Liquid Hydrogen Pumