A four-seat hydrogen internal combustion engine aircraft
By designing a four-seat hydrogen internal combustion engine aircraft and adopting a hydrogen power system and hydrogen supply system, the problems of high carbon emissions of traditional aircraft and short range of electric aircraft have been solved, achieving zero carbon emissions and long range, reducing costs, and meeting market demand.
Patent Information
- Authority / Receiving Office
- CN · China
- Patent Type
- Utility models(China)
- Current Assignee / Owner
- BEIJING ZHITONG HYDROGEN AVIATION TECHNOLOGY DEVELOPMENT PARTNERSHIP (LLP)
- Filing Date
- 2025-07-04
- Publication Date
- 2026-07-03
AI Technical Summary
Traditional aircraft have high carbon emissions, and electric aircraft have short flight times. How can hydrogen internal combustion engines be applied efficiently and safely to four-seat aircraft to meet the needs of flight training and tourism?
A four-seat hydrogen internal combustion engine aircraft was designed, employing a hydrogen power system and a hydrogen supply system, including a front hydrogen storage tank, a rear hydrogen storage tank and a hydrogen supply pipeline, a high-pressure pipeline and a low-pressure pipeline, a hydrogen internal combustion engine, an air intake system, an intercooling system, an exhaust system and a water cooling system, wings, a vertical tail, a horizontal tail and landing gear, to ensure the safe storage and supply of hydrogen.
It achieves zero carbon emissions, increases flight time and range, reduces operating costs, meets market application needs, and has significant advantages in environmental protection, economy, and performance.
Smart Images
Figure CN224448161U_ABST
Abstract
Description
Technical Field
[0001] This utility model relates to the field of hydrogen internal combustion engine aviation technology, specifically a four-seat hydrogen internal combustion engine aircraft. Background Technology
[0002] Traditional aircraft engines mostly rely on fossil fuels, which pose carbon emission problems. With the development of new energy sources, the aviation field has also conducted research on electric aircraft. However, due to the limitation of battery energy density, the flight time and range of the aircraft cannot meet the needs of market applications.
[0003] With the increasing demand for clean energy in the aviation industry, hydrogen internal combustion engines, as a highly efficient and low-emission power source, are gradually attracting attention. Using hydrogen as fuel, hydrogen internal combustion engines possess significant advantages such as higher thermal efficiency and lower pollutant emissions, gradually becoming a research hotspot for power innovation in the aviation field. However, how to efficiently and safely apply hydrogen internal combustion engines to general aviation aircraft, especially four-seat aircraft—types with wide applications in flight training, tourism, and other fields—still faces many technical challenges, such as hydrogen storage and supply.
[0004] Therefore, developing a high-efficiency, clean, and practically applicable four-seat hydrogen internal combustion engine aircraft has become a crucial issue that urgently needs to be addressed in the field of aviation technology. Utility Model Content
[0005] The purpose of this invention is to provide a four-seat hydrogen internal combustion engine aircraft to solve the problems of high carbon emissions of existing traditional aircraft and short flight time of electric-powered aircraft.
[0006] To achieve the above objectives, this utility model provides the following technical solution: a four-seat hydrogen internal combustion engine aircraft, including a fuselage and wings, a vertical tail, a horizontal tail and landing gear mounted on the fuselage, and also including a hydrogen power system and a hydrogen supply system.
[0007] The hydrogen power system is installed on the fuselage; the hydrogen supply system is installed inside the fuselage and connected to the hydrogen power system for storing and supplying hydrogen; the hydrogen supply system includes a front hydrogen storage tank, a rear hydrogen storage tank, and a hydrogen supply pipeline; the front hydrogen storage tank is located inside the fuselage and on the side of the hydrogen power system, and the rear hydrogen storage tank is located inside the fuselage on the side away from the front hydrogen storage tank; the hydrogen supply pipeline is connected to the front and rear hydrogen storage tanks and then to the hydrogen power system.
