Composite Liquid Hydrogen Tank With Microchannel Slosh Buffers
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Solution Overview
Problem
Hydrogen fuel for aircraft poses challenges due to its low power density, requiring four times the volume of Jet-A fuel and needing cryogenic storage, which increases space and weight requirements, making it less suitable for aircraft applications.
Innovation Solution
A composite storage tank with integrated buffers and stiffeners is designed to store liquid hydrogen, using composite materials to minimize leakage and reduce the impact of sloshing during aircraft maneuvers, while maintaining the hydrogen in a liquid phase.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Use of energy by moving object
If liquid hydrogen is stored in cryogenic conditions, then hydrogen can be stored in liquid phase with higher energy density, but space and weight requirements increase
Solution Approach 1:
The storage tank uses a composite structure with an inner vessel made of materials suitable for cryogenic service and an outer shell, with insulation layers in between. This composite construction provides thermal insulation to maintain cryogenic temperatures while minimizing the overall weight and volume of the storage system, resolving the contradiction between energy density and weight requirements.
2Use of energy by moving object
If liquid hydrogen is stored in cryogenic conditions, then hydrogen can be stored in liquid phase with higher energy density, but space and weight requirements increase
Solution Approach 1:
The storage tank employs a nested structure where the inner vessel containing liquid hydrogen is positioned within an outer shell, with insulation and structural components arranged concentrically. This nesting approach maximizes the use of available space, providing thermal insulation and structural support while minimizing the overall volume occupied by the storage system.
3Reliability
If buffers and stiffeners are added to prevent sloshing damage, then protection from sloshing is improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The buffer and stiffener components are integrated into a unified structural assembly that is attached to the inner vessel. This merged design provides both sloshing protection and structural support simultaneously, reducing the number of separate components and simplifying the overall structure while maintaining reliability against sloshing damage.
4Reliability
If composite materials are used to minimize leakage, then sealing performance is improved, but manufacturing complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The inner vessel is constructed using composite materials with multiple layers including hydrogen barrier layers and sealing layers. These composite structures provide excellent sealing performance to prevent hydrogen leakage while the modular construction approach facilitates manufacturing by allowing pre-fabrication of composite sections that can be assembled together.
Data Source
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AI summary
A composite storage tank (212) for liquid hydrogen includes a vessel wall (214) defining a chamber (250) to hold liquid hydrogen and a buffer (302) located in the chamber (250). The buffer (302) includes a plurality of microchannel flow passages (310) that fluidly connect a first side (306) with a second side (308). The buffer (302) can be connected to the vessel wall (214) by a receiver (260) integrally formed in the vessel wall (214), and a method of manufacturing the composite storage tank (212) with the receiver integrally formed in the vessel wall can include laying up a plurality of reinforcing fiber tows (282) on a layup tool (280) to integrate a flange portion (272) of the receiver (260) with the plurality of fiber tows. The method further includes inserting buffer (302) into a gap (266) of the receiver (260).