Integrated Power and Cooling Using Liquid Hydrogen as Heat Sink
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing ambient air cooling systems for thermal management are large, heavy, and costly due to the need for large heat exchangers, and their performance is limited by small temperature differentials between the working fluid and ambient air, often requiring fans for air flow and additional energy expenditure.
Innovation Solution
A system that uses liquid hydrogen as both a power generation fuel and a heat sink, where liquid hydrogen is pumped to an evaporator to convert to gas, thermally coupled with a heat source but fluidly uncoupled, and a coolant loop circulates between the heat source and evaporator to transfer heat, with separate paths for coolant flow to a heater and the heat source.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Temperature
If ambient air cooling systems use large heat exchangers to reject heat to ambient air, then cooling capacity is improved, but system size, weight, and cost increase
Solution Approach 1:
The liquid hydrogen serves dual functions: as fuel for the engine and as a heat sink for cooling the heat source. This multi-functionality eliminates the need for separate cooling systems with large heat exchangers, thereby reducing system weight while maintaining cooling capacity.
Solution Approach 2:
The system exploits the extremely low temperature of liquid hydrogen (around -253°C) to create a large temperature differential for heat transfer. This parameter change enables efficient cooling without requiring large heat exchangers, as the cold hydrogen directly absorbs heat from the heat source.
2Productivity
If ambient air cooling systems use fans to motivate air flow across heat exchangers, then heat rejection performance is improved, but device complexity and energy expenditure increase
Solution Approach 1:
The invention extracts and eliminates the fan and air flow motivation components from the cooling system. By using liquid hydrogen as a direct heat sink, the system achieves heat rejection without requiring mechanical fans or complex air flow management, thereby reducing device complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
The liquid hydrogen naturally flows from the tank through the evaporator to the heat source, providing self-driven heat transfer without external mechanical assistance. The phase change and temperature differential automatically propel the cooling process, eliminating the need for fans or pumps.
3Productivity
If ambient air cooling systems rely on temperature differentials between working fluid and ambient air, then cooling efficiency is improved, but performance is limited by small temperature differentials
Solution Approach 1:
The system changes the temperature parameter by using liquid hydrogen at approximately -253°C instead of ambient temperature air. This creates a massive temperature differential (over 200°C) between the hydrogen and the heat source, dramatically improving cooling efficiency and overcoming the limitations of small temperature differentials in ambient air systems.
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 system size, weight, and cost while providing efficient cooling, independent of ambient temperature, and enhances engine performance by using hydrogen's large temperature differential as a heat sink, allowing for improved thermodynamic cycles and reduced vibration.
Implementation Method 1
an evaporator configured to convert at least some of the hydrogen in the liquid state to a gaseous state
Implementation Method 2
heat from the heat source is transferred from the coolant to the hydrogen in the evaporator
Data Source
AI summary
A system includes a hydrogen fuel delivery system for an engine that pumps hydrogen from a tank in a liquid state and an evaporator configured to convert at least some of the hydrogen to a gaseous state. The system includes a heat source thermally coupled with the system and fluidly uncoupled from the system. The system is configured to supply the hydrogen to the engine for combustion and cool the heat source using the hydrogen. The system further includes a coolant loop that circulates coolant between the heat source and the evaporator. The coolant loops includes a valve that splits the coolant flowing from the evaporator into a first portion that flows to a heater and a second portion that flows to the heat source. The first and second portions are directed to the evaporator after having passed through the heater and the heat source.