[0008] Furthermore, the hydrogen supply pipeline also includes a hydrogen filling port, a bottle neck valve, a high-pressure pipeline, a pressure reducing valve, and a low-pressure pipeline; the high-pressure pipeline includes a high-pressure hydrogen filling pipeline and a high-pressure hydrogen supply pipeline, which are the same pipeline and are collectively referred to as the high-pressure pipeline; the bottle neck valve has two bottle necks respectively located on the front hydrogen storage cylinder and the rear hydrogen storage cylinder; the hydrogen filling port is located on the machine body, and the hydrogen filling port is connected to the inlet and outlet of the bottle neck valve of the rear hydrogen storage cylinder and the front hydrogen storage cylinder through the high-pressure pipeline, and another branch of the high-pressure pipeline is connected to the inlet of the pressure reducing valve through a three-way valve, and the outlet of the pressure reducing valve is connected to the hydrogen power system through the low-pressure pipeline.
[0009] Furthermore, a one-way valve and a filter are installed in the high-pressure pipeline. The one-way valve is located after the hydrogen filling port and before the front and rear hydrogen storage cylinders, and has a one-way flow structure.
[0010] Furthermore, in the hydrogen supply system, the high-pressure pipeline connecting the rear hydrogen storage tank to the front hydrogen storage tank is located outside the engine compartment.
[0011] Furthermore, the hydrogen supply pipeline also includes a venting pipeline; the venting pipeline is connected to the venting port of the bottle valve, the low-pressure pipeline, and the safety valve on the pressure reducing valve.
[0012] Furthermore, the hydrogen power system is installed at the front of the fuselage and includes a hydrogen internal combustion engine, an intake system, an intercooling system, an exhaust system, a water cooling system, and a propeller;
[0013] The hydrogen internal combustion engine is a water-cooled structure fixedly installed at the front of the fuselage. The intake system, intercooling system, and exhaust system are connected to the hydrogen internal combustion engine. The intake system provides air to the hydrogen internal combustion engine, the intercooling system cools the air after it is pressurized by the intake system, the exhaust system discharges the combustion exhaust gas from the hydrogen internal combustion engine, the water cooling system cools the hydrogen internal combustion engine, and the propeller is connected to the hydrogen internal combustion engine.
[0014] Furthermore, the wing is a high-wing structure, mounted on the top of the fuselage; the vertical tail and horizontal tail form a low-profile tail structure, mounted at the rear of the fuselage; and the landing gear is a non-retractable tricycle type, mounted at the bottom of the fuselage.
[0015] Beneficial effects
[0016] This invention provides a four-seat hydrogen fuel cell internal combustion engine aircraft. Utilizing hydrogen as an energy source, it offers the significant advantage of zero carbon emissions, effectively solving the emission pollution problems faced by traditional fuel-powered aircraft. The power system employs a hydrogen internal combustion engine to directly burn hydrogen, which has relatively low requirements for hydrogen purity, thus allowing the use of lower-cost grey hydrogen, thereby reducing operating and usage costs.
[0017] Furthermore, the use of front and rear hydrogen storage tanks allows for the storage of more hydrogen, thereby increasing the aircraft's flight time and range. This effectively solves the problem of insufficient flight time and range faced by electric-powered aircraft due to battery energy density limitations, meeting market application demands. In summary, the four-seat hydrogen internal combustion engine aircraft provided by this invention exhibits significant advantages in terms of environmental protection, economy, and performance, and has broad market application prospects. Attached Figure Description
[0018] To more clearly illustrate the technical solutions in the embodiments of this application or the prior art, the drawings used in the embodiments will be briefly introduced below. Obviously, the drawings described below are only some embodiments recorded in this utility model. For those skilled in the art, other drawings can be obtained based on these drawings.
[0019] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the overall layout of the four-seat hydrogen fuel cell internal combustion engine aircraft disclosed in this utility model;
[0020] Figure 2 for Figure 1 A schematic diagram of the power system of a four-seat hydrogen fuel cell internal combustion engine aircraft;
[0021] Figure 3 for Figure 1 A schematic diagram of the hydrogen supply system for a four-seat hydrogen fuel cell internal combustion engine aircraft.
