Device for aircraft and aircraft

Abstract

The invention relates to a device (100) for an aircraft and an aircraft, the device (100) having: a tank (102) defining a volume (104) having a high point (104a); a discharge channel (112) passing through a wall of the tank (102), the discharge channel being arranged close to the high point (104a); a container (106) in which diatomic hydrogen is present and which is arranged in the volume (104); and a catalyst (108) intended to catalyze an oxidation reaction of diatomic hydrogen with air in the tank (102), the catalyst (108) being fastened at the discharge channel (112). By this arrangement, diatomic hydrogen is depleted, and this prevents excessive agglomeration of diatomic hydrogen.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to the field of aircraft, in which circuits for pipes, pumps, tanks, etc., for diatomic hydrogen are arranged. More particularly, this invention relates to a device having a tank defining a volume in which elements for containing diatomic hydrogen are disposed, and wherein a material catalyzing the oxidation reaction of diatomic hydrogen with ambient air is arranged in the volume to oxidize the diatomic hydrogen. This invention also relates to an aircraft having at least one such device. Background Technology

[0002] As is well known, diatomic hydrogen can serve as a substitute for petroleum in vehicle propulsion, particularly in aircraft propulsion. Therefore, aircraft are equipped with diatomic hydrogen tanks that supply fuel cells to generate electricity, which powers electric motors or directly engines that consume diatomic hydrogen.

[0003] The aircraft then has a network of pipes, pumps, and other components for the passage of diatomic hydrogen. For safety reasons and to limit the risk of diatomic hydrogen leakage, double-surfaced pipes are known to be used.

[0004] Some of these components are housed in inlet / outlet containers for diatomic hydrogen atoms. This encapsulation of the components within the container ensures additional retention of diatomic hydrogen in the event of a leak inside the container. While this arrangement provides a sufficient level of safety, it could be useful to provide an alternative arrangement to limit the risk of diatomic hydrogen accumulation in aircraft, and particularly in containers. Summary of the Invention

[0005] The object of the present invention is to provide a device for an aircraft having a tank defining a volume in which an element for containing diatomic hydrogen is disposed, and wherein a material for catalyzing the oxidation reaction of diatomic hydrogen with ambient air is arranged in the volume to oxidize the diatomic hydrogen.

[0006] For this purpose, a device for an aircraft is proposed, the device having:

[0007] - A tank, defined by a volume, having a high point.

[0008] - A discharge channel that passes through the wall of the tank and is arranged near the highest point.

[0009] - A container containing diatomic hydrogen atoms and arranged within a volume, and

[0010] - A catalyst designed to catalyze the oxidation reaction of diatomic hydrogen with air in the tank, wherein the catalyst is secured at the exhaust channel.

[0011] This arrangement consumes diatomic hydrogen and prevents its excessive accumulation.

[0012] Advantageously, the volume has a low point, and the device has a drying channel at the low point, which is arranged to pass through the wall of the tank to drain liquid water from the volume.

[0013] Advantageously, the device has an additional catalyst designed to catalyze the oxidation reaction of diatomic hydrogen with air in the tank, wherein the additional catalyst is secured to the drying channel.

[0014] Advantageously, the device has an inlet channel through the wall of the tank, which is arranged to introduce air into the volume.

[0015] Advantageously, the device has an additional catalyst designed to catalyze the oxidation reaction of diatomic hydrogen with air in the tank, wherein the additional catalyst is secured at the inlet channel.

[0016] Advantageously, for the catalyst or each catalyst, the device has a temperature sensor arranged to measure the temperature of the catalyst.

[0017] According to a specific embodiment, the catalyst, or each catalyst, is composed of a layer of catalytic material, wherein the catalytic material is:

[0018] - Deposits are deposited around the opening of each channel on the inner surface of the tank, and / or

[0019] - Deposits are deposited near the opening of the channel on the inner wall of each channel.

[0020] According to a specific embodiment, the catalyst, or each catalyst, comprises a support member covered with a catalytic substance, wherein the support member:

[0021] - Secured inside the can around each channel, and / or

[0022] - Located at the entrance of each passage.

[0023] The present invention also proposes an aircraft having at least one device according to one of the aforementioned variations. Attached Figure Description

[0024] The above and other features of the invention will become more apparent from the following description of at least one exemplary embodiment, which is given with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

[0025] Figure 1 It is a cross-sectional front view of an aircraft in which the device according to the invention is implemented; and

[0026] Figure 2 This is a side view of the device according to the present invention. Detailed Implementation

[0027] Figure 1 An aircraft 10 is shown, having a fuselage 11 and wings 12 located on both sides of the fuselage 11. The aircraft 10 has an engine 13, which is supplied with diatomic hydrogen from a diatomic hydrogen tank disposed, for example, in the fuselage 11, via a pipe 14.

