutes, the flow rate loop circuit 244 determines the target flow rate to be 0.0125 m. 3 / s.

[0053] In response to detecting the actual flow rate and determining the target flow rate, the example flow rate loop circuit 244 can send a command to the pump motor 218 to increase or decrease the motor speed based on the actual and target flow rates. In some examples, the flow rate loop circuit 244 calculates the flow rate error between the actual and target flow rates and continues to send commands to the pump motor 218 until the flow rate error meets a flow rate error threshold (e.g., 0.001 m). 3 / s, 0.005m3 / s, etc. For example, if the actual flow rate is 0.01m... 3 / s, the target flow rate is 0.015m 3 If the flow rate is / s, then the flow rate loop circuit 244 instructs the pump motor 218 to increase the operating speed of the pump motor 218 until the flow rate reaches 0.015m. 3 / s. Additionally or alternatively, the flow rate loop circuit 244 can continue to send commands to the pump motor 218 until the flow rate error meets a flow rate error threshold. For example, for a given 0.001m... 3 The flow rate error threshold is set at / s until the actual flow rate reaches 0.014m. 3 / s or 0.016m 3 / s. In some examples, the flow rate loop circuit 244 continuously receives actual flow rate measurements, determines and / or receives the target flow rate, calculates the flow rate error, and sends a command to the pump motor 218 until the flow rate error is sufficiently close to zero.

[0054] Figure 2 The example pressure loop circuit 246 shown causes the pressure of CcH2 in the mixing tank 220 and the onboard CcH2 tank 206 to be adjusted based on the actual pressure measured by the first and / or second pressure sensors 208, 222 and the target pressure determined by the pressure loop circuit 246. In response to machine-readable instructions and / or user input indicating the target pressure, example programs and / or applications stored in memory 242 can cause the pressure loop circuit 246 to command the cryogenic pump 216 to adjust its output pressure. For example, a machine-readable instruction indicates a target onboard pressure of 100 bar to the pressure loop circuit 246, and the first pressure sensor 208 indicates an actual onboard pressure measurement of 20 bar to the pressure loop circuit 246.

[0055] In response to receiving a target pressure (e.g., 100 bar) and an actual pressure (e.g., 20 bar), the example pressure loop circuit 246 can determine an intermediate target pressure (e.g., 22 bar) that is sufficiently higher than the actual pressure but not high enough to cause any catastrophic pressure increase in system 200 (e.g., a pressure increase that would lead to leakage, rupture, deformation, etc.). In response to determining the intermediate target pressure, the example pressure loop circuit 246 can command the cryogenic pump 216 to output a pressure of 22 bar, thereby introducing a positive pressure head into system 200. In some examples, the cryogenic pump 216 adjusts the actuation of the cold-end piston to compress LH2 into a smaller displacement within the cylinder of the cryogenic pump 216, thereby increasing the output pressure (e.g., 200 cubic centimeters per cubic meter at 20 bar). 3 The displacement and needle output at 22 bar are 195cm. 3(Displacement). In some examples, pressure loop circuit 246 calculates the pressure error between the actual target pressure and the intermediate target pressure and continues to send commands to cryogenic pump 216 until the pressure error meets a pressure error threshold (e.g., 0.25 bar, 0.5 bar, 1 bar, etc.). For example, when the actual pressure of mixing tank 220 is 20 bar and the intermediate target pressure is 22 bar, pressure loop circuit 246 instructs cryogenic pump 216 to increase the output pressure of CcH2 until the actual pressure of mixing tank 220 is 22 bar. Additionally or alternatively, pressure loop circuit 246 may continue to send commands to cryogenic pump 216 until the pressure error meets a pressure error threshold. For example, for a given pressure error threshold of 0.25 bar, until the actual pressure reaches 21.75 bar or 22.25 bar. In some examples, pressure loop circuit 246 terminates the filling process and closes example filler valve 112 in response to the actual pressure of the onboard CcH2 tank 206 reaching the target pressure and / or increasing to a value sufficiently close to the target pressure (e.g., 99 bar, 99.5 bar, 101 bar, etc.). In some examples, pressure loop circuit 246 continuously receives actual pressure measurements, determines and / or receives the target pressure and / or intermediate target pressure, calculates the pressure error, and sends a command to cryogenic pump 216 until the pressure error is sufficiently close to zero.

[0056] Figure 2 The example temperature loop circuit 248 shown causes the temperature of CcH2 in the mixing tank 220 and the onboard CcH2 tank 206 to be adjusted based on the actual temperature measured by the first and / or second temperature sensors 210, 224 and the target temperature determined by the temperature loop circuit 248. In response to a machine-readable instruction and / or user input indicating the target temperature, an example program and / or application stored in memory 242 can cause the temperature loop circuit 248 to command the proportional valve 108 to adjust the flow rate of CcH2 through the vaporizer 228. For example, the user input indicates a target onboard temperature of 40 K to the temperature loop circuit 248, and the first temperature sensor 210 indicates an actual onboard temperature measurement of 35 K to the temperature loop circuit 248. In response to detecting the actual temperature of 35 K and determining and / or receiving the target temperature of 40 K, the example temperature loop circuit 248 sends a command to the proportional valve 108 to increase the flow rate of CcH2 entering the vaporizer 228 until the actual temperature reaches 40 K.

[0057] In some examples, the temperature loop circuit 248 calculates the temperature error between the actual temperature and the target temperature and continues to send commands to the proportional valve 108 until the temperature error meets a temperature error threshold (e.g., 0.1K, 0.2K, 0.5K, etc.). In some examples, the temperature loop circuit 248 continues to send commands to the proportional valve 108 until the temperature error meets a temperature error threshold. For example, for a given temperature error threshold of 0.1K, this continues until the actual temperature reaches 39.9K or 40.1K. In some examples, the temperature loop circuit 248 continuously receives actual temperature measurements, determines and / or receives the target temperature, calculates the temperature error, and sends commands to the proportional valve 108 until the temperature error is sufficiently close to zero.

[0058] Figure 2 The example position loop circuit 250 shown causes actuation of the cryogenic pump 216, pump motor 218, proportional valve 108, filler valve 112, vent valve 232, and / or diverter valve 234 based on commands from the flow rate loop circuit 244, pressure loop circuit 246, and / or temperature loop circuit 248. In response to a command, the position loop circuit 250 detects the actual position (e.g., valve piston displacement) or operating state (e.g., motor speed) and determines a target position or operating state. For example, the temperature loop circuit 248 instructs the proportional valve 108 to increase the CcH2 flow through the vaporizer 228. In response, the position loop circuit 250 detects the actual position (e.g., 1 cm displacement from the calibration zero position) of a valve component (e.g., piston, spool, plug, etc.) within the proportional valve 108 and determines a target position (e.g., 5 cm displacement) of the valve component based on the actual position, the actual temperature, and the target temperature. Example position loop circuit 250 commands proportional valve 108 to actuate valve components until the actual position reaches a displacement of 5cm.

[0059] In some examples, the position loop circuit 250 calculates the position error between the actual position and the target position and continues to send commands to the proportional valve 108 to actuate the valve components until the position error meets a position error threshold (e.g., 0.01 cm, 0.05 cm, 0.1 cm, etc.). In some examples, the position loop circuit 250 continues to send commands to the proportional valve 108 until the position error meets a position error threshold. For example, for a given position error threshold of 0.05 cm, this continues until the actual position reaches 4.95 cm or 5.05 cm. In some examples, the position loop circuit 250 continuously and / or simultaneously receives the actual position, determines and / or receives the target position, calculates the position error, and sends commands to the cryogenic pump 216, pump motor 218, proportional valve 108, dispenser valve 112, vent valve 232, and / or diverter valve 234 until the position error is sufficiently close to zero.

[0060] Figure 3A second example CcH2 refueling system 300 (“System 300”) is shown to supply CcH2 fuel to example aircraft 204 up to a target pressure in onboard CcH2 tank 206, while achieving controlled and / or consistent temperature. Example System 300 includes features shown in Figure 1 and... Figure 2 The example LH2 supply tank 102, example first proportional valve 108, example flow meter 110, example dispenser valve 112, example VJ flow line 114, and example flexible VJ flow line 116 are shown. The example system 300 also includes, as... Figure 2 The example CcH2 dispenser 202, example hydrogen vehicle 204, example airborne CcH2 tank 206, example first pressure sensor 208, example first temperature sensor 210, example delivery pump 214, example cryogenic pump 216, example pump motor 218, example mixing tank 220, example second pressure sensor 222, example second temperature sensor 224, example vent valve 232, example diverter valve 234, example hydrogen container 236, example CcH2 dispenser controller 238, example processor circuit 240, example memory 242, example flow rate loop circuit 244, example pressure loop circuit 246, example temperature loop circuit 248, and example position loop circuit 250 are shown. Figure 3 As shown, the example system 300 includes an example hydrogen storage tank 302, an example regulator valve 304, and an example third pressure sensor 306. Figure 3 The example system 300 shown adjusts the sH2 flow into mixing tank 220 to control the temperature of CcH2 in mixing tank 220 and onboard CcH2 tank 206. Unlike Figure 2 In the vaporizer 228 of system 200, system 300 uses highly compressed (e.g., 20 bar or more) sH2 from example hydrogen storage tank 302 as an sH2 source.

[0061] Figure 3 The example system 300 shown includes a hydrogen storage tank 302 to supply sH2 to a mixing tank 220 and to provide temperature regulation of the CcH2 in the mixing tank 220 and the onboard CcH2 tank 206. The example hydrogen storage tank 302 may have the same or similar design and / or structure as the example hydrogen container 236. However, the example hydrogen storage tank 302 is preloaded with sH2 compressed to a certain pressure (e.g., 200 bar, 300 bar, 500 bar, etc.) at non-cryogenic temperatures (e.g., 125 K, 150 K, 200 K, etc.). In some examples, Figure 3The hydrogen storage tank 302 shown contains sH2 at a pressure greater than the output pressure of the cryogenic pump 216 and / or greater than the target onboard pressure (e.g., 100 bar to 350 bar). In some examples, the hydrogen storage tank 302 contains sH2 at a pressure less than the output pressure of the cryogenic pump 216 and / or less than the target onboard pressure. In such examples, the example system 300 includes a pump and / or compressor downstream of the proportional valve 108 and upstream of the mixing tank 220. Although in Figure 3 Four hydrogen storage tanks 302 are shown, but the example system 300 may include one or more hydrogen storage tanks 302.

[0062] Figure 3 The example system 300 shown includes a regulator valve 304 to set the pressure of sH2 exiting the proportional valve 108 to be equal to or sufficiently close to the pressure of the mixing tank 220. In some examples, the regulator valve 304 is a pressure-reducing regulator that reduces the input pressure (e.g., 100 bar) to a lower output pressure (e.g., 20 bar) even though the input pressure fluctuates (e.g., the pressure decreases from 100 bar to 90 bar). In other words, when the proportional valve 108 releases sH2 from the hydrogen storage tank 302, the output pressure of the proportional valve 108 decreases, but the regulator valve 304 is still able to provide a consistent output pressure to the mixing tank 220.

[0063] Because hydrogen storage tank 302 is not compatible with mixing tank 220 (e.g.) Figure 2 The example vaporizer 228 provides sH2 to the mixing tank 220 at a pressure that is the same as or similar to the internal pressure of the example vaporizer 228. Therefore, the example pressure loop circuit 246 and the example position loop circuit 250 control the example regulator valve 304. For example, the temperature loop circuit 248 determines that the actual onboard temperature is lower than the target temperature and causes the proportional valve 108 to increase the flow rate of sH2 to the mixing tank 220. In response to the command from the temperature loop circuit 248, the example pressure loop circuit 246 can read the actual pressure in the mixing tank 220 from the second pressure sensor 222 and command the regulator valve 304 to set the output pressure to match or sufficiently approach (e.g., within 0.1 bar, 0.2 bar, 0.5 bar, etc.) the actual pressure in the mixing tank 220.

[0064] Figure 3The example system 300 shown includes an example third pressure sensor 306 to detect the output pressure of the regulator valve 304. In some examples, the pressure loop circuit 246 obtains the actual pressure of the mixing tank 220 from the second pressure sensor 222 and the output pressure of the regulator valve 304 from the third pressure sensor 306. The example pressure loop circuit 246 can command the regulator valve 304 to adjust the output pressure to match the actual pressure of the mixing tank 220. Additionally or alternatively, the pressure loop circuit 246 can calculate the regulator error as the difference between the actual pressure of the mixing tank 220 and the output pressure of the regulator valve 304, and can continue to instruct the regulator valve 304 to adjust the output pressure until the regulator error is sufficiently close to zero (e.g., 0.05 bar, 0.1 bar, 0.2 bar, etc.).

[0065] In some examples, the position loop circuit 250 detects the actual position of the valve member in the regulator valve 304 that contributes to the output pressure. The example position loop circuit 250 can also determine a target position of the valve member based on the output pressure of the regulator valve 304 and the actual pressure in the mixing tank 220. In some examples, the position loop circuit 250 actuates the regulator valve 304 until the actual position matches the target position, until the position error is sufficiently close to zero, or until the pressure loop circuit 246 determines that the pressure error is sufficiently close to zero, as previously described.

[0066] Figure 4 A third example CcH2 refueling system 400 (“System 400”) is shown to supply CcH2 fuel to an example hydrogen vehicle 204 at a controlled and / or consistent temperature up to a target pressure in an example onboard CcH2 tank 206. Example System 400 includes an example LH2 supply tank 102, an example proportional valve 108, an example flow meter 110, an example refueling valve 112, an example VJ streamline 114, and an example flexible VJ streamline 116, as shown in Figures 1-3. Example System 400 also includes, as shown in... Figure 2 and / or Figure 3 The example CcH2 dispenser 202, example hydrogen vehicle 204, example airborne CcH2 tank 206, example first pressure sensor 208, example first temperature sensor 210, example delivery pump 214, example mixing tank 220, example second pressure sensor 222, example second temperature sensor 224, example diverter valve 234, example vent valve 232, example hydrogen container 236, example CcH2 dispenser controller 238, example processor circuit 240, example memory 242, example flow rate loop circuit 244, example pressure loop circuit 246, example temperature loop circuit 248, example position loop circuit 250, example hydrogen storage tank 302, and example third pressure sensor 306 are shown. Figure 4As shown, the example system 400 includes an example CcH2 supply tank 402, a first regulator valve 304a, and a second regulator valve 304b. For the accompanying drawings disclosed herein, the example first regulator valve 304a and the example second regulator valve 304b have... Figure 3 The example regulator valve 304 shown is of the same type and function. Figure 2 and Figure 3 The example systems 200 and 300 shown include an LH2 supply tank 102, a delivery pump 214, and a cryogenic pump 216, serving as a source of CcH2. Conversely, example system 400 includes a CcH2 supply tank 402 and a second regulator valve 304b, serving as a source of CcH2.

[0067] Figure 4 The example system 400 shown includes an example CcH2 supply tank 402 to supply CcH2 fuel to the system 400 for the refueling process. In some examples, the CcH2 supply tank 402 has the same or similar design, structure, and / or function as the airborne CcH2 tank 206. Similar to the example CcH2 supply tank 102 of Figures 1-3, the example CcH2 supply tank 402 can be a mobile tank capable of being transported to the example CcH2 refueling unit 202 and the example aircraft 204 via truck, trailer, bus, etc. By eliminating the cryogenic pump 216 and pump motor 218, the example CcH2 supply tank 402 allows for a reduced complexity of system 400 relative to example systems 200 and / or 300. However, the example CcH2 supply tank 402 may be unavailable during the filling process (e.g., when the CcH2 supply tank 402 is empty or when the cost of supplying the CcH2 supply tank 402 to the CcH2 dispenser 202 is too high for a given filling budget).

[0068] Figure 4 The example system 400 shown includes an example second pressure regulator 304b to adjust the output pressure of the CcH2 supply tank 402. In some examples, the second pressure regulator 304b adjusts the output pressure based on the actual pressure of the mixing tank 220 and / or the onboard CcH2 tank 206 and based on a target pressure and / or an intermediate target pressure, as previously described. For example, pressure loop circuit 246 determines an intermediate target pressure of 22 bar, and second pressure sensor 222 detects an actual pressure of 20 bar. Therefore, example pressure loop circuit 246 can command the second regulator valve 304b to increase the output pressure until the actual pressure reaches 22 bar or until the pressure error (e.g., the pressure error calculated by pressure loop circuit 246) is sufficiently close to zero (e.g., 0.01 bar, 0.05 bar, 0.1 bar, etc.), as previously described.

[0069] Figure 5An example hydrogen aircraft 500 to be refueled with CcH2 fuel is shown. The example hydrogen aircraft 500 includes a fuselage 502, a first (e.g., left) wing 504, a second (e.g., right) wing 506, a first horizontal stabilizer 508, a second horizontal stabilizer 510, a first CcH2 tank 512, a second CcH2 tank 514, a first engine 516, and a second engine 518. The example hydrogen aircraft 500 can be a military or commercial aircraft that stores CcH2 onboard as fuel for the first engine 516, the second engine 518, and / or... Figure 5 Fuel source for additional or alternative engines not shown in the diagram. Figure 2-4 Example systems 200, 300, and / or 400 can be used to refuel the first and / or second CcH2 tanks 512, 514 of the hydrogen refueling vehicle 500. In some examples, the first CcH2 tank 512 and / or the second CcH2 tank 514 are removable and replaceable, and are refueled when attached to and / or removed from the hydrogen refueling vehicle 500.

[0070] Figure 5 The example hydrogen aircraft 500 shown includes an example fuselage 502 to accommodate cargo, passengers, landing gear, etc., during flight. The example fuselage 502 may be designed with a truss frame, a monocoque structure, and / or a semi-monocoque structure to provide structural integrity for the aircraft during takeoff, landing, or flight. In some examples, the fuselage 502 also includes wing boxes to attach first and second wings 504, 506 to the hydrogen aircraft 500.

[0071] Figure 5 The example hydrogen aircraft 500 shown includes example first and second wings 504, 506 to provide lift to the hydrogen aircraft 500. Figure 5 The example first and second wings 504, 506 shown sweep backward from their root to their tip. In some examples, the first and second wings 504, 506 are forward-swept wings, lateral straight wings, or delta wings, depending on the function, expected range, expected endurance, and / or expected speed of the hydrogen vehicle 500. In some examples, the first and second wings 504, 506 include latching mechanisms that secure the example first and second CcH2 tanks 512, 514 to the hydrogen vehicle 500. For example, the first and second wings 504, 506 include convex or concave components of the latching mechanism (e.g., a two-stage rotary latch, a magnetic latch, a cam latch, a cam lock, etc.).

[0072] Figure 5The example hydrogen vehicle 500 shown includes example first and second horizontal stabilizers 508, 510 to provide longitudinal stability and control of the hydrogen vehicle 500. Example first horizontal stabilizer 508 is a first set of tail fins having one or more swept-back airfoil profiles. Example second horizontal stabilizer 510 is a second set of tail fins having the same airfoil profile and swept back to the same degree. In some examples, the hydrogen vehicle 500 includes a single horizontal stabilizer with a single set of tail fins, instead of... Figure 5 The two horizontal stabilizers are shown. In some examples, the first and second horizontal stabilizers 508, 510 include a latching mechanism that secures the example first and second CcH2 tanks 512, 514 to the hydrogen vehicle 500. For example, the first and second horizontal stabilizers 508, 510 include a convex or concave portion of the latching mechanism mentioned above.

[0073] Figure 5 The example hydrogen aircraft 500 shown includes example first and second CcH2 tanks 512, 514 for storing CcH2 fuel on the hydrogen aircraft 500. In some examples, the first and / or second CcH2 tanks 512, 514 are drop tanks that can be secured to and removed from the first and second wings 504, 506 and the first and second level stabilizers 508, 510 via convex and / or concave components of a latching mechanism. In some examples, when the CcH2 fuel capacity is at a sufficiently low level (e.g., 5%, 7%, 10% capacity, etc.), the first and / or second CcH2 tanks 512, 514 are removed and replaced with supplementary CcH2 tanks of the same type and / or design as the first and second CcH2 tanks 512, 514. In some examples, the first and second CcH2 tanks 512 and 514 cannot be removed unless disassembled, as disassembly could impair the structural integrity, aerodynamic capabilities, controllability, weight distribution, performance, and lifespan of the hydrogen vehicle 500.

[0074] Figure 5 The example hydrogen aircraft 500 shown includes example first and second engines 516, 518 to provide thrust to the hydrogen aircraft 500. Figure 5 The example first and second engines 516, 518 shown are included in the structural frame of example first and second airborne CcH2 tanks 512, 514. In some examples, the example first and second engines 516, 518 are separate from the first and second airborne CcH2 tanks 512, 514, mounted on the first and second wings 504, 506, and cannot be removed from the hydrogen vehicle 500 except by disassembly. Figure 5The example first and second engines 516, 518 shown are propeller engines with fixed pitch, constant speed, or ground-adjustable propellers. In some examples, the first and second engines 516, 518 are turboprop engines, turbofan engines, or turbojet engines attached to the first and second airborne CcH2 tanks 512, 514 or the first and second wings 504, 506.

[0075] Figure 6 This is a graph 600 illustrating the thermodynamic properties of LH2. Example graph 600 includes a first thermodynamic relationship 602 for LH2 to represent density (kg / m³) as a function of temperature (K). 3 The second thermodynamic relationship between LH2 and LH2 is expressed as saturation pressure (psi) as a function of temperature (K). Figure 6 The thermodynamic relationships 602 and 604 of LH2 shown can be used to determine the mass of LH2 added to the airborne LH2 tank 106, as well as the target temperature and saturation pressure of the airborne LH2 tank 106 in Figure 1. Example Figure 6 This includes, as illustrated below, a comparison of the temperature and saturation pressure ranges of LH2 and CcH2.

[0076] Figure 7 This is a graph 700 illustrating the thermodynamic properties of CcH2. Example graph 700 includes a first thermodynamic relationship 702 for CcH2 to represent the density (kg / m³) as a function of pressure (bar) at a temperature of 40 K. 3 The second thermodynamic relationship between CcH2 and CcH2 is expressed as density (kg / m³) as a function of pressure (bar) at a temperature of 70 K. 3 Example graph 700 also includes reference line 706 to show the effect of temperature on the density of CcH2. For example, CcH2 has a density of 62 kg / m³ at a temperature of 70 K and a pressure of 280 bar. 3 The density of CcH2 is 62 kg / m³ at 40 K and 100 bar. 3 The density. When CcH2 fuel is added to aircraft 204 at 40K, the onboard CcH2 tank 206 has a density of 20m. 3Given the internal volume of the aircraft 204 and its intended flight relying on 1200 kg of CcH2 fuel, the example onboard CcH2 tank 206 can be designed with an internal pressure limit of 100 bar. When the same amount of CcH2 fuel is added to the aircraft 204 at 70 K using the same onboard CcH2 tank 206, the example CcH2 tank 206 can be designed with an internal pressure limit of 280 bar. In the latter case, the example onboard CcH2 tank 206 incorporates more materials (e.g., aluminum, steel, carbon fiber, etc.) to structurally facilitate the containment of potentially higher pressures. By utilizing the onboard CcH2 tank 206 with a pressure limit of 100 bar instead of 280 bar, the example aircraft 204 saves significant weight that can be allocated to other resources (e.g., carrying more cargo, passengers, better performance, longer range, etc.). Therefore, Figure 2-4 Example CcH2 dispensing systems 200, 300 and / or 400 are used to allow Figure 2 Example hydrogen aircraft 204 Figure 5 Example hydrogen aircraft 500 and / or another hydrogen carrier (e.g., car, truck, bus, ship, etc.) are filled with CcH2 at a precise temperature based on the pressure limit (e.g., 100 bar) of the onboard CcH2 tank (e.g., onboard CcH2 tank 206, first CcH2 tank 512, second CcH2 tank 514, etc.).

[0077] Figure 8 This is a flowchart illustrating an example processing / operation 800 of the CcH2 refueling controller 238 controlling the operation of the CcH2 refueling systems 200, 300, 400 as disclosed herein. While the example processing / operation 800 is described primarily with reference to the example onboard CcH2 tank 206 refueling the example aircraft 204, the processing / operation 800 can be used to refuel another CcH2 tank that may be on another hydrogen-powered vehicle (e.g., the first and / or second CcH2 tanks 512, 514), or a separate CcH2 tank that is not on a hydrogen-powered vehicle.

[0078] At block 802, the CcH2 dispenser controller 238 determines whether the onboard pressure in the onboard CcH2 tank 206 meets an initial pressure threshold. For example, pressure loop circuit 246 requests an onboard pressure measurement from the first pressure sensor 208. When pressure loop circuit 246 determines that the onboard pressure does indeed meet the initial pressure threshold (e.g., if the onboard pressure is below 10 bar), processing / operation 800 proceeds to block 814.

[0079] When the pressure loop circuit 246 determines that the airborne pressure does not meet the initial pressure threshold, processing / operation 800 proceeds to block 804, where the CcH2 dispenser controller 238 opens the vent valve 232. For example, the position loop circuit 250 sends a signal to the electronically actuated valve mechanism of the vent valve 232, which directs the flow of CcH2 from the airborne CcH2 tank 206 to the diversion valve 234.

[0080] At block 806, the CcH2 dispenser controller 238 determines whether the pressure in the mixing tank 220 is less than the onboard pressure of the onboard CcH2 tank 206. For example, the pressure loop circuit 246 continuously monitors the onboard pressure via a first pressure sensor 208 and the pressure in the mixing tank 220 via a second pressure sensor 222, and calculates the difference between the two. When the difference between the onboard pressure and the pressure in the mixing tank 220 is negative, the pressure loop circuit 246 can determine that the condition of block 806 is met. When the pressure loop circuit 246 determines that the pressure in the mixing tank 220 is not less than the onboard pressure of the onboard CcH2 tank 206, processing / operation 800 proceeds to block 810.

[0081] When the pressure loop circuit 246 determines that the pressure in the mixing tank 220 is less than the onboard pressure, the processing / operation 800 proceeds to block 808, where the CcH2 dispenser controller 238 causes the diversion valve 234 to direct the CcH2 flow from the onboard CcH2 tank 206 to the mixing tank 220. For example, the position loop circuit 250 detects the actual position of the valve mechanism of the diversion valve 234 and instructs the valve mechanism to actuate to achieve the target position for directional flow to the mixing tank 220.

[0082] At box 810, when pressure loop circuit 246 determines that the pressure in mixing tank 220 is not less than the onboard pressure, CcH2 dispenser controller 238 causes diversion valve 234 to direct CcH2 flow from onboard CcH2 tank 206 to hydrogen container 236 or a secondary destination, such as the atmosphere. For example, position loop circuit 250 detects the actual position of valve mechanism of diversion valve 234 and instructs valve mechanism to actuate to achieve directional flow to the target position in hydrogen container 236.

[0083] At block 812, the CcH2 dispenser controller 238 determines whether the onboard pressure meets an initial pressure threshold. For example, pressure loop circuit 246 reads the onboard pressure measurement from the first pressure sensor 208 and determines whether the onboard pressure is less than a predetermined initial pressure threshold. When pressure loop circuit 246 determines that the onboard pressure does not meet the initial pressure threshold, processing / operation 800 returns to block 806.

[0084] When the pressure loop circuit 246 determines that the airborne pressure indeed meets the initial pressure threshold, processing / operation 800 proceeds to block 814, where the CcH2 dispenser controller 238 opens the dispenser valve 112. For example, the position loop circuit 250 sends a command to the valve mechanism of the dispenser valve 112 to fully open, allowing CcH2 fuel to flow to the airborne CcH2 tank 206.

[0085] At box 816, example CcH2 dispenser 202 facilitates dispensing of onboard CcH2 tank 206, as referenced. Figure 9 The example processing / operation 900 is described in further detail.

[0086] Once the example processing / operation 900 for filling the onboard CcH2 tank 206 is completed, processing / operation 800 proceeds to block 818, where the CcH2 dispenser controller 238 closes the dispenser valve 112. For example, the position loop circuit 250 instructs the valve mechanism of the dispenser valve 112 to completely cut off the flow, at which point processing / operation 800 ends.

[0087] Figure 9 This is a flowchart illustrating an example processing / operation 900 of CcH2 refueling controller 238 refueling an onboard CcH2 tank 206 via CcH2 refueling unit 202. While the example processing / operation 900 is described primarily with reference to the example onboard CcH2 tank 206 refueling example aircraft 204, the processing / operation 900 can be used to refuel another CcH2 tank that may be on another hydrogen-powered vehicle (e.g., first and / or second CcH2 tanks 512, 514), or a separate CcH2 tank not on a hydrogen-powered vehicle.

[0088] Example processing / operation 900 begins at box 902, where the CcH2 dispenser controller determines an intermediate target pressure for mixing tank 220 based on the onboard pressure. For example, pressure loop circuit 246 determines the intermediate target pressure to be slightly higher than the actual onboard pressure (e.g., 1 bar, 2 bar, 5 bar, etc.) based on written instructions, a set of rules, and / or user input to promote positive head in systems 200, 300, and / or 400.

[0089] At box 904, the CcH2 dispenser controller 202 pressurizes the mixing tank 220 based on an intermediate target pressure. For example, the position loop circuit 250 sends a command to the cryogenic pump 216 to adjust the output pressure to adequately match (e.g., within 0.1 bar, 0.05 bar, 0.2 bar, etc.) the intermediate target pressure.

[0090] In box 906, the CcH2 dispenser controller 202 determines whether the actual flow rate of the CcH2 meets the target flow rate. For example, the flow rate loop circuit 244 calculates the flow rate error between the actual flow rate and the target flow rate, where the actual flow rate is based on the measurement of the flow meter 110, and the target flow rate is based on written instructions, a set of rules, and / or user input. The flow rate loop circuit 244 determines that the actual flow rate does indeed meet the target flow rate (e.g., if the flow rate error is sufficiently close to zero (e.g., 0.001 m³ / s)). 3 / s, 0.0001m 3 / s, 0.005m 3 / s etc.), processing / operation 900 proceeds to box 910.

[0091] When the flow rate loop circuit 244 determines that the actual flow rate does not meet the target flow rate, processing / operation 900 proceeds to block 908, where the CcH2 dispenser controller 238 adjusts the flow rate upstream of the mixing tank 220. For example, based on the current operating speed and / or current output pressure, the actual flow rate and / or the target flow rate, the position loop circuit 250 instructs the pump motor 218 to increase the operating speed, or instructs the second regulator valve 304b to increase the output pressure.

[0092] At block 910, the CcH2 dispenser controller 238 determines whether the pressure in the mixing tank 220 meets the intermediate target pressure. For example, the pressure loop circuit 246 calculates the pressure error between the pressure in the mixing tank 220 and the intermediate target pressure, and determines whether the pressure error is sufficiently close to zero (e.g., 0.1 bar, 0.05 bar, 0.025 bar, etc.). When the pressure loop circuit 246 determines that the pressure in the mixing tank 220 does indeed meet the intermediate target pressure, processing / operation 900 proceeds to block 914.

[0093] When the pressure loop circuit 246 determines that the pressure in the mixing tank 220 does not meet the intermediate target pressure, processing / operation 900 proceeds to block 912, where the CcH2 dispenser controller 238 adjusts the pressure upstream of the mixing tank 220. For example, the position loop circuit 250 instructs the cryogenic pump 216 or the second regulator valve 304b to increase the output pressure based on the actual output pressure, the actual pressure in the mixing tank 220, and / or the intermediate target pressure.

[0094] At block 914, the CcH2 dispenser controller 238 determines whether the onboard temperature meets the target temperature of the onboard CcH2 tank 206. For example, temperature loop circuit 248 calculates the temperature error between the actual onboard temperature and the target temperature, where the actual temperature is based on the measurement of the first temperature sensor 210, and the target temperature is based on written instructions, a set of rules, and / or user input. When temperature loop circuit 248 determines that the actual temperature does indeed meet the target temperature (e.g., if the temperature error is sufficiently close to zero (e.g., 1K, 0.5K, 0.1K, etc.)), processing / operation 900 proceeds to block 918.

[0095] When the temperature loop circuit 248 determines that the actual temperature does not meet the target temperature, processing / operation 900 proceeds to block 916, where the CcH2 dispenser controller 238 adjusts the flow rate of sH2 entering the mixing tank 220. For example, when the temperature loop circuit 248 determines that the actual temperature is lower than the target temperature, the position loop circuit 250... Figure 2-4 The proportional valve 108 sends a command to open its valve mechanism, thereby sufficiently increasing the flow of SH2 into the mixing tank 220. Alternatively, when the temperature loop circuit 248 determines that the actual temperature is higher than the target temperature, the position loop circuit 250 sends a command to the position loop circuit 250. Figure 2-4 The proportional valve 108 sends a command to close its valve mechanism, thereby sufficiently reducing the flow of SH2 into the mixing tank. Additionally, the position loop circuit 250 indicates... Figure 3 Regulator valve 304 or Figure 4 The first regulator valve 304a sets the output pressure upstream of the mixing tank 220 to match the actual pressure of the mixing tank 220.

[0096] At block 918, the CcH2 dispenser controller 238 determines whether the onboard pressure meets the target pressure. For example, pressure loop circuit 246 calculates the pressure error between the actual onboard pressure and the target pressure, where the actual pressure is based on the measurement of the first pressure sensor 208, and the target pressure is based on written instructions, a set of rules, and / or user input. When pressure loop circuit 246 determines that the actual onboard pressure does not meet the target pressure (e.g., if the pressure error is sufficiently close to zero (e.g., 1 bar, 0.5 bar, 0.1 bar, etc.)), processing / operation 900 returns to block 902. When pressure loop circuit 246 determines that the actual onboard pressure does meet the target pressure, processing / operation 900 returns to... Figure 8 The frame is 818.

[0097] Figure 10 This is a block diagram of example processor platform 1000, which is configured to execute and / or instantiate... Figure 8 and / or Figure 9 Machine-readable instructions and / or operations to implement Figure 2-4 The CcH2 dispenser controller 238. The processor platform 1000 may be, for example, a server, personal computer, workstation, self-learning machine (e.g., neural network), mobile device (e.g., mobile phone, smartphone, tablet computer (such as iPad)). TM or any other type of computing device.

[0098] The processor platform 1000 shown in the example includes processor circuitry 1012. The processor circuitry 1012 shown in the example is hardware. For example, processor circuitry 1012 may be implemented by one or more integrated circuits, logic circuits, FPGA microprocessors, CPUs, GPUs, DSPs, and / or microcontrollers from any desired family or manufacturer. Processor circuitry 1012 may be implemented by one or more semiconductor-based (e.g., silicon-based) devices. In this example, processor circuitry 1012 implements an example flow rate loop circuit 244, an example pressure loop circuit 246, an example temperature loop circuit 248, and an example position loop circuit 250.

[0099] The processor circuitry 1012 shown in the example includes local memory 1013 (e.g., cache, registers, etc.). The processor circuitry 1012 shown in the example communicates via bus 1018 with main memory, which includes volatile memory 1014 and non-volatile memory 1016. The volatile memory 1014 may be synchronous dynamic random access memory (SDRAM), dynamic random access memory (DRAM), etc. Dynamic Random Access Memory And / or any other type of RAM device. The non-volatile memory 1016 can be implemented by flash memory and / or any other desired type of memory device. Access to the main memory 1014, 1016 of the illustrated example is controlled by the memory controller 1017.

[0100] The processor platform 1000 shown in the example also includes interface circuitry 1020. Interface circuitry 1020 can be configured according to any type of interface standard (e.g., Ethernet interface, Universal Serial Bus (USB) interface, etc.). The interfaces (near field communication (NFC) interface, PCI interface and / or PCIe interface) are implemented in hardware.

[0101] In the illustrated example, one or more input devices 1022 are connected to interface circuitry 1020. Input devices 1022 allow users to input data and / or commands into processor circuitry 1012. Input devices 1022 can be implemented, for example, a keyboard, buttons, a mouse, a touchscreen, a trackpad, a trackball, a dot device, and / or a voice recognition system.

[0102] One or more output devices 1024 are also connected to the interface circuitry 1020 of the illustrated example. The output devices 1024 may be implemented, for example, by a display device (e.g., a light-emitting diode (LED), an organic light-emitting diode (OLED), a liquid crystal display (LCD), a cathode ray tube (CRT) display, an in-place switching (IPS) display, a touchscreen, etc.) and / or a haptic output device. Therefore, the interface circuitry 1020 of the illustrated example typically includes a graphics driver card, a graphics driver chip, and / or graphics processor circuitry (such as a GPU).

[0103] The interface circuit 1020 of the example shown also includes communication devices (e.g., transmitter, receiver, transceiver, modem, residential gateway, wireless access point, and / or network interface) to facilitate data exchange with external machines (e.g., any kind of computing device) via network 1026. Communication may be via, for example, Ethernet connection, Digital Subscriber Line (DSL) connection, telephone line connection, coaxial cable system, satellite system, field wireless system, cellular telephone system, optical connection, etc.

[0104] The processor platform 1000 shown in the example also includes one or more mass storage devices 1028 for storing software and / or data. Examples of such mass storage devices 1028 include magnetic storage devices, optical storage devices, floppy disk drives, HDDs, CDs, Blu-ray disc drives, redundant array of independent disks (RAID) systems, solid-state storage devices (such as flash memory devices), and DVD drives.

[0105] It can be by Figure 8 The machine-executable instructions 1032 implemented by the machine-readable instructions 9 can be stored in a mass storage device 1028, volatile memory 1014, non-volatile memory 1016, and / or on a removable non-transitory computer-readable storage medium (e.g., CD or DVD).

[0106] This document discloses a system and its operation method for refueling a cryogenic compressed hydrogen (CcH2) tank. The examples disclosed herein refuel a CcH2 tank to a target pressure while simultaneously controlling the temperature of the onboard CcH2 during the refueling process. The examples disclosed herein refuel an example onboard CcH2 tank at a specific temperature (e.g., 40 K) such that the example onboard pressure meets the pressure limit of the onboard CcH2 tank. The pressure limit of the onboard CcH2 tank can be selected (e.g., 100 bar), allowing the onboard CcH2 tank to be designed with fewer structural components and reduced weight (e.g., compared to a CcH2 tank designed with a pressure limit of 350 bar).

[0107] The examples disclosed herein can be used to transport airborne CcH2 tanks (e.g., Figure 2-4 Airborne CcH2 tank 206, Figure 5The first and / or second CcH2 tanks (512, 514, etc.) and / or other example CcH2 tanks are filled to the target pressure while controlling the temperature of the CcH2 fuel. During the filling process using example CcH2 filling systems 200, 300, 400, the reverse Joule-Thomson effect of hydrogen causes a decrease in the temperature of CcH2 in portions of CcH2 filling systems 200, 300, 400 and onboard CcH2 tank 206. At low temperatures (e.g., CcH2 temperatures of 40K, 50K, 70K, etc.), the Joule-Thomson effect of hydrogen is reversed, causing the hydrogen to cool due to expansion and throttling. In the examples disclosed herein, CcH2 filling systems 200, 300, 400 include valves (e.g., with orifices that can throttle the CcH2 fuel) Figure 4 The second regulator valve 304b Figure 2-4 The filler valve 112, etc.) or components (e.g., Figure 2 and Figure 3 Cryogenic pump 216, Figure 2-4 The mixing tank 220, etc., causes expansion and cooling of CcH2 in portions of the example CcH2 refueling systems 200, 300, and / or 400, as well as in the onboard CcH2 tank 206. The example CcH2 refueling systems 200, 300, and 400 disclosed herein mix sH2 with CcH2 fuel during the refueling process to controllably heat the CcH2 fuel and counteract the reverse Joule-Thomson effect of hydrogen.

[0108] Further aspects of this disclosure are provided by the subject matter of the following clauses:

[0109] This document discloses example methods, apparatus, systems, and articles for sub-cooling cryogenic fuel during the refueling of onboard cryogenic fuel tanks. Further examples and combinations thereof include the following:

[0110] This document discloses example methods, apparatus, systems, and articles of manufacture for filling cryogenic compressed hydrogen tanks to a target pressure at a target temperature. Further examples and combinations thereof include the following:

[0111] Example 1 includes an apparatus for filling a vessel with cryogenic compressed hydrogen, the apparatus comprising: a filler controller configured to: vent the vessel prior to a filling process based on the pressure of the vessel; fill the mixing tank with at least the cryogenic compressed hydrogen based on the pressure of the vessel and the pressure of the mixing tank, wherein the mixing tank is connected upstream of the vessel and configured to include the cryogenic compressed hydrogen; initiate the filling process of the vessel; adjust the temperature of the mixing tank during the filling process in response to the temperature of the vessel not meeting the target temperature of the vessel, wherein the temperature of the mixing tank is adjusted based on an increase or decrease in the supercritical hydrogen flow; and terminate the filling process in response to the pressure of the vessel meeting the target pressure of the vessel.

[0112] Example 2 includes the device described in any of the preceding clauses, wherein the vessel is a cryogenic compressed hydrogen storage tank on an aircraft, and the vessel contains unused cryogenic compressed hydrogen prior to the refueling process.

[0113] Example 3 includes a device according to any of the preceding clauses, wherein the vessel is a first canister removable from the aircraft, and wherein the dispenser controller is configured to initiate the dispensing process of a second canister detached from the aircraft, the second canister replacing the first canister after the dispensing process.

[0114] Example 4 includes a device according to any of the preceding clauses, further including a first valve and a second valve, the first valve being connected to the vessel, the second valve being connected to the first valve, the mixing tank, and a secondary destination, wherein the first valve is a quick-opening valve, wherein the second valve is a diverter valve, and wherein the secondary destination includes one or more hydrogen containers.

[0115] Example 5 includes a device according to any of the preceding clauses, wherein the dispenser controller includes: a pressure loop circuit that determines whether the pressure of the mixing tank is less than the pressure of the vessel; and a position loop circuit that: in response to the pressure of the mixing tank being less than the pressure of the vessel, directs the unused cryogenic compressed hydrogen to the mixing tank via a second valve; and in response to the pressure of the mixing tank being greater than the pressure of the vessel, directs the unused cryogenic compressed hydrogen to the secondary destination via the second valve.

[0116] Example 6 includes the device according to any of the preceding clauses, further including a cryogenic valve connected downstream of the mixing tank and upstream of the vessel, wherein the mixing tank is connected to a cryogenic compressed hydrogen source, a supercritical hydrogen source and the cryogenic valve via one or more rigid vacuum jacket streamlines, and wherein the cryogenic valve is connected to the vessel via one or more flexible vacuum jacket streamlines.

[0117] Example 7 includes an apparatus according to any of the preceding clauses, further including a cryogenic pump connected to a liquid hydrogen supply tank, wherein the dispenser controller includes: a pressure loop circuit that determines a target output pressure of the cryogenic pump based on the pressure of the vessel; and a position loop circuit that adjusts the output pressure of the cryogenic pump based on the target output pressure of the cryogenic pump.

[0118] Example 8 includes the device according to any of the preceding clauses, further including a vaporizer connected to the cryogenic pump via a proportional valve, wherein the dispenser controller includes a temperature loop circuit that determines a target temperature of the mixing tank based on the temperature of the vessel and the target temperature of the vessel, wherein the position loop circuit adjusts the output flow rate of the proportional valve based on the target temperature of the mixing tank.

[0119] Example 9 includes the device according to any of the preceding clauses, further including a proportional valve and a regulator valve connected to a hydrogen storage tank, the proportional valve being downstream of the hydrogen storage tank and the regulator valve being downstream of the proportional valve, wherein the dispenser controller includes: a temperature loop circuit that determines a target temperature of the mixing tank based on the temperature of the vessel and the target temperature of the vessel; a pressure loop circuit that determines a target output pressure of the regulator valve based on the pressure of the mixing tank; and a position loop circuit that: adjusts the output flow rate of the proportional valve based on the target temperature of the mixing tank; and adjusts the output pressure of the regulator valve based on the target output pressure of the regulator valve.

[0120] Example 10 includes the device according to any of the preceding clauses, further including a regulator valve connected to the cryogenic compressed hydrogen supply tank and the mixing tank, the regulator valve being downstream of the cryogenic compressed hydrogen supply tank and the mixing tank being downstream of the regulator valve, wherein the dispenser controller includes: a pressure loop circuit that determines a target output pressure of the regulator valve based on the pressure of the mixing tank, the pressure of the vessel, or the target pressure of the vessel; and a position loop circuit that adjusts the output pressure of the regulator valve based on the target output pressure of the regulator valve.

[0121] Example 11 includes at least one non-transitory computer-readable medium containing instructions that, when executed, cause a dispenser controller to at least: vent the vessel before the dispensing process based on the vessel's pressure; fill the mixing tank with at least cryogenic compressed hydrogen based on the pressure of the vessel and the pressure of the mixing tank; initiate the dispensing process of the vessel; adjust the temperature of the mixing tank during the dispensing process in response to the temperature of the vessel not meeting the target temperature of the vessel, wherein the temperature of the mixing tank is adjusted based on an increase or decrease in the supercritical hydrogen flow; and terminate the dispensing process in response to the pressure of the vessel meeting the target pressure of the vessel.

[0122] Example 12 includes at least one non-transitory computer-readable medium according to any of the preceding clauses, further including instructions that cause the dispenser controller to: vent the vessel via a first valve connected to the vessel; direct unused cryogenic compressed hydrogen in the vessel to the mixing tank via a second valve connected to the first valve, the mixing tank, and a secondary destination in response to the pressure in the mixing tank being less than the pressure in the vessel; and direct the unused cryogenic compressed hydrogen to the secondary destination via the second valve, the secondary destination comprising one or more hydrogen containers, in response to the pressure in the mixing tank being greater than the pressure in the vessel.

[0123] Example 13 includes at least one non-transitory computer-readable medium according to any of the preceding clauses, wherein the cryogenic compressed hydrogen is supplied by a cryogenic pump connected to a liquid hydrogen supply tank, and wherein the supercritical hydrogen is supplied by a vaporizer connected to the cryogenic pump via a proportional valve, further including instructions that cause the dispenser controller to: determine a target temperature of the mixing tank based on the temperature of the vessel and the target temperature of the vessel; and adjust the output flow rate of the proportional valve based on the target temperature of the mixing tank.

[0124] Example 14 includes at least one non-transitory computer-readable medium according to any of the preceding clauses, wherein a proportional valve is connected to a hydrogen storage tank and a regulator valve, the proportional valve being downstream of the hydrogen storage tank and the regulator valve being downstream of the proportional valve, further including instructions that cause the dispenser controller to: determine a target temperature of the mixing tank based on the temperature of the vessel and the target temperature of the vessel; determine a target output pressure of the regulator valve based on the pressure of the mixing tank; adjust the output flow rate of the proportional valve based on the target temperature of the mixing tank; and adjust the output pressure of the regulator valve based on the target output pressure of the regulator valve.

[0125] Example 15 includes at least one non-transitory computer-readable medium according to any of the preceding clauses, wherein a regulator valve is connected to a cryogenic compressed hydrogen supply tank and the mixing tank, the regulator valve being downstream of the cryogenic compressed hydrogen supply tank and the mixing tank being downstream of the regulator valve, further including instructions that cause the dispenser controller to: determine a target output pressure of the regulator valve based on the pressure of the mixing tank, the pressure of the vessel, or the target pressure of the vessel; and adjust the output pressure of the regulator valve based on the target output pressure of the regulator valve.

[0126] Example 16 includes a method for filling a vessel with cryogenic compressed hydrogen, the method comprising: determining a target pressure of a mixing tank based on the pressure of the vessel; filling the mixing tank with at least the cryogenic compressed hydrogen based on the target pressure of the mixing tank; determining whether the flow rate of the cryogenic compressed hydrogen meets a target flow rate; adjusting the flow rate of the cryogenic compressed hydrogen in response to the flow rate not meeting the target flow rate; determining whether the pressure of the mixing tank meets the target pressure of the mixing tank; adjusting the pressure of the mixing tank in response to the pressure not meeting the target pressure of the mixing tank; determining whether the temperature of the vessel meets a target temperature of the vessel; adjusting the flow rate of supercritical hydrogen entering the mixing tank at the pressure of the mixing tank based on the temperature of the vessel and the target temperature of the vessel; determining whether the pressure of the vessel meets the target pressure of the vessel; and ending the filling process in response to the pressure of the vessel meeting the target pressure of the vessel.

[0127] Example 17 includes the method according to any of the preceding clauses, further comprising: venting the vessel based on the pressure of the vessel; directing unused cryogenic compressed hydrogen in the vessel to the mixing tank in response to the pressure of the mixing tank being less than the pressure of the vessel; and directing the unused cryogenic compressed hydrogen to a secondary destination, the secondary destination comprising one or more hydrogen containers, in response to the pressure of the mixing tank being greater than the pressure of the vessel.

[0128] Example 18 includes the method according to any of the preceding clauses, wherein the cryogenic compressed hydrogen is supplied by a cryogenic pump connected to a liquid hydrogen supply tank, and wherein the supercritical hydrogen is supplied by a vaporizer connected to the cryogenic pump via a proportional valve, further comprising: determining a target temperature of the mixing tank based on the temperature of the vessel and the target temperature of the vessel; and adjusting the output flow rate of the proportional valve based on the target temperature of the mixing tank.

[0129] Example 19 includes the method according to any of the preceding clauses, wherein a proportional valve is connected to a hydrogen storage tank and a regulator valve, the proportional valve being downstream of the hydrogen storage tank and the regulator valve being downstream of the proportional valve, further comprising: determining a target temperature of the mixing tank based on the temperature of the vessel and the target temperature of the vessel; determining a target output pressure of the regulator valve based on the pressure of the mixing tank; adjusting the output flow rate of the proportional valve based on the target temperature of the mixing tank; and adjusting the output pressure of the regulator valve based on the target output pressure of the regulator valve.