[0022] In the picture:
[0023] 1. Fuselage, 2. Wing, 3. Vertical tail, 4. Horizontal tail, 5. Landing gear, 6. Hydrogen propulsion system, 7. Hydrogen supply system, 8. Hydrogen internal combustion engine, 9. Intake system, 10. Intercooling system, 11. Exhaust system, 12. Water cooling system, 13. Propeller, 14. Hydrogen refueling port, 15. Rear hydrogen storage tank, 16. Tank valve, 17. High-pressure pipeline, 18. Front hydrogen storage tank, 19. Pressure reducing valve, 20. Low-pressure pipeline, 21. Venting pipeline. Detailed Implementation
[0024] The technical solutions of the present utility model will be clearly and completely described below with reference to the accompanying drawings of the embodiments. Obviously, the described embodiments are only some embodiments of the present utility model, and not all embodiments. Based on the embodiments of the present utility model, all other embodiments obtained by those of ordinary skill in the art without creative effort are within the protection scope of the present utility model.
[0025] To achieve the above objectives, this utility model provides the following technical solution, such as... Figure 1-3As shown, a four-seat hydrogen internal combustion engine aircraft includes a fuselage 1 and wings 2, vertical tail 3, horizontal tail 4 and landing gear 5 mounted on the fuselage 1, and also includes a hydrogen power system 6 and a hydrogen supply system 7.
[0026] The hydrogen power system 6 is installed on the fuselage 1; the hydrogen supply system 7 is installed inside the fuselage 1 and connected to the hydrogen power system 6 for storing and supplying hydrogen; the hydrogen supply system 7 includes a front hydrogen storage tank 18, a rear hydrogen storage tank 15 and a hydrogen supply pipeline; the front hydrogen storage tank 18 is located inside the fuselage 1 and on the side of the hydrogen power system 6, and the rear hydrogen storage tank 15 is located inside the fuselage 1 on the side away from the front hydrogen storage tank 18, and the hydrogen supply pipeline is connected to the front hydrogen storage tank 18 and the rear hydrogen storage tank 15.
[0027] Furthermore, the hydrogen supply pipeline also includes a hydrogen filling port 14, a bottle neck valve 16, a high-pressure pipeline 17, a pressure reducing valve 19, and a low-pressure pipeline 20. The high-pressure pipeline 17 includes a high-pressure hydrogen filling pipeline and a high-pressure hydrogen supply pipeline, which are the same pipeline and collectively referred to as the high-pressure pipeline 17. The bottle neck valve 16 has two openings, respectively located at the openings of the front hydrogen storage tank 18 and the rear hydrogen storage tank 15. The hydrogen filling port 14 is located on the machine body 1. The hydrogen filling port 14 is connected to the inlet and outlet ports of the bottle neck valve 16 of the rear hydrogen storage tank 15 and the front hydrogen storage tank 18 via the high-pressure pipeline 17, and another branch of the high-pressure pipeline 17 is connected to the inlet port of the pressure reducing valve 19 via a three-way valve. The low-pressure outlet of the pressure reducing valve 19 is connected to the hydrogen power system 6 via the low-pressure pipeline 20. The bottle neck valve 16 has three openings: two inlet and outlet ports and a vent port.
[0028] The high-pressure hydrogen gas added by the hydrogen supply system 7 through the hydrogen filling port 14 is stored in the rear hydrogen storage cylinder 15 and the front hydrogen storage cylinder 18. The hydrogen gas is then transported to the pressure reducing valve 19 through the high-pressure pipeline 17 to reduce the pressure to a predetermined pressure. The hydrogen gas is then transported to the hydrogen power system 6 through the low-pressure pipeline 20. The hydrogen internal combustion engine 8 of the hydrogen power system 6 receives the low-pressure hydrogen gas and performs combustion to do work.
[0029] Furthermore, the hydrogen filling port 14 is used to receive 70MPa high-pressure hydrogen. A one-way valve and a filter are installed in the high-pressure pipeline 17. The one-way valve is located after the hydrogen filling port 14 and before the front hydrogen storage cylinder 18 and the rear hydrogen storage cylinder 15. It has a one-way flow structure to prevent high-pressure hydrogen from leaking back after hydrogen filling is completed. The filter is a mesh structure to filter impurities in the hydrogen and ensure the purity of the hydrogen added to the hydrogen storage cylinder.
