Hydrogen fuel detonation hybrid electric engine, aircraft and use method

Abstract

The invention relates to the technical field of engines, in particular to a hydrogen fuel detonation hybrid electric engine, an aircraft and a using method. A hydrogen fuel detonation hybrid electric engine includes: a hydrogen fuel cell; the gas compression assembly is connected with the hydrogen fuel cell through a line, and the gas compression assembly is used for compressing the environment gas into compressed air; and the detonation chamber is connected with the air compression assembly through a pipeline, compressed air and hydrogen flow in the detonation chamber, and the compressed air and the hydrogen are combusted in the detonation chamber to generate detonation waves. The invention provides a hydrogen fuel detonation hybrid electric engine, an aircraft and a using method, and aims to solve the problems that thrust is generated by high-temperature tail gas and compressed air generated by a hydrogen fuel cell of the hybrid electric engine, and the tail gas generated by the fuel cell is low in temperature, difficult to generate large thrust and difficult to adapt to the power requirement of the aircraft.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to the field of engine technology, and in particular to a hydrogen fuel detonation hybrid electric engine, an aircraft and a method of using the same. Background Art

[0002] The hydrogen-fueled aviation engine is a new energy engine with zero carbon emissions that uses hydrogen as fuel. One technical route is to connect a hydrogen fuel cell to an electric motor to power the aircraft. The problem with this technical route is that the energy density of hydrogen fuel cells is low. A large number of hydrogen fuel cells are required to power the aircraft, which is costly and heavy.

[0003] This technology route uses hydrogen fuel cells as the main power source, and uses the electricity generated by the fuel cell to drive the electric motor, which drives the compressor and fan. The high-temperature exhaust gas and unreacted gas generated by the fuel cell are accelerated through the tail nozzle to generate thrust.

[0004] The disadvantage of the hybrid electric engine in the above technical route is that it uses high-temperature exhaust gas generated by hydrogen fuel cells and compressed air to generate thrust. The exhaust gas generated by the fuel cell has a low temperature (about 600°C) and a small flow rate, making it difficult to generate large thrust and difficult to adapt to the changing power requirements of the aircraft. Summary of the Invention

[0005] In view of this, the present invention provides a hydrogen fuel detonation hybrid electric engine, an aircraft and a method of use to solve the problem that the hybrid electric engine uses the high-temperature exhaust gas and compressed air generated by the hydrogen fuel cell to generate thrust, and the exhaust gas generated by the fuel cell has a low temperature, which makes it difficult to generate large thrust and difficult to adapt to the power requirements of the aircraft.

[0006] In a first aspect, the present invention provides a hydrogen fuel detonation hybrid electric engine, comprising:

[0007] hydrogen fuel cells;

[0008] A gas compressor assembly, connected to a hydrogen fuel cell circuit, for compressing ambient gas into compressed air;

[0009] A detonation chamber is connected to the compressed air assembly pipeline. Compressed air and hydrogen are suitable for flowing in the detonation chamber. The compressed air and hydrogen are burned in the detonation chamber to generate a detonation wave.

[0010] The hydrogen fuel cell provides electrical energy to the compressor assembly, which compresses ambient gas into compressed air. The compressed air and hydrogen are then combusted in the detonation chamber to generate a detonation wave. The exhaust gas produced by the combustion of compressed air and hydrogen has a temperature between 1800°C and 2500°C, preferably around 2000°C, and a pressure of 8-12 MPa, preferably around 10 MPa, significantly higher than the exhaust temperature produced by hydrogen fuel combustion. Furthermore, the expansion wave generated by the detonation wave in the detonation chamber generates a certain amount of thrust, meeting the power requirements of an aircraft engine.

[0011] In an optional embodiment, it further includes a first pipeline and a second pipeline, the compression assembly includes a compressor, one end of the first pipeline is connected to the compressor, the other end of the first pipeline is connected to the detonation chamber, one end of the second pipeline is connected to the compressor, and the other end of the second pipeline is connected to the first air inlet of the hydrogen fuel cell.

