Liquid Hydrogen Power and Cooling Loop With Waste Heat Recovery
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Solution Overview
Problem
Hydrogen fueled vehicles face inefficiencies in warming liquid hydrogen from storage temperature to operational temperature, leading to energy waste, as existing systems do not effectively utilize excess energy within the system.
Innovation Solution
A hydrogen fueled power system that utilizes a heat exchanger to warm a portion of liquid hydrogen via thermal energy exchange with a relatively warm fluid, driving a turbine and thermal engine, which generates power and compresses airflow for environmental control, while injecting a cooler portion of hydrogen into the thermal engine to enhance energy conversion.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Temperature
If liquid hydrogen is warmed from storage temperature to operational temperature using conventional heating systems, then the hydrogen reaches the required temperature for fuel cell operation, but significant energy is wasted in the heating process
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines the hydrogen heating function with the waste heat recovery function into a single integrated heat exchanger system. The warm exhaust gases from the fuel cell are directly used to heat the liquid hydrogen, merging two separate thermal management functions into one efficient system that eliminates energy waste.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent converts the harmful waste heat from exhaust gases into a beneficial resource for heating liquid hydrogen. By capturing and utilizing the thermal energy that would otherwise be lost, the system transforms an energy loss into a useful heating function, significantly reducing overall energy consumption.
2Loss of energy
If excess thermal energy from exhaust gases is captured and used to heat hydrogen, then energy efficiency improves, but system complexity increases due to additional heat exchanger components
Solution Approach 1:
The heat exchanger is designed to perform multiple functions simultaneously: it serves as both a waste heat recovery device and a hydrogen heating device. This multi-functionality reduces the need for separate components, thereby limiting the increase in system complexity while maximizing energy recovery benefits.
Solution Approach 2:
The system uses its own exhaust gases to heat its own fuel supply, creating a self-service thermal management system. The waste heat from the fuel cell process directly heats the liquid hydrogen without requiring external energy sources or complex control systems, simplifying the overall architecture.
3Power
If a turbine is added to generate power from warmed hydrogen before it enters the thermal engine, then additional electrical power is produced, but the device complexity and initial energy investment increase
Solution Approach 1:
The turbine performs preliminary power generation by extracting energy from the warmed hydrogen before it enters the thermal engine. This preliminary action maximizes the energy extraction potential of the heated hydrogen, generating additional electricity while preparing the hydrogen for subsequent combustion in the thermal engine.
Solution Approach 2:
The system maintains continuous useful action by seamlessly integrating the turbine power generation with the thermal engine operation. The warmed hydrogen continuously drives the turbine to generate power, and the remaining energy continues to the thermal engine for additional power production, ensuring uninterrupted energy utilization throughout the system.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
This approach reduces energy waste by utilizing excess energy, improving the efficiency of hydrogen-powered vehicles and increasing combustion efficiency by up to 15% through enhanced power generation and airflow enrichment.
Implementation Method 1
The heat exchanger is configured to heat the first portion of the hydrogen fuel via thermal energy exchange with a relatively warm fluid
Implementation Method 2
a thermal engine configured to expand the liquid hydrogen fuel into gaseous form via interaction between a heated first portion of the hydrogen fuel and a second portion of the hydrogen fuel
Implementation Method 3
A turbine is located fluidly downstream of the heat exchanger and upstream of the thermal engine, the turbine driven by the heated first portion of the hydrogen fuel
Implementation Method 4
The compressor compresses an airflow for an environmental control system (ECS) of the vehicle
Data Source
AI summary
A hydrogen fueled power system of a vehicle includes a liquid hydrogen fuel source having a volume of liquid hydrogen fuel and a thermal engine configured to expand the liquid hydrogen fuel into gaseous form via interaction between a heated first portion of the hydrogen fuel and a second portion of the hydrogen fuel. A heat exchanger is positioned between the liquid hydrogen source and the thermal engine, and is configured to heat the first portion of the hydrogen fuel via thermal energy exchange with a relatively warm fluid. A turbine is located fluidly downstream of the heat exchanger and upstream of the thermal engine, and is driven by the heated first portion. A power generator is located fluidly downstream of the thermal engine. The power generator utilizes exhaust from the thermal engine to generate electrical or mechanical power. A compressor is operably connected to and driven by the turbine.