Reusable light low-evaporation-rate liquid hydrogen storage tank

Abstract

The invention relates to a light low-evaporation-rate liquid hydrogen storage tank for reuse, and belongs to the technical field of aerospace vehicle propellant storage tank structures. The cylinder section is axially and horizontally arranged; the front bottom is coaxially mounted at the axial front end of the barrel section; the rear bottom is coaxially mounted at the axial rear end of the cylinder section; an operation hole is formed in the center of the front sole; the operating hole cover is mounted at the operating hole to realize sealing; the thermal insulation layer covers the outer walls of the front bottom, the cylinder section, the rear bottom and the operation hole cover; the conveying system interface is arranged at the top of the barrel section, and the top of the conveying system interface upwards extends out of the heat insulation layer; the anti-shaking assembly is arranged in an inner cavity of the barrel section; the problems that the commercial new energy aircraft liquid hydrogen storage tank is long in service life, multiple in reuse times, frequent in tank pressure change, embrittlement caused by liquid hydrogen, large in propellant management difficulty and the like are solved, and design and manufacturing of the liquid hydrogen storage tank which is high in safety, reusable, light and low in evaporation rate are achieved.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention belongs to the technical field of aerospace vehicle propellant tank structure, and relates to a lightweight, low-evaporation-rate liquid hydrogen storage tank for reusable applications. Background Technology

[0002] Liquid hydrogen storage tanks are a crucial component of future commercial aircraft powered by new energy sources. They are primarily responsible for the storage and management of liquid hydrogen fuel, while also needing to withstand both internal and external pressures. Furthermore, because liquid hydrogen is highly susceptible to deflagration and explosion upon contact with oxygen, this poses a significant safety risk to passenger aircraft. Currently, liquid hydrogen storage tanks face challenges such as long service life, numerous reuses, frequent pressure fluctuations, the embrittlement of liquid hydrogen, and difficulties in propellant management.

[0003] Under the same energy conditions, aviation kerosene weighs 2.8 times that of liquid hydrogen, while liquid hydrogen has a volume four times that of aviation kerosene. Furthermore, liquid hydrogen storage requires temperatures below 20K. Therefore, the design of liquid hydrogen storage tanks differs significantly from that of traditional aviation kerosene tanks, and the design of aviation kerosene tanks cannot be directly applied to liquid hydrogen storage tanks. Due to its high energy density, liquid hydrogen has already found widespread use in the aerospace field. Nevertheless, rocket liquid hydrogen tanks also cannot be directly used in commercial aircraft. This is because rocket launches are short-duration missions with low liquid hydrogen evaporation rates, while for aircraft, from an economic and operational perspective, the evaporation rate of liquid hydrogen storage tanks needs to be controlled at extremely low levels to meet the requirements of long-term use.

[0004] Therefore, liquid hydrogen passenger aircraft place more stringent requirements on the safety of storage tanks, cryogenic storage and management, and lightweight structure, creating an urgent need for highly safe, reusable, lightweight liquid hydrogen storage tanks with low evaporation rates.

[0005] In summary, current liquid hydrogen storage tank technology has several problems, mainly including the following:

[0006] (1) Liquid hydrogen storage tanks used in new energy commercial aircraft have problems such as long service life, multiple reuses, frequent changes in tank pressure, embrittlement of liquid hydrogen, and difficulty in propellant management. (2) From the perspective of economy and use, the core features of liquid hydrogen storage tanks are light weight and extremely low evaporation rate, which are quite different from traditional aviation kerosene tanks and rocket liquid hydrogen storage tanks. There is currently no mature experience to refer to. Summary of the Invention

[0007] The technical problem solved by this invention is to overcome the shortcomings of the prior art and propose a lightweight liquid hydrogen storage tank with low evaporation rate for reusability. This solves the problems faced by liquid hydrogen storage tanks for commercial new energy aircraft, such as long service life, multiple reuses, frequent changes in tank pressure, liquid hydrogen embrittlement, and difficulty in propellant management. It achieves the design and manufacture of a highly safe, reusable, lightweight, and low evaporation rate liquid hydrogen storage tank.