[0012] In an optional embodiment, a tail nozzle is further included, which is connected to the air outlet of the detonation chamber and is used to discharge the exhaust gas generated by the detonation combustion into the external environment.

[0013] In an optional embodiment, a hydrogen storage tank is further included, wherein the hydrogen storage tank contains liquid hydrogen and is connected to the detonation chamber pipeline.

[0014] In an optional embodiment, it also includes a heat exchanger, a liquid inlet pipeline and a third pipeline. The heat exchanger is connected to the hydrogen storage tank through the liquid inlet pipeline, one end of the third pipeline is connected to the side wall of the tail nozzle, and the other end of the third pipeline is connected to the heat exchanger, and exhaust gas flows in the third pipeline.

[0015] In an optional embodiment, a fourth pipeline and a fifth pipeline are further included, one end of the fourth pipeline is connected to the heat exchanger, and the other end of the fourth pipeline is connected to the detonation chamber, one end of the fifth pipeline is connected to the heat exchanger, and the other end of the fifth pipeline is connected to the second air inlet of the hydrogen fuel cell.

[0016] In an optional embodiment, the compressor assembly further includes a power part and a blade group, a first rotating shaft is provided between the blade group and the compressor, a second rotating shaft is provided between the compressor and the power part, the compressor is provided between the power part and the blade group, and the power part is connected to the hydrogen fuel cell circuit.

[0017] In an optional embodiment, at least one pulse detonation straight pipe is provided in the detonation chamber, and an opening and closing member is provided at the air inlet end of the pulse detonation straight pipe.

[0018] In a second aspect, the present invention further provides an aircraft comprising the above-mentioned hydrogen fuel detonation hybrid electric engine.

[0019] In a third aspect, the present invention also provides a method for using a hydrogen fuel detonation hybrid electric engine, wherein the hydrogen fuel cell provides electrical energy to the compressor assembly, the compressor assembly compresses the ambient gas into compressed air, and the compressed air and hydrogen are burned in the detonation chamber to generate a detonation wave. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0020] In order to more clearly illustrate the specific embodiments of the present invention or the technical solutions in the prior art, the following briefly introduces the drawings required for use in the specific embodiments or the description of the prior art. Obviously, the drawings described below are some embodiments of the present invention. For ordinary technicians in this field, other drawings can be obtained based on these drawings without paying any creative work.

[0021] Figure 1 Schematic diagram of a hydrogen fuel detonation hybrid electric engine according to an embodiment of the present invention;

[0022] Figure 2 Schematic diagram of the pulse detonation straight tube combustion process according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0023] Explanation of the accompanying symbols: 1. Hydrogen fuel cell; 101. First air inlet; 102. Second air inlet; 2. Conductive wire; 3. Compressor; 4. Detonation chamber; 401. Pulse detonation straight pipe; 4011. Air inlet end; 4012. Exhaust end; 5. Tail nozzle; 6. Hydrogen storage tank; 7. Heat exchanger; 8. Power parts; 9. Blade group; 10. First pipeline; 11. Third pipeline; 12. Liquid inlet pipeline; 13. Fifth pipeline; 14. Second pipeline; 15. Fourth pipeline. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0024] To make the purpose, technical solutions, and advantages of the embodiments of the present invention more clear, the technical solutions in the embodiments of the present invention will be clearly and completely described below in conjunction with the accompanying drawings in the embodiments of the present invention. Obviously, the described embodiments are part of the embodiments of the present invention, not all of the embodiments. Based on the embodiments of the present invention, all other embodiments obtained by those skilled in the art without making creative efforts shall fall within the scope of protection of the present invention.

[0025] The following combination Figure 1 and 2 , describing embodiments of the present invention.