[0130] Example 20 includes the method according to any of the preceding clauses, wherein a regulator valve is connected to a cryogenic compressed hydrogen supply tank and the mixing tank, the regulator valve being downstream of the cryogenic compressed hydrogen supply tank and the mixing tank being downstream of the regulator valve, further comprising: determining a target output pressure of the regulator valve based on the pressure of the mixing tank, the pressure of the vessel, or the target pressure of the vessel; and adjusting the output pressure of the regulator valve based on the target output pressure of the regulator valve.

[0131] Example 21 includes a system comprising: a cryogenic compressed hydrogen dispenser that dispenses a vessel including a mixing tank, the mixing tank being configured to include cryogenic compressed hydrogen, the mixing tank combining the cryogenic compressed hydrogen and supercritical hydrogen, wherein the cryogenic compressed hydrogen is delivered to the mixing tank at a first temperature and the supercritical hydrogen is delivered to the mixing tank at a second temperature above the first temperature; and a dispenser controller configured to adjust the temperature of the mixing tank in response to the vessel's temperature not meeting a target temperature during the dispensing process, wherein the temperature of the mixing tank is adjusted based on an increase or decrease in the supercritical hydrogen flow.

[0132] Example 22 includes a system according to any of the preceding clauses, wherein the vessel is a cryogenic compressed hydrogen storage tank on an aircraft, and the vessel contains unused cryogenic compressed hydrogen prior to the refueling process.

[0133] Example 23 includes a system according to any of the preceding clauses, wherein the vessel is a first canister removable from the aircraft, wherein the cryogenic compressed hydrogen refueling device refuels a second canister removed from the aircraft, the second canister replacing the first canister after the refueling process.

[0134] Example 24 includes a system according to any of the preceding clauses, wherein the cryogenic compressed hydrogen dispenser includes a first valve and a second valve, the first valve being connected to the vessel, the second valve being connected to the first valve, the mixing tank, and a secondary destination, wherein the first valve is a quick-opening valve, wherein the second valve is a diverter valve, and the secondary destination includes one or more hydrogen containers.

[0135] Example 25 includes a system according to any of the preceding clauses, wherein the dispenser controller includes: a pressure loop circuit that determines whether the pressure of the mixing tank is less than the pressure of the vessel; and a position loop circuit that: in response to the pressure of the mixing tank being less than the pressure of the vessel, directs the unused cryogenic compressed hydrogen to the mixing tank via a second valve; and in response to the pressure of the mixing tank being greater than the pressure of the vessel, directs the unused cryogenic compressed hydrogen to the secondary destination via the second valve.

[0136] Example 26 includes a system according to any of the preceding clauses, further including a cryogenic valve connected downstream of the mixing tank and upstream of the vessel, wherein the mixing tank is connected to a cryogenic compressed hydrogen source, a supercritical hydrogen source and the cryogenic valve via one or more rigid vacuum jacket streamlines, and wherein the cryogenic valve is connected to the vessel via one or more flexible vacuum jacket streamlines.

[0137] Example 27 includes a system according to any of the preceding clauses, wherein the cryogenic compressed hydrogen source is a cryogenic pump connected downstream of the liquid hydrogen supply tank and upstream of the mixing tank, and the supercritical hydrogen source is a vaporizer connected downstream of a proportional valve and upstream of the mixing tank, the proportional valve being connected downstream of the cryogenic pump.

[0138] Example 28 includes a system according to any of the preceding clauses, wherein the cryogenic compressed hydrogen source is a cryogenic pump connected downstream of the liquid hydrogen supply tank and upstream of the mixing tank, and the supercritical hydrogen source is one or more hydrogen storage tanks connected upstream of the mixing tank.

[0139] Example 29 includes a system according to any of the preceding clauses, wherein the cryogenic compressed hydrogen source is a cryogenic compressed hydrogen supply tank and the supercritical hydrogen source is one or more hydrogen storage tanks connected upstream of the mixing tank.

[0140] Example 30 includes a system according to any of the preceding clauses, further including a cryogenic pump connected to a liquid hydrogen supply tank, wherein the dispenser controller includes: a pressure loop circuit that determines a target output pressure of the cryogenic pump based on the pressure of the vessel; and a position loop circuit that adjusts the output pressure of the cryogenic pump based on the target output pressure.

[0141] Example 31 includes a system according to any of the preceding clauses, further including a vaporizer connected to the cryogenic pump via a proportional valve, wherein the dispenser controller includes a temperature loop circuit that determines a target temperature of the mixing tank based on the temperature of the vessel and the target temperature of the vessel, wherein the position loop circuit adjusts the output flow rate of the proportional valve based on the target temperature of the mixing tank.

[0142] Example 32 includes a system according to any of the preceding clauses, further comprising a proportional valve and a regulator valve connected to a hydrogen storage tank, the proportional valve being downstream of the hydrogen storage tank and the regulator valve being downstream of the proportional valve, wherein the dispenser controller includes: a temperature loop circuit that determines a target temperature of the mixing tank based on the temperature of the vessel and the target temperature of the vessel; a pressure loop circuit that determines a target output pressure of the regulator valve based on the pressure of the mixing tank; and a position loop circuit that: adjusts the output flow rate of the proportional valve based on the target temperature of the mixing tank; and adjusts the output pressure of the regulator valve based on the target output pressure of the regulator valve.

[0143] Example 33 includes a system according to any of the preceding clauses, further including a regulator valve connected to a cryogenic compressed hydrogen supply tank and the mixing tank, the regulator valve being downstream of the cryogenic compressed hydrogen supply tank and the mixing tank being downstream of the regulator valve, wherein the dispenser controller includes: a pressure loop circuit that determines a target output pressure of the regulator valve based on the pressure of the mixing tank, the pressure of the vessel, or the target pressure; and a position loop circuit that adjusts the output pressure of the regulator valve based on the target output pressure.

[0144] The following claims are incorporated herein by reference in this detailed description, wherein each claim is an independent embodiment of this disclosure.

Claims

1. An apparatus for adding a cryogenic compressed hydrogen filling vessel, characterized in that, The device includes: Mixing tank; A cryogenic compressed hydrogen source, the cryogenic compressed hydrogen source being configured to supply cryogenic compressed hydrogen to the mixing tank; A supercritical hydrogen source, configured to supply supercritical hydrogen to the mixing tank; Pressure sensor; Temperature sensor; A first valve; and a dispenser controller, the dispenser controller being configured to: Based on the pressure of the vessel detected by the pressure sensor, the vessel is released via the first valve before the filling process; Based on the pressure of the vessel and the pressure of the mixing tank detected by the pressure sensor, the mixing tank is filled with cryogenic compressed hydrogen supplied by at least the cryogenic compressed hydrogen source, wherein the mixing tank is connected upstream of the vessel and is configured to include the cryogenic compressed hydrogen; Initiate the filling process of the vessel; During the filling process, the temperature of the mixing tank is adjusted in response to the temperature of the vessel, detected by the temperature sensor, not meeting the target temperature of the vessel. The temperature of the mixing tank is adjusted based on an increase or decrease in the supercritical hydrogen flow. The filling process ends when the pressure of the vessel meets the target pressure of the vessel.

2. The device according to claim 1, characterized in that, in, The vessel is a cryogenic compressed hydrogen storage tank on the aircraft, and the vessel contains unused cryogenic compressed hydrogen prior to the refueling process.

3. The device according to claim 2, characterized in that, in, The vessel is a first canister that can be removed from the aircraft, wherein the refueling controller is configured to initiate the refueling process of a second canister that has been removed from the aircraft, after which the second canister replaces the first canister.

4. The device according to claim 2, characterized in that, It further includes a second valve, the first valve being connected to the vessel, the second valve being connected to the first valve, the mixing tank, and the secondary destination, wherein the first valve is a quick-opening valve, wherein the second valve is a diverter valve, and wherein the secondary destination includes one or more hydrogen containers.

5. The device according to claim 4, characterized in that, in, The dispenser controller includes: A pressure loop circuit that determines whether the pressure in the mixing vessel is less than the pressure in the container; and Position loop circuit, wherein the position loop circuit: In response to the pressure in the mixing tank being less than the pressure in the vessel, the unused cryogenic compressed hydrogen is directed to the mixing tank via the second valve; and In response to the pressure in the mixing tank being greater than the pressure in the vessel, the unused cryogenic compressed hydrogen is directed to the secondary destination via the second valve.