[0008] The solution of the present invention is: A lightweight, low-evaporation-rate liquid hydrogen storage tank for reusability includes a front bottom, a cylindrical section, a rear bottom, an anti-sway assembly, a conveying system interface, an operating port cover, and an insulation structure. The cylinder section is horizontally axially positioned; the front bottom is coaxially mounted at the front end of the cylinder section; the rear bottom is coaxially mounted at the rear end of the cylinder section; an operating hole is located at the center of the front bottom; an operating hole cover is installed at the operating hole location to achieve a seal; an insulation structure covers the outer walls of the front bottom, cylinder section, rear bottom, and operating hole cover; the conveying system interface is located at the top of the cylinder section, and the top of the conveying system interface extends upwards outwards from the insulation structure; and anti-sway components are located within the inner cavity of the cylinder section.

[0009] The aforementioned lightweight, low-evaporation-rate liquid hydrogen storage tank for reusability also includes two support structures and mounting brackets. The support structure is a ring structure; two support structures are symmetrically fitted on the outer wall of the cylinder section; each support structure is fixed to the outer wall of the cylinder section by a mounting bracket; the cylinder section achieves the required support strength through the two support structures.

[0010] In the aforementioned lightweight, low-evaporation-rate liquid hydrogen storage tank for reusability, the support structure is made of foam-filled glass fiber material.

[0011] In the aforementioned lightweight, low-evaporation-rate liquid hydrogen storage tank designed for reusability, the delivery system interfaces include a liquid hydrogen filling interface, a pressurization interface, a pressure measurement interface, a liquid level sensor mounting interface, and a liquid hydrogen output interface.

[0012] In the aforementioned lightweight, low-evaporation-rate liquid hydrogen storage tank for reusability, both the front bottom and the rear bottom are ellipsoidal arc surface structures with a modulus of 2; the front bottom, cylindrical section, and rear bottom are all made of 2219 aluminum-copper alloy material.

[0013] In the aforementioned lightweight, low-evaporation-rate liquid hydrogen storage tank designed for reusability, an anti-sloshing component is installed inside the cylindrical section via an operating port; the diameter of the operating port is larger than the diameter of the liquid hydrogen pump, meeting the requirement for the liquid hydrogen pump to be installed inside the cylindrical section; a stress-free flange is provided at the operating port.

[0014] In the aforementioned lightweight, low-evaporation-rate liquid hydrogen storage tank for reusability, the anti-sway assembly includes two annular anti-sway plates. Two annular anti-sway plates are coaxially arranged in the inner cavity of the cylinder section, and the distance between each annular anti-sway plate and the corresponding cylinder section shaft end is equal.

[0015] In the aforementioned lightweight, low-evaporation-rate liquid hydrogen storage tank designed for reusability, the annular anti-sway plate is a ring structure formed by six sector plates; by removing one or two sector plates, the internal cavity of the cylinder section can be bypassed.

[0016] In the aforementioned lightweight, low-evaporation-rate liquid hydrogen storage tank designed for reusability, the annular anti-sloshing plate has a Z-shaped cross-section and is fixed to the inner wall of the cylinder section by fillet welding; guide ports are evenly opened on each sector plate to achieve an anti-sloshing effect on the liquid hydrogen surface at different angles.

[0017] In the aforementioned lightweight, low-evaporation-rate liquid hydrogen storage tank for reusability, the insulation structure consists of three layers, from the inside out: a buffer layer, an insulation layer, and a protective layer. The buffer layer is attached to the outer wall of the cylinder section; the buffer layer is a low-temperature adhesive material; the insulation layer is attached to the outer wall of the buffer layer; the insulation layer is made of PU foam material; the protective layer is attached to the outer wall of the insulation layer; the protective layer is made of glass cloth; and a layer of heat-reflective aluminum foil is laid on the outer wall of the protective layer as required.

[0018] The advantages of this invention compared to the prior art are: (1) This invention achieves a significant weight reduction in the storage tank through lightweight modular structural design and fatigue resistance synergistic optimization, while the fatigue cycle life fully meets the requirements for repeated use. It has significant advantages in reducing flight energy consumption and maintenance frequency, taking into account both the efficient operation and economic needs of aircraft, and promoting the transformation of liquid hydrogen storage tanks from disposable aerospace devices to aviation-grade durable goods; (2) The present invention optimizes the anti-sloshing design of liquid hydrogen storage tank, effectively suppresses liquid hydrogen sloshing during flight, reduces liquid surface impact force, stabilizes the center of gravity shift of the storage tank, simultaneously suppresses the evaporation rate, enhances the structural reliability of the storage tank, and adapts to the dynamic management needs of liquid hydrogen in complex aircraft motion scenarios. (3) The present invention adopts an adaptive multi-layer insulation structure, which has the characteristics of being lightweight, having low thermal conductivity and high strength. While ensuring the stability of liquid hydrogen storage at ultra-low temperature for a long time, it achieves synergistic optimization of the tank structure efficiency and insulation performance. Attached Figure Description

[0019] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the overall structure of the lightweight, low-evaporation-rate liquid hydrogen storage tank of the present invention. Figure 2 This is an exploded view of the front bottom, cylindrical section, rear bottom, and operating hole cover of the present invention; Figure 3 This is a schematic diagram of the anti-sway component structure of the present invention; Figure 4 This is a schematic diagram of the layered insulation structure of the present invention. Detailed Implementation

[0020] The present invention will be further described below with reference to the embodiments.