[0026] According to an embodiment of the present invention, on the one hand, a hydrogen fuel detonation hybrid electric engine is provided, comprising: a hydrogen fuel cell 1; a compressor assembly, the compressor assembly being connected to the hydrogen fuel cell 1 circuit, the compressor assembly compressing ambient gas into compressed air; a detonation chamber 4, being connected to the compressor assembly pipeline, the detonation chamber 4 being suitable for the flow of compressed air and hydrogen, the compressed air and hydrogen being burned in the detonation chamber 4 to generate a detonation wave.

[0027] The hydrogen fuel cell 1 provides electrical energy to the compressor assembly, which compresses ambient gas into compressed air. The compressed air and hydrogen combust within the detonation chamber 4 to generate a detonation wave. The exhaust gas produced by the combustion of compressed air and hydrogen has a temperature between 1800°C and 2500°C, preferably around 2000°C, and a pressure of 8-12 MPa, preferably 10 MPa, significantly higher than the exhaust temperature produced by hydrogen fuel combustion. Furthermore, the expansion wave generated by the detonation wave within the detonation chamber 4 generates a certain amount of thrust, meeting the power requirements of an aircraft engine. In this embodiment, the detonation chamber 4 is a pulse detonation chamber.

[0028] In one embodiment, Figure 1 As shown, the system further includes a first pipeline 10 and a second pipeline 14. The air compressor assembly includes a compressor 3. One end of the first pipeline 10 is connected to the compressor 3, and the other end of the first pipeline 10 is connected to the detonation chamber 4. One end of the second pipeline 14 is connected to the compressor 3, and the other end of the second pipeline 14 is connected to the first air inlet 101 of the hydrogen fuel cell 1. The first pipeline 10 is provided to transport the compressed air generated by the compressor 3 to the detonation chamber 4, and the second pipeline 14 is provided to transport a portion of the compressed air generated by the compressor 3 to the hydrogen fuel cell 1. That is, a portion of the compressed air generated by the compressor 3 is transported to the detonation chamber 4, and the other portion is transported to the hydrogen fuel cell 1.

[0029] In one embodiment, Figure 1 As shown, it also includes a tail nozzle 5, which is connected to the air outlet of the detonation chamber 4. The tail nozzle 5 is used to discharge the exhaust gas generated by the detonation combustion into the external environment, so as to accelerate the high-temperature exhaust gas in the tail nozzle 5 to generate thrust.

[0030] In one embodiment, Figure 1 As shown, it also includes a hydrogen storage tank 6, which contains liquid hydrogen. The hydrogen storage tank 6 is connected to the detonation chamber 4 through a pipeline. The liquid hydrogen in the hydrogen storage tank 6 is converted from liquid to gas and then transported to the detonation chamber 4.

[0031] In one embodiment, Figure 1 As shown, the heat exchanger 7 also includes a heat exchanger 7, a liquid inlet pipeline 12, and a third pipeline 11. The heat exchanger 7 is connected to the hydrogen storage tank 6 through the liquid inlet pipeline 12. One end of the third pipeline 11 is connected to the side wall of the tail nozzle 5, and the other end of the third pipeline 11 is connected to the heat exchanger 7. High-temperature exhaust gas flows in the third pipeline 11. The exhaust gas flowing in the third pipeline 11 is relatively high in temperature, and the temperature of the exhaust gas is higher than that of liquid hydrogen. The liquid hydrogen in the hydrogen storage tank 6 flows into the heat exchanger 7 through the third pipeline 11. The exhaust gas and the liquid hydrogen exchange heat in the heat exchanger 7. After releasing heat, the exhaust gas cools down and is discharged from the heat exchanger 7. The liquid hydrogen absorbs heat and changes from liquid to gas. The liquid hydrogen converted to gas enters the detonation chamber 4 through the pipeline.