[0030] Furthermore, in the hydrogen supply system 7, the high-pressure pipeline connecting the rear hydrogen storage cylinder 15 to the front hydrogen storage cylinder 18 is arranged on the outside of the engine room, adopting an exposed layout to reduce the risk of pipeline leakage inside the engine room and ensure personnel safety.
[0031] Furthermore, the hydrogen supply line also includes a venting line 21; the venting line 21 is used to discharge replacement gas and to release hydrogen in the event of system failure.
[0032] The venting line 21 is connected to the venting port of the bottle neck valve 16, the low-pressure line 20, and the pressure reducing valve 19 (safety valve). This allows for timely venting in case of system malfunctions, ensuring the normal operation and safety of the hydrogen supply system 7.
[0033] As a specific description of hydrogen supply system 7, such as Figure 3 As shown, during operation, the hydrogen supply system 7 receives 70MPa high-pressure hydrogen gas through the hydrogen filling port 14 and then delivers it to the bottle neck valve 16 via the high-pressure pipeline 17. During hydrogen filling, the manual valve of the bottle neck valve 16 can be kept in the default open state without any control operation. The bottle neck valve 16 has a built-in check valve, which can automatically complete hydrogen filling under pressure. The high-pressure pipeline 17 is a sealed connection composed of high-pressure pipe fittings such as tees and 90° elbows, and a 316L high-pressure pipeline 17 with a threaded conical seal. After exiting from the hydrogen filling port 14, the high-pressure pipeline 17 is connected to the inlet and outlet ports of the bottle neck valves 16 on the rear hydrogen storage cylinder 15 and the front hydrogen storage cylinder 18, respectively. An overflow valve is used during connection to ensure that hydrogen leakage is promptly stopped in the event of a leak in the hydrogen supply system 7, ensuring personnel safety. Hydrogen gas is stored in the rear hydrogen storage tank 15 and the front hydrogen storage tank 18 via high-pressure pipeline 17 to store the flight energy required by the four hydrogen internal combustion engine aircraft 8. When supplying hydrogen to the hydrogen power system 6 of the four hydrogen internal combustion engine aircraft 8, the rear hydrogen storage tank 15 and the front hydrogen storage tank 18 release the stored high-pressure hydrogen through the tank valve 16. The hydrogen is then connected to the inlet of the pressure reducing valve 19 via a straight-through connection through high-pressure pipeline 17. At this point, high-pressure pipeline 17 ends, and the high-pressure hydrogen is delivered through high-pressure pipeline 17 to the pressure reducing valve 19 to reduce the pressure to the rated pressure. The reduced-pressure hydrogen is then delivered to the hydrogen power system 6 through low-pressure pipeline 20 to provide the hydrogen at the required rated pressure to ensure its normal operation.
[0034] When the aircraft is powered on, the main control system sends a signal to the hydrogen supply system 7 controller. The hydrogen supply system 7 controller simultaneously sends an opening signal to the valves 16 of both hydrogen storage cylinders, opening the inlet and outlet ports and allowing simultaneous hydrogen supply to both cylinders. The high-pressure line 17, connecting the hydrogen storage cylinders, is located outside the cabin to reduce the risk of leaks and ensure personnel safety. The low-pressure line 20 also consists of a tee fitting, 316L seamless steel pipe, and a flexible hose. This line uses a compression fitting for internal sealing and connects from the outlet of the pressure reducing valve 19 to the hydrogen power system 6, where it connects to the engine fuel inlet via a flexible hose. Before connecting to the power system, the low-pressure line 20 uses a tee fitting to connect to a needle valve, which then connects to the vent line 21 for pre-start purging. The pressure reducing valve 19 has a safety valve connected to its vent port, which in turn connects to the vent line 21 via a tee fitting, ensuring smooth venting if the pressure exceeds the normal operating threshold. The venting pipeline 21 is connected to the safety valve and needle valve mentioned above after being connected to two bottle valves 16. The venting pipeline 21 is composed of tee valves and 316L seamless steel pipes, and is also connected by compression fittings. Finally, the venting port of the pipeline is located outside the engine room to ensure smooth venting of hydrogen in the event of failure of the hydrogen supply system 7. The venting port is equipped with a rubber sealing cap for waterproofing.