6. The device according to claim 1, characterized in that, The device further includes a cryogenic valve connected downstream of the mixing tank and upstream of the vessel, wherein the mixing tank is connected to the cryogenic compressed hydrogen source, the supercritical hydrogen source and the cryogenic valve via one or more rigid vacuum jacket streamlines, and wherein the cryogenic valve is connected to the vessel via one or more flexible vacuum jacket streamlines.

7. The device according to claim 1, characterized in that, The device further includes a cryogenic pump connected to a liquid hydrogen supply tank, wherein the dispenser controller includes: A pressure loop circuit that determines the target output pressure of the cryogenic pump based on the pressure of the vessel; and A position loop circuit that adjusts the output pressure of the cryogenic pump based on the target output pressure of the cryogenic pump.

8. The device according to claim 7, characterized in that, The device further includes a vaporizer connected to the cryogenic pump via a proportional valve, wherein the dispenser controller includes a temperature loop circuit that determines a target temperature for the mixing tank based on the temperature of the vessel and the target temperature of the vessel, wherein the position loop circuit adjusts the output flow rate of the proportional valve based on the target temperature of the mixing tank.

9. The device according to claim 1, characterized in that, The device further includes a proportioning valve and a regulator valve connected to a hydrogen storage tank, the proportioning valve being downstream of the hydrogen storage tank and the regulator valve being downstream of the proportioning valve, wherein the dispenser controller includes: A temperature loop circuit that determines the target temperature of the mixing vessel based on the temperature of the vessel and the target temperature of the vessel; A pressure loop circuit that determines the target output pressure of the regulator valve based on the pressure of the mixing tank; and Position loop circuit, wherein the position loop circuit: The output flow rate of the proportional valve is adjusted based on the target temperature of the mixing tank; and The output pressure of the regulator valve is adjusted based on the target output pressure of the regulator valve.

10. The device according to claim 1, characterized in that, The device further includes a regulator valve connected to the cryogenic compressed hydrogen supply tank and the mixing tank, the regulator valve being downstream of the cryogenic compressed hydrogen supply tank and the mixing tank being downstream of the regulator valve, wherein the dispenser controller includes: A pressure loop circuit that determines the target output pressure of the regulator valve based on the pressure of the mixing tank, the pressure of the vessel, or the target pressure of the vessel; and A position loop circuit that adjusts the output pressure of the regulator valve based on the target output pressure of the regulator valve.

11. At least one non-transitory computer-readable medium containing instructions, characterized in that, When the instruction is executed, it causes the dispenser controller to at least: The pressure of the vessel, detected by a pressure sensor, is released from the vessel via a first valve before the filling process; Based on the pressure of the vessel and the pressure of the mixing tank detected by the pressure sensor, the mixing tank is filled with cryogenic compressed hydrogen supplied by at least a cryogenic compressed hydrogen source, wherein the mixing tank is connected upstream of the vessel; Initiate the filling process of the vessel; During the filling process, the temperature of the mixing tank is adjusted in response to a temperature sensor detecting that the temperature of the vessel does not meet the target temperature of the vessel, wherein the temperature of the mixing tank is adjusted based on an increase or decrease in the supercritical hydrogen flow supplied from the supercritical hydrogen source to the mixing tank; and The filling process ends when the pressure of the vessel meets the target pressure of the vessel.

12. The at least one non-transitory computer-readable medium according to claim 11, characterized in that, The system further includes instructions that cause the dispenser controller to: The vessel is drained via the first valve connected to it; In response to the pressure in the mixing tank being less than the pressure in the vessel, unused cryogenic compressed hydrogen from the vessel is directed to the mixing tank via a second valve connected to the first valve, the mixing tank, and the secondary destination; and In response to the pressure in the mixing tank being greater than the pressure in the vessel, the unused cryogenic compressed hydrogen is directed via the second valve to the secondary destination, which includes one or more hydrogen containers.

13. The at least one non-transitory computer-readable medium according to claim 11, characterized in that, in, The cryogenic compressed hydrogen is supplied by a cryogenic pump connected to a liquid hydrogen supply tank, and the supercritical hydrogen is supplied by a vaporizer connected to the cryogenic pump via a proportional valve, further including instructions that cause the dispenser controller to: The target temperature of the mixing tank is determined based on the temperature of the vessel and the target temperature of the vessel; and The output flow rate of the proportional valve is adjusted based on the target temperature of the mixing tank.

14. The at least one non-transitory computer-readable medium according to claim 11, characterized in that, in, A proportional valve is connected to a hydrogen storage tank and a regulator valve, the proportional valve being downstream of the hydrogen storage tank and the regulator valve being downstream of the proportional valve. The system further includes instructions that cause the dispenser controller to: The target temperature of the mixing tank is determined based on the temperature of the vessel and the target temperature of the vessel; The target output pressure of the regulator valve is determined based on the pressure in the mixing tank. The output flow rate of the proportional valve is adjusted based on the target temperature of the mixing tank; and The output pressure of the regulator valve is adjusted based on the target output pressure of the regulator valve.

15. The at least one non-transitory computer-readable medium according to claim 11, characterized in that, in, A regulator valve is connected to the cryogenic compressed hydrogen supply tank and the mixing tank, the regulator valve being downstream of the cryogenic compressed hydrogen supply tank and the mixing tank being downstream of the regulator valve, and further includes instructions that cause the dispenser controller to: The target output pressure of the regulator valve is determined based on the pressure of the mixing tank, the pressure of the vessel, or the target pressure of the vessel; and The output pressure of the regulator valve is adjusted based on the target output pressure of the regulator valve.

16. A method for adding a vessel using cryogenic compressed hydrogen, characterized in that, include: The target pressure of the mixing tank is determined based on the pressure of the vessel detected by the pressure sensor; Based on the target pressure of the mixing tank, the mixing tank is filled with cryogenic compressed hydrogen supplied by at least a cryogenic compressed hydrogen source, wherein the mixing tank is connected upstream of the vessel; Determine whether the flow rate of the cryogenic compressed hydrogen meets the target flow rate; The flow rate of the cryogenic compressed hydrogen is adjusted in response to the flow rate not meeting the target flow rate; Determine whether the pressure of the mixing tank detected by the pressure sensor meets the target pressure of the mixing tank; The pressure of the mixing tank is adjusted in response to the pressure not meeting the target pressure of the mixing tank; Determine whether the temperature of the vessel detected by the temperature sensor meets the target temperature of the vessel; Based on the temperature of the vessel and the target temperature of the vessel, the flow rate of supercritical hydrogen supplied by the supercritical hydrogen source and entering the mixing tank is adjusted under the pressure of the mixing tank; Determine whether the pressure of the vessel meets the target pressure of the vessel; as well as The filling process ends in response to the pressure of the vessel meeting the target pressure of the vessel.

17. The method according to claim 16, characterized in that, Further includes: The pressure in the vessel is released via a first valve; In response to the pressure in the mixing tank being less than the pressure in the vessel, unused cryogenic compressed hydrogen in the vessel is directed to the mixing tank via a second valve; as well as In response to the pressure in the mixing tank being greater than the pressure in the vessel, the unused cryogenic compressed hydrogen is directed via the second valve to a secondary destination, which includes one or more hydrogen containers.

18. The method according to claim 16, characterized in that, in, The cryogenic compressed hydrogen is supplied by a cryogenic pump connected to a liquid hydrogen supply tank, and the supercritical hydrogen is supplied by a vaporizer connected to the cryogenic pump via a proportional valve, further comprising: The target temperature of the mixing tank is determined based on the temperature of the vessel and the target temperature of the vessel; and The output flow rate of the proportional valve is adjusted based on the target temperature of the mixing tank.

19. The method according to claim 16, characterized in that, in, A proportional valve is connected to a hydrogen storage tank and a regulator valve, the proportional valve being downstream of the hydrogen storage tank and the regulator valve being downstream of the proportional valve, further comprising: The target temperature of the mixing tank is determined based on the temperature of the vessel and the target temperature of the vessel; The target output pressure of the regulator valve is determined based on the pressure in the mixing tank. The output flow rate of the proportional valve is adjusted based on the target temperature of the mixing tank; and The output pressure of the regulator valve is adjusted based on the target output pressure of the regulator valve.

20. The method according to claim 16, characterized in that, in, A regulator valve is connected to the cryogenic compressed hydrogen supply tank and the mixing tank, the regulator valve being downstream of the cryogenic compressed hydrogen supply tank and the mixing tank being downstream of the regulator valve, further comprising: The target output pressure of the regulator valve is determined based on the pressure of the mixing tank, the pressure of the vessel, or the target pressure of the vessel; and The output pressure of the regulator valve is adjusted based on the target output pressure of the regulator valve.

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