[0032] In one embodiment, Figure 1 As shown, the fuel cell system further includes a fourth pipeline 15 and a fifth pipeline 13. One end of the fourth pipeline 15 is connected to the heat exchanger 7, and the other end of the fourth pipeline 15 is connected to the detonation chamber 4. One end of the fifth pipeline 13 is connected to the heat exchanger 7, and the other end of the fifth pipeline 13 is connected to the second air inlet 102 of the hydrogen fuel cell 1. Part of the gaseous hydrogen enters the detonation chamber 4 through the fourth pipeline 15, and the other part enters the hydrogen fuel cell 1 through the fifth pipeline 13.

[0033] In one embodiment, Figure 1 As shown, the compressor assembly also includes a power member 8 and a blade assembly 9. A first rotating shaft is provided between the blade assembly 9 and the compressor 3, and a second rotating shaft is provided between the compressor 3 and the power member 8. The compressor 3 is disposed between the power member 8 and the blade assembly 9. The power member 8 is connected to the hydrogen fuel cell 1. The hydrogen and compressed air mixed in the hydrogen fuel cell 1 generate electricity through the reverse reaction of water electrolysis. The electricity is transmitted to the power member 8 via the conductive wire 2. The power member 8 drives the second rotating shaft to rotate, thereby driving the compressor 3 to rotate to generate compressed air. The compressor 3 drives the first rotating shaft to rotate, so that the blade assembly 9 draws air from the external environment.

[0034] In one embodiment, Figure 1 、 Figure 2 As shown, the detonation chamber 4 is provided with four parallel pulse detonation straight tubes 401, and each pulse detonation straight tube 401 can carry out independent combustion. Taking a pulse detonation straight tube 401 as an example, one end is the exhaust end 4012 (normally open) and the other end is the intake end 4011, which is periodically opened and closed by the opening and closing parts. After the mixture of compressed air and hydrogen is ignited by ordinary spark plug discharge, the detonation wave is obtained through the slow combustion to detonation transition process (DDT for short). Specifically, the opening and closing part is a solenoid valve. Figure 2 For example, a pulse detonation straight tube 401 is divided into four stages: (1) the mixed gas composed of hydrogen and compressed gas and the oxidant are filled into the pulse detonation straight tube 401, which is the intake process ( Figure 2 (2) The air inlet end 4011 of the pulse detonation straight pipe 401 is closed and the reactants (a mixture of hydrogen and compressed gas, an oxidant) are ignited, and the detonation wave is detonated and propagated through the DDT process ( Figure 2 (3) After the detonation wave passes through the detonation tube, the back propagating expansion wave reaches the thrust wall and generates thrust ( Figure 2 (4) Filling a section of gas into the pulse detonation straight tube 401 to discharge the combustion products left in the pulse detonation straight tube 401 from the previous cycle to prevent self-ignition, which is called the scavenging process ( Figure 2 the left upper corner in the figure).

[0035] Compared with the case of setting one in the single-tube detonation chamber 4, the multi-tube detonation chamber 4 (containing at least two pulse detonation straight pipes 401) connects multiple pulse detonation straight pipes 401 in parallel, and in operation, the multiple pulse detonation straight pipes 401 are sequentially ignited to complete the pulse detonation cycle, and the working frequency of the multi-tube detonation chamber is significantly higher than that of the single-tube detonation chamber 4, which can provide more continuous high-temperature gas and thrust to the engine.

[0036] In the embodiment, the shell is further included, wherein the vane group 9 is arranged at the air inlet of the shell, the tail nozzle 5 is arranged at the air outlet of the shell, the air compressor assembly, the hydrogen fuel cell 1, the vane group 9, the tail nozzle 5, the heat exchanger 7 and the detonation chamber 4 are arranged in the shell.