[0035] The electrical control section of the hydrogen supply system 7 consists of a controller, a hydrogen concentration sensor, a pressure sensor, and a cylinder valve 16. The controller receives signals and opens / closes the cylinder valve 16 to control the operation of the hydrogen supply system 7. Pressure control is achieved by a pressure reducing valve 19, which is a manual valve and requires no electrical control. The pressure sensor is located at the sensor interface of the cylinder valve 16 and is used to monitor the internal pressure of the hydrogen supply system 7 in real time. If the pressure exceeds the normal operating range, the controller will send an alarm signal to the aircraft's main controller. The main controller will then determine whether to open / close the cylinder valve and issue an operation signal, which the hydrogen supply system 7 controller will then execute to send the signal to open / close the cylinder valve 16. Hydrogen concentration sensors are installed above the cylinder valve 16 and the pressure reducer inside the cabin to detect leaks in the hydrogen supply system 7. The measured data is fed back to the hydrogen system controller, which in turn feeds it back to the aircraft's main controller. The main controller determines whether the concentration exceeds the normal value and whether to issue an alarm signal. If the measured concentration is higher than the normal range, the main controller will send a signal to close the cylinder valve 16 to the hydrogen supply system 7 controller, which will then immediately close the cylinder valve 16 to stop further leakage.
[0036] Furthermore, the hydrogen power system 6 is installed at the front of the fuselage 1, including a hydrogen internal combustion engine 8, an intake system 9, an intercooling system 10, an exhaust system 11, a water cooling system 12, and a propeller 13;
[0037] The hydrogen internal combustion engine 8 is a water-cooled structure fixedly installed at the front of the fuselage 1. The intake system 9, intercooling system 10 and exhaust system 11 are connected to the hydrogen internal combustion engine 8. The intake system 9 provides air to the hydrogen internal combustion engine 8, the intercooling system 10 cools the air pressurized by the intake system 9, the exhaust system 11 discharges the combustion exhaust gas of the hydrogen internal combustion engine 8, the water cooling system 12 cools the hydrogen internal combustion engine 8, and the propeller 13 is connected to the hydrogen internal combustion engine 8.
[0038] like Figure 2 As shown, during operation, the hydrogen power system 6 primarily uses the hydrogen internal combustion engine 8 to burn hydrogen gas at its rated pressure. To ensure the stable operation of the hydrogen engine, the intake system 9 provides sufficient clean and fresh air to the hydrogen engine. The intercooling system 10 then cools the pressurized hot air from the intake system 9 to a suitable temperature. The hydrogen internal combustion engine 8 mixes and burns the hydrogen and air. Part of the heat generated is cooled and dissipated by the water cooling system 12, maintaining the hydrogen internal combustion engine 8 at a suitable temperature. At the same time, the exhaust gas and some heat generated by combustion are discharged through the exhaust system 11 to ensure the normal operation of the hydrogen engine. The power generated by the combustion of the hydrogen internal combustion engine 8 is transmitted to the propeller 13, which converts the power into thrust to provide the necessary power for the four-seat hydrogen internal combustion engine aircraft.
[0039] Furthermore, the wing 2 is a high-wing structure, installed above the fuselage 1, the vertical tail 3 and the horizontal tail 4 form a low-profile tail structure, installed at the rear of the fuselage 1, and the landing gear 5 is a non-retractable tricycle structure, installed at the bottom of the fuselage 1.
[0040] The embodiments of this utility model are given for illustrative and descriptive purposes only, and are not intended to be exhaustive or to limit the utility model to the forms disclosed. Many modifications and variations will be apparent to those skilled in the art. The embodiments were chosen and described in order to better illustrate the principles and practical applications of this utility model, and to enable those skilled in the art to understand this utility model and design various embodiments with various modifications suitable for a particular purpose.