[0021] This invention provides a lightweight, low-evaporation-rate liquid hydrogen storage tank for reusability, which solves the problems faced by liquid hydrogen storage tanks, such as long service life, multiple reuses, frequent tank pressure changes, liquid hydrogen embrittlement, and difficulty in propellant management, and achieves the design of a highly safe, reusable, lightweight, and low-evaporation-rate liquid hydrogen storage tank.

[0022] For reusable, lightweight, low-evaporation-rate liquid hydrogen storage tanks, such as Figure 1 As shown, it specifically includes a front bottom 1, a cylindrical section 2, a rear bottom 3, an anti-sway assembly 4, a conveying system interface 5, an operating port cover 6, and a heat insulation structure 8. The cylindrical section 2 is axially horizontally positioned; the front bottom 1 is coaxially mounted at the axial front end of the cylindrical section 2; and the rear bottom 3 is coaxially mounted at the axial rear end of the cylindrical section 2, as shown. Figure 2 As shown. An operating hole is provided at the center of the front bottom 1; an operating hole cover 6 is installed at the operating hole position to achieve a seal; an insulation structure 8 covers the outer wall of the front bottom 1, the cylindrical section 2, the rear bottom 3, and the operating hole cover 6; the conveying system interface 5 is located at the top of the cylindrical section 2, and the top of the conveying system interface 5 extends upward beyond the insulation structure 8; the anti-sway component 4 is located in the inner cavity of the cylindrical section 2.

[0023] The lightweight, low-evaporation-rate liquid hydrogen storage tank also includes two support structures 9 and mounting brackets 7. The support structures 9 are annular; the two support structures 9 are symmetrically fitted onto the outer wall of the cylindrical section 2; each support structure 9 is fixed to the outer wall of the cylindrical section 2 by the mounting brackets 7; the cylindrical section 2 achieves its required strength through the two support structures 9. The support structures 9 are made of foam-filled fiberglass material.

[0024] The delivery system interface 5 of the present invention includes a liquid hydrogen filling interface, a pressurization interface, a pressure measuring interface, a liquid level sensor mounting interface, and a liquid hydrogen output interface.

[0025] Both the front bottom 1 and the rear bottom 3 are ellipsoidal arc surface structures, and both have a module of 2; the front bottom 1, cylindrical section 2, and rear bottom 3 are all made of 2219 aluminum-copper alloy material.

[0026] The anti-sway component 4 is installed in the inner cavity of section 2 through the operating hole; the diameter of the operating hole is larger than the diameter of the liquid hydrogen pump to meet the requirement of installing the liquid hydrogen pump in the inner cavity of section 2; a stress-free flange is provided at the operating hole.

[0027] like Figure 3 As shown, the anti-sway assembly 4 includes two annular anti-sway plates. The two annular anti-sway plates are coaxially arranged in the inner cavity of the cylindrical section 2, and the distance between each annular anti-sway plate and the corresponding shaft end of the cylindrical section 2 is equal.

[0028] The annular anti-sway plate is a ring structure formed by six sector plates; by removing one or two sector plates, the internal cavity of cylinder section 2 can be bypassed. The cross-section of the annular anti-sway plate is Z-shaped and is fixed to the inner wall of cylinder section 2 by fillet welding; guide ports are evenly opened on each sector plate to achieve anti-sway effect on the liquid hydrogen surface at different angles.

[0029] like Figure 4 As shown, the insulation structure 8 consists of three layers, from the inside out: a buffer layer 83, an insulation layer 82, and a protective layer 81. The buffer layer 83 is attached to the outer wall of the cylindrical section 2; the buffer layer 83 is made of low-temperature adhesive material. The insulation layer 82 is attached to the outer wall of the buffer layer 83; the insulation layer 82 is made of PU foam material. The protective layer 81 is attached to the outer wall of the insulation layer 82; the protective layer 81 is made of glass cloth. A layer of heat-reflective aluminum foil is laid on the outer wall of the protective layer 81 as needed.