[0037] To realize the adjustment of other pipelines, the first adjusting valve is arranged on the first pipeline 10, the second adjusting valve is arranged on the second pipeline 14, the third adjusting valve is arranged on the third pipeline 11, the fourth adjusting valve is arranged on the fourth pipeline 15, the fifth adjusting valve is arranged on the fifth pipeline 13, and the sixth adjusting valve is arranged on the liquid inlet pipeline 12. Specifically, the first adjusting valve, the second adjusting valve, the third adjusting valve, the fourth adjusting valve, the fifth adjusting valve and the sixth adjusting valve are all electromagnetic flow adjusting valves. To realize automatic control, the controller is further connected with the first adjusting valve, the second adjusting valve, the third adjusting valve, the fourth adjusting valve, the fifth adjusting valve, the sixth adjusting valve and the on-off element circuit, and the controller is further connected with the power element 8 circuit.

[0038] An aircraft comprising the hydrogen fuel detonation hybrid engine described above.

[0039] A method for using the pulse detonation hybrid engine, comprising the following steps:

[0040] (1) The liquid hydrogen in the hydrogen storage tank 6 is changed into gaseous hydrogen after heat exchange with the exhaust gas in the heat exchanger 7, and a part of the gaseous hydrogen enters the hydrogen fuel cell 1 through the third pipeline 11, and another part of the gaseous hydrogen enters the detonation chamber 4 through the fourth pipeline 15;

[0041] (2) The electric energy generated by the electrochemical combustion reaction of the hydrogen fuel cell 1 drives the power element 8 to rotate through the conductive wire 2, and the power element 8 drives the vane group 9 and the air compressor 3 to work, and the air compressor 3 compresses the external environment gas into compressed air, and a part of the compressed air enters the detonation chamber 4 through the first pipeline 10, and another part of the compressed air enters the hydrogen fuel cell 1 through the second pipeline 14;

[0042] (3) After the gaseous hydrogen and compressed air enter the detonation chamber 4, the four pulse detonation straight pipes 401 are ignited in sequence. The combustible mixture of hydrogen and compressed air produces high-temperature combustion gas and a certain thrust after detonation combustion. The high-temperature combustion gas is ejected from the tail nozzle 5 and generates more thrust, driving the aircraft to move.

[0043] The hydrogen fuel detonation hybrid electric engine provided by the present invention has the following advantages: (1) a detonation chamber 4 is used to replace a traditional combustion chamber, and the thrust-generating property of the detonation chamber 4 is utilized to increase the thrust of the engine; the pressurization capability of the detonation combustion is utilized to generate high-temperature combustion gas with higher pressure, and the high-temperature and high-pressure combustion gas can generate greater thrust after entering the tail nozzle 5; (2) due to the good detonation performance of hydrogen and the fast flame propagation speed, detonation waves can be generated faster, and hydrogen as a fuel has obvious performance advantages over aviation kerosene / gasoline in detonation combustion; (3) the method of using a hydrogen fuel cell 1 to power the compressor 3 successfully removes the turbine components and the transmission shaft components, decouples the compressor 3 and the turbine, and the turbine components are traditional The present invention greatly simplifies the structure of the engine and reduces the cost of the components in the turbine engine that are difficult to manufacture, expensive, and have a high failure rate; (4) Since there are no turbine components, the adverse effects of non-steady-state detonation combustion on the turbine are avoided, and there is no need to consider the complex problem of matching detonation combustion with the turbine; (5) Since the hydrogen fuel cell 1 only supplies power to drive the compressor 3, the required battery power is greatly reduced compared with the traditional hydrogen fuel cell 1 aircraft, avoiding the problems of high battery cost and heavy weight caused by the low energy density of the hydrogen fuel cell 1; (6) Since the fuel cell does not directly drive the aircraft, the problem of slow power response of the hydrogen fuel cell 1 and difficulty in adapting to the changing power requirements of the aircraft is avoided.

[0044] As an alternative embodiment, the number of pulse detonation straight tubes 401 in the detonation chamber 4 can also be 2, 6, 8 or even more.

[0045] As an alternative embodiment, the detonation chamber 4 may also be a rotating detonation chamber.