Claims
1. A four-seater hydrogen internal combustion engine aircraft comprising a fuselage (1) and wings (2), vertical tail (3), horizontal tail (4) and landing gear (5) arranged on the fuselage (1), characterized in that, It also includes a hydrogen power system (6) and a hydrogen supply system (7); The hydrogen power system (6) is installed on the fuselage (1); the hydrogen supply system (7) is installed inside the fuselage (1) and connected to the hydrogen power system (6) for storing and supplying hydrogen; the hydrogen supply system (7) includes a front hydrogen storage cylinder (18), a rear hydrogen storage cylinder (15) and a hydrogen supply pipeline; the front hydrogen storage cylinder (18) is located inside the fuselage (1) and on the side of the hydrogen power system (6), and the rear hydrogen storage cylinder (15) is located inside the fuselage (1) on the side away from the front hydrogen storage cylinder (18). The hydrogen supply pipeline is connected to the front hydrogen storage cylinder (18) and the rear hydrogen storage cylinder (15) and then connected to the hydrogen power system (6).
2. The four-seat hydrogen internal combustion engine aircraft according to claim 1, characterized in that, The hydrogen supply pipeline also includes a hydrogen filling port (14), a bottle valve (16), a high-pressure pipeline (17), a pressure reducing valve (19), and a low-pressure pipeline (20); the high-pressure pipeline (17) includes a high-pressure hydrogen filling pipeline and a high-pressure hydrogen supply pipeline, which are the same pipeline and are collectively referred to as the high-pressure pipeline (17); the bottle valve (16) has two bottle openings respectively located on the front hydrogen storage cylinder (18) and the rear hydrogen storage cylinder (15); the hydrogen filling port (14) is located on the machine body (1), and the hydrogen filling port (14) is connected to the inlet and outlet of the bottle valve (16) of the rear hydrogen storage cylinder (15) and the front hydrogen storage cylinder (18) through the high-pressure pipeline (17), and the other branch of the high-pressure pipeline (17) is connected to the inlet of the pressure reducing valve (19) through a three-way valve, and the outlet of the pressure reducing valve (19) is connected to the hydrogen power system (6) through the low-pressure pipeline (20).
3. The four-seat hydrogen internal combustion engine aircraft according to claim 2, characterized in that, The high-pressure pipeline (17) is equipped with a one-way valve and a filter. The one-way valve is located after the hydrogen filling port (14) and before the front hydrogen storage tank (18) and the rear hydrogen storage tank (15), and has a one-way flow structure.
4. The four-seat hydrogen internal combustion engine aircraft according to claim 3, characterized in that, In the hydrogen supply system (7), the high-pressure pipeline (17) connecting the rear hydrogen storage cylinder (15) to the front hydrogen storage cylinder (18) is arranged on the outside of the cabin.
5. The four-seat hydrogen internal combustion engine aircraft according to claim 4, characterized in that, The hydrogen supply pipeline also includes a discharge pipeline (21); the discharge pipeline (21) is connected to the discharge port of the bottle valve (16), the low-pressure pipeline (20), and the safety valve on the pressure reducing valve (19).
6. The four-seat hydrogen internal combustion engine aircraft according to claim 1, characterized in that, The hydrogen power system (6) is installed at the front of the fuselage (1) and includes a hydrogen internal combustion engine (8), an intake system (9), an intercooling system (10), an exhaust system (11), a water cooling system (12) and a propeller (13); The hydrogen internal combustion engine (8) is a water-cooled structure fixedly installed at the front of the fuselage (1). The intake system (9), intercooling system (10) and exhaust system (11) are connected to the hydrogen internal combustion engine (8). The intake system (9) provides air to the hydrogen internal combustion engine (8), the intercooling system (10) cools the air after it is pressurized by the intake system (9), the exhaust system (11) discharges the combustion exhaust gas of the hydrogen internal combustion engine (8), the water-cooling system (12) cools the hydrogen internal combustion engine (8), and the propeller (13) is connected to the hydrogen internal combustion engine (8).
7. The four-seat hydrogen internal combustion engine aircraft according to claim 1, characterized in that, The wing (2) is a high-wing structure and is installed above the fuselage (1). The vertical tail (3) and horizontal tail (4) form a low-profile tail structure and are installed at the rear of the fuselage (1). The landing gear (5) is a tricycle type non-retractable structure and is installed at the bottom of the fuselage (1).