[0028] Diatomic hydrogen is used for combustion in engine 13 or to supply power to a fuel cell located near engine 13, which then supplies power to engine 13.

[0029] In order to allow diatomic hydrogen to be supplied along the wing 12 and up to each engine in the engine 13, the aircraft 10 generally has pipes 14, pumps 14a and any other necessary devices. These components are referred to below as "containers 106", and each of the containers contains diatomic hydrogen.

[0030] The aircraft 10 has a certain number of tanks 102, which are distributed throughout the aircraft 10 and, for example, in Figure 1 The hydrogen is distributed in the wing 12. The tank 102 defines a volume 104 that is more or less impermeable to fluids relative to diatomic hydrogen, and in any case, as a result of its design, the tank 102 defines a volume 104 in which diatomic hydrogen can accumulate.

[0031] Figure 2 A can 102 with an elongated shape is shown.

[0032] Figure 2 A device 100 according to the invention is shown, the device 100 having a tank 102. Although this embodiment is based on a tank 102 housed in a wing 12, the invention is applied in the same manner to any other tanks located elsewhere in the aircraft 10. The aircraft 10 may have multiple devices 100 distributed in various locations.

[0033] The device 100 also has at least one container 106 arranged in the volume 104, which, as described above, can be any element or group of elements that contain diatomic hydrogen, such as a pump, heat exchanger, pipe 14, etc.

[0034] Volume 104 has a high point 104a. In the event of a leak F at container 106, diatomic hydrogen H2 is likely to accumulate at the high point 104a. In order to limit the accumulation of diatomic hydrogen at the high point 104a, device 100 has a discharge channel 112 that passes through the wall of tank 102 and is located at the high point 104a.

[0035] The device 100 also includes a catalyst 108, which is designed to catalyze the oxidation reaction of diatomic hydrogen with air in tank 102. The diatomic hydrogen is thus oxidized to form water.

[0036] To convert as much diatomic hydrogen as possible, catalyst 108 is secured in volume 104 at the discharge channel 112, i.e., near the high point 104a in this case. The position of catalyst 108 at the discharge channel 112 ensures that the accumulated diatomic hydrogen H2 must come into contact with catalyst 108 when it is discharged.

[0037] Catalyst 108 is composed of, for example, a support covered with a suitable catalytic substance, such as a grid or plate, and the suitable catalytic substance is, for example, alumina and / or cerium oxide and / or platinum group metals (platinum, palladium, platinum dioxide).

[0038] Typically, in the case of catalyst 108 in the form of a support member, catalyst 108 is arranged between discharge channel 112 and container 106, and when catalyst 108 is permeable and takes the form of a grid on which catalytic material is deposited, passage of catalyst 108 is facilitated.

[0039] Catalyst 108 can also be a layer of catalytic material, such as a coating.

[0040] Depending on the configuration of container 102, if volume 104 is sealed, the consumption of diatomic hydrogen and diatomic oxygen will cause a pressure drop in volume 104; however, if volume 104 is not sealed, diatomic oxygen will be used as a substitute. Nevertheless, in all cases, the consumption of diatomic hydrogen will reduce its proportion in volume 104.

[0041] To drain the water thus formed, a drying channel 110 can be arranged at the lowest point 104b of the volume 104. Therefore, the drying channel 110 passes through the wall of the tank 102 and ensures that the liquid water is drained from the volume 104.

[0042] In addition, in order to improve the arrival of diatomic oxygen in the volume 104 when the volume 104 is too impermeable to fluid, the device 100 has an inlet channel 114 through the wall of the tank 102, the inlet channel 114 allowing air to be introduced into the volume 104.

[0043] In this case, the inlet channel 114 is located at the low point 104b, but the inlet channel 114 can be located at another location.

[0044] Due to the movement of the aircraft 10 during flight and due to the pressure difference between the outside of the volume 104 and the tank 102, air and / or diatomic hydrogen can leave the volume 104 via the introduction channel 114 or the drying channel 110.

[0045] To ensure that the diatomic hydrogen exiting volume 104 via inlet channel 114 or drying channel 110 is also converted, device 100 has an additional catalyst 116 designed to catalyze the oxidation reaction of diatomic hydrogen with air in tank 102. This additional catalyst 116 is then secured within volume 104 to inlet channel 114 and / or drying channel 110.

[0046] The additional catalyst 116 may take the same form and have the same composition as the catalyst 108, namely, a support or a layer of catalyst material covered with the catalyst material.

[0047] When the support is covered with a catalyst, the support, or each support, is secured to the interior of the tank 102 at the high point 104a and / or at the opening of each channel 112, 110, 114. According to one particular embodiment, the support is secured within volume 104 between the container 106 and the opening of the channel in question in the wall of the tank 102. According to another particular embodiment, the support is secured to the exterior of the tank 102 at the outlet of the channel in question. More specifically, the support, or each support, is secured to the interior of the tank 102 around the channels 112, 110, 114 and / or at the opening of the channels 112, 110, 114 in question.