[0046] Although the embodiments of the present invention have been described with reference to the accompanying drawings, those skilled in the art may make various modifications and variations without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention. Such modifications and variations are all within the scope defined by the appended claims.

Claims

1. A hydrogen fuel detonation hybrid electric engine, characterized in that: include: Hydrogen fuel cells (1); A gas compression component, the gas compression component is connected to a circuit of a hydrogen fuel cell (1), and the gas compression component compresses ambient gas into compressed air; A detonation chamber (4) is connected to the compressed air assembly pipeline. Compressed air and hydrogen are suitable for flowing in the detonation chamber (4). The compressed air and hydrogen are burned in the detonation chamber (4) to generate a detonation wave.

2. The hydrogen fuel detonation hybrid electric engine according to claim 1, characterized in that: The invention also includes a first pipeline (10) and a second pipeline (14), wherein the compressed air component includes a compressor (3), one end of the first pipeline (10) is connected to the compressor (3), the other end of the first pipeline (10) is connected to the detonation chamber (4), one end of the second pipeline (14) is connected to the compressor (3), and the other end of the second pipeline (14) is connected to the first air inlet (101) of the hydrogen fuel cell (1).

3. The hydrogen fuel detonation hybrid electric engine according to claim 1, characterized in that: It also includes a tail nozzle (5), which is in communication with the gas outlet of the detonation chamber (4), and is used to discharge the tail gas generated by the detonation combustion into the external environment.

4. The hydrogen fuel detonation hybrid electric engine according to claim 3, characterized in that: It also includes a hydrogen storage tank (6), wherein liquid hydrogen is contained in the hydrogen storage tank (6), and the hydrogen storage tank (6) is connected to the detonation chamber (4) through a pipeline.

5. The hydrogen fuel detonation hybrid electric engine according to claim 4, characterized in that: The invention also includes a heat exchanger (7), a liquid inlet pipeline (12) and a third pipeline (11), wherein the heat exchanger (7) is connected to the hydrogen storage tank (6) through the liquid inlet pipeline (12), one end of the third pipeline (11) is connected to the side wall of the tail nozzle (5), and the other end of the third pipeline (11) is connected to the heat exchanger (7), and exhaust gas flows in the third pipeline (11).

6. The hydrogen fuel detonation hybrid electric engine according to claim 5, characterized in that: The invention also includes a fourth pipeline (15) and a fifth pipeline (13), one end of the fourth pipeline (15) is connected to the heat exchanger (7), and the other end of the fourth pipeline (15) is connected to the detonation chamber (4); one end of the fifth pipeline (13) is connected to the heat exchanger (7), and the other end of the fifth pipeline (13) is connected to the second air inlet (102) of the hydrogen fuel cell (1).

7. The hydrogen fuel detonation hybrid electric engine according to claim 6, characterized in that: The air compressor assembly further comprises a power member (8) and a blade group (9), a first rotating shaft is provided between the blade group (9) and the compressor (3), a second rotating shaft is provided between the compressor (3) and the power member (8), the compressor (3) is provided between the power member (8) and the blade group (9), and the power member (8) is connected to a circuit of a hydrogen fuel cell (1).

8. The hydrogen fuel detonation hybrid electric engine according to claim 7, characterized in that: At least one pulse detonation straight pipe (401) is provided in the detonation chamber (4), and an opening and closing member is provided at an air inlet end (4011) of the pulse detonation straight pipe (401).

9. An aircraft, characterized in that: Including the hydrogen fuel detonation hybrid electric engine according to any one of claims 1-8.

10. A method for using a hydrogen fuel detonation hybrid electric engine, for using the hydrogen fuel detonation hybrid electric engine according to claim 1, characterized in that: The hydrogen fuel cell (1) provides electrical energy to the air compressor assembly, which compresses ambient gas into compressed air. The compressed air and hydrogen are burned in the detonation chamber (4) to generate a detonation wave.

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