[0030] The main body of the liquid hydrogen storage tank of this invention is shown in Figure 2. The front bottom 1 and rear bottom 3 adopt an ellipsoidal bottom structure with a module of 2, and the cylindrical section 2 is a cylindrical structure made of 2219 aluminum-copper alloy. To facilitate the installation and maintenance of the liquid hydrogen pump, an operating hole is provided on the front bottom, and a sealing structure is designed for this hole. A pump mounting bracket is designed inside the cylindrical section 2. The diameter of the operating hole must be larger than the diameter of the liquid hydrogen pump to meet the pump installation requirements. A stress-free flange is used at the opening on the front bottom. The width of the flange ring of the operating hole and the overall height of the flange are determined according to the structural dimensions of the threaded holes of the connecting bolts and the sealing groove.

[0031] As shown in Figure 3, the anti-sway component 4 adopts an annular anti-sway plate design. Because the airborne liquid hydrogen storage tank differs from the mostly vertical operation of rockets, the airborne anti-sway plate is adapted: the main body of the anti-sway plate is enlarged and radially widened to ensure it can effectively prevent swaying at different angles of the liquid surface, thus enhancing its anti-sway capability. The anti-sway device uses a Z-shaped frame annular anti-sway plate with a flow guide opening. The interface is designed to avoid obstruction, and the device is connected to the tank shell using fillet welding. By installing anti-sway baffles and other anti-sway devices inside the liquid hydrogen storage tank, the swaying of the liquid during takeoff, landing, and flight is suppressed, reducing the center of gravity shift of the aircraft storage tank, inhibiting liquid hydrogen evaporation, and reducing the impact force of liquid hydrogen on the tank wall.

[0032] As attached Figure 1 and attached Figure 4As shown, insulation structure 8 is located on the outer surface of the liquid hydrogen storage tank and is used to suppress heat exchange between the cryogenic propellant inside the tank and the external environment. The insulation structure is a multi-layer structure, generally including an insulation layer, a protective layer, and a buffer layer. To meet the requirements of lightweight and low thermal conductivity, polyurethane (PU) foam material is selected as the main material of the insulation layer; polyurethane foam material has advantages such as mature technology, low cost, low density, protection of metal wall panels, and reduction of thermal stress between the insulation structure and the metal. To ensure that the liquid hydrogen storage tank meets the support strength requirements under operating conditions, foam-filled glass fiber material is used as a support structure at a certain distance from the front and rear bottom ring seams, with an arc of 360° and a thickness consistent with the polyurethane foam insulation structure. Glass fiber has the characteristics of good heat resistance, good corrosion resistance, and high mechanical strength, and can play a good supporting role. The liquid hydrogen pump and other internal installation devices need to be installed before the insulation layer is sprayed. After installation, the operating holes are sealed before the insulation layer is sprayed. To further reduce direct sunlight and external heat radiation, a layer of heat-reflective aluminum foil can be laid on the outside of the insulation layer.

[0033] This invention achieves significant weight reduction in the storage tank through a lightweight modular structural design and synergistic optimization of fatigue resistance, while maintaining a fatigue cycle life that fully meets the requirements for repeated use. It offers substantial advantages in reducing flight energy consumption and maintenance frequency, balancing the needs of efficient aircraft operation with economic efficiency, and propelling liquid hydrogen storage tanks from disposable aerospace components to durable aviation-grade products.

[0034] This invention optimizes the anti-sloshing design of liquid hydrogen storage tanks, effectively suppressing liquid hydrogen sloshing during flight, reducing liquid surface impact, stabilizing tank center of gravity shift, simultaneously suppressing evaporation rate, enhancing tank structural reliability, and adapting to the dynamic management needs of liquid hydrogen in complex aircraft motion scenarios.

[0035] It adopts a suitable multi-layer insulation structure, which combines lightweight, low thermal conductivity and high strength characteristics. While ensuring the stability of liquid hydrogen storage at ultra-low temperature for a long time, it achieves synergistic optimization of tank structure efficiency and thermal insulation performance.

[0036] Although the present invention has been disclosed above with reference to preferred embodiments, it is not intended to limit the present invention. Any person skilled in the art can make possible changes and modifications to the technical solutions of the present invention by utilizing the methods and techniques disclosed above without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention. Therefore, any simple modifications, equivalent changes and alterations made to the above embodiments based on the technical essence of the present invention without departing from the content of the technical solutions of the present invention shall fall within the protection scope of the technical solutions of the present invention.