[0048] In the case of a layer of catalyst, the catalyst or each catalyst 108, 116 is deposited on the inner surface of the tank 102 at the high point 104a and / or around each channel 112, 110, 114, particularly around the openings of the channels discussed in the wall of the tank 102.

[0049] Alternatively, in the case of a catalytic layer, the catalyst or each catalyst 108, 116 is deposited near the opening of the channels 112, 110, 114 on the inner wall of each channel 112, 110, 114.

[0050] The temperatures of catalysts 108 and 116 are particularly relevant to the amount of diatomic hydrogen that has been oxidized, as the oxidation reaction is exothermic. Therefore, by monitoring the temperature of each catalyst 108 and 116 in the spacecraft 10, it is possible to infer whether diatomic hydrogen is present or absent at each catalyst 108 and 116.

[0051] Therefore, for each catalyst 108, 116, the device 100 has a temperature sensor 120, such as a thermocouple, which is mounted, for example, against the catalyst 108, 116 and measures the temperature of the catalyst 108, 116.

[0052] This information is then transmitted to control unit 122, which, based on the received information and by comparing it with a reference temperature range, can infer whether diatomic hydrogen is present or absent at each catalyst 108, 116. Based on this, control unit 122 can notify personnel of a possible diatomic hydrogen leak F in the spacecraft 10.

[0053] The control unit 122 constitutes a hardware platform having the following components connected via a communication bus: a processor or CPU (Central Processing Unit); random access memory (RAM); read-only memory, such as ROM (Read-Only Memory) or EEPROM (Electrically Erasable Programmable ROM); a storage unit, such as a hard disk drive (HDD) or a storage medium reader, such as an SD (Secure Digital) card reader; and an interface manager and an interface for communicating with personnel connected to each temperature sensor 120.

[0054] The processor is capable of executing instructions loaded into random access memory from read-only memory, external memory, storage media (such as an SD card), or a communication network. When the control unit 122 is powered on, the processor is capable of reading instructions from the random access memory and executing those instructions. These instructions form a computer program that implements all or some of the steps and operations described herein through the processor.

[0055] Therefore, all or some of the steps and operations described herein can be implemented in software by executing a set of instructions using a programmable machine, such as a processor or microcontroller of the DSP (Digital Signal Processor) type, or in hardware by a machine or dedicated electronic component (chip) or a group of dedicated electronic components (chipset), such as an FPGA (Field Programmable Gate Array) or ASIC (Application-Specific Integrated Circuit). Typically, the hardware platform has electronic circuitry adapted and configured to implement the operations and steps described herein.

Claims

1. A device (100) for an aircraft (10), said device (100) having: A tank (102) defines a volume (104) having a high point (104a) and a low point (104b). Discharge channel (112) passes through the wall of the tank (102) and is arranged near the high point (104a). A container (106) containing diatomic hydrogen, and the container (106) being arranged within the volume (104), Catalyst (108), said catalyst (108) is intended to catalyze the oxidation reaction of said diatomic hydrogen with air in said tank (102), wherein, The catalyst (108) is fastened at the discharge channel (112), and A drying channel (110) at the low point (104b) is arranged to pass through the wall of the tank (102) to discharge liquid water from the volume (104). The device (100) has an additional catalyst (116) designed to catalyze the oxidation reaction of the diatomic hydrogen with air in the tank (102), wherein the additional catalyst (116) is fixed to the drying channel (110).

2. The device (100) according to claim 1, wherein, The device (100) has an inlet channel (114) through the wall of the tank (102), the inlet channel (114) being arranged to introduce air into the volume (104).

3. The device (100) according to claim 2, wherein, The device (100) has an additional catalyst (116) designed to catalyze the oxidation reaction of the diatomic hydrogen with air in the tank (102), wherein the additional catalyst (116) is secured to the inlet channel (114).

4. The device (100) according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein, For the catalyst (108, 116) or each catalyst (108, 116), the device (100) has a temperature sensor (120) arranged to measure the temperature of the catalyst (108, 116).

5. The device (100) according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein, The catalyst (108, 116) or each catalyst (108, 116) consists of a layer of catalytic material, wherein the catalytic material is: The openings surrounding each channel (112, 110, 114) are deposited on the inner surface of the tank (102), and / or The openings near the channels (112, 110, 114) are deposited on the inner wall of each channel (112, 110, 114).

6. The device (100) according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein, The catalyst (108, 116) or each catalyst (108, 116) is composed of a support covered with a catalytic material, wherein the support: The canister (102) is secured inside each channel (112, 110, 114), and / or Located at the mouth of each channel (112, 110, 114).

7. An aircraft (10) having at least one device (100) according to any one of the preceding claims.

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