Claims

1. A lightweight, low-evaporation-rate liquid hydrogen storage tank for reusable applications, characterized in that: Includes front bottom (1), cylinder section (2), rear bottom (3), anti-sway assembly (4), conveying system interface (5), operation port cover (6), and insulation structure (8); Among them, the cylinder section (2) is set horizontally in the axial direction; the front bottom (1) is coaxially installed at the front end of the cylinder section (2); the rear bottom (3) is coaxially installed at the rear end of the cylinder section (2); an operation hole is provided at the center of the front bottom (1); the operation hole cover (6) is installed at the operation hole position to achieve sealing; the heat insulation structure (8) covers the outer wall of the front bottom (1), cylinder section (2), rear bottom (3), and operation hole cover (6); the conveying system interface (5) is set at the top of the cylinder section (2), and the top of the conveying system interface (5) extends upward to the heat insulation structure (8); the anti-sway component (4) is set in the inner cavity of the cylinder section (2).

2. The lightweight, low-evaporation-rate liquid hydrogen storage tank for reusable applications according to claim 1, characterized in that: It also includes two support structures (9) and a mounting bracket (7); Among them, the support structure (9) is a ring structure; two support structures (9) are symmetrically fitted on the outer wall of the cylindrical section (2); each support structure (9) is fixed to the outer wall of the cylindrical section (2) by a mounting bracket (7); the cylindrical section (2) achieves the required support strength through the two support structures (9).

3. A lightweight, low-evaporation-rate liquid hydrogen storage tank for reusable applications according to claim 2, characterized in that: The support structure (9) is made of foam-filled glass fiber material.

4. A lightweight, low-evaporation-rate liquid hydrogen storage tank for reusability according to claim 1, characterized in that: The delivery system interface (5) includes a liquid hydrogen filling interface, a pressurization interface, a pressure measuring interface, a liquid level sensor installation interface, and a liquid hydrogen output interface.

5. A lightweight, low-evaporation-rate liquid hydrogen storage tank for reusability according to claim 1, characterized in that: The front bottom (1) and rear bottom (3) are both ellipsoidal arc surface structures, and the module is 2. The front bottom (1), cylindrical section (2) and rear bottom (3) are all made of 2219 aluminum-copper alloy material.

6. A lightweight, low-evaporation-rate liquid hydrogen storage tank for reusability according to claim 1, characterized in that: The anti-sway component (4) is installed in the inner cavity of the cylinder section (2) through the operating hole; the diameter of the operating hole is larger than the diameter of the liquid hydrogen pump to meet the requirement of installing the liquid hydrogen pump in the inner cavity of the cylinder section (2); a stress-free flange is provided at the operating hole.

7. A lightweight, low-evaporation-rate liquid hydrogen storage tank for reusability according to claim 1, characterized in that: The anti-sway assembly (4) includes two annular anti-sway plates; Two annular anti-sway plates are coaxially arranged in the inner cavity of the cylinder section (2), and the distance between each annular anti-sway plate and the corresponding shaft end of the cylinder section (2) is equal.

8. A lightweight, low-evaporation-rate liquid hydrogen storage tank for reusability according to claim 7, characterized in that: The annular anti-sway plate is an annular structure formed by 6 sector plates; the internal cavity installation structure of the cylinder section (2) can be avoided by removing 1 or 2 sector plates.

9. A lightweight, low-evaporation-rate liquid hydrogen storage tank for reusability according to claim 8, characterized in that: The cross-section of the annular anti-sway plate is Z-shaped and is fixed to the inner wall of the cylinder section (2) by fillet welding; the flow guides are evenly opened on each sector plate to achieve the anti-sway effect on the liquid surface of liquid hydrogen at different angles.

10. A lightweight, low-evaporation-rate liquid hydrogen storage tank for reusability according to claim 8, characterized in that: The thermal insulation structure (8) is divided into three layers, from the inside to the outside: a buffer layer (83), a thermal insulation layer (82), and a protective layer (81). Among them, the buffer layer (83) is attached to the outer wall of the cylinder section (2); the buffer layer (83) is a low temperature adhesive material; the heat insulation layer (82) is attached to the outer wall of the buffer layer (83); the heat insulation layer (82) is made of PU foam material; the protective layer (81) is attached to the outer wall of the heat insulation layer (82); the protective layer (81) is made of glass cloth; the outer wall of the protective layer (81) is covered with a layer of heat-reflective aluminum foil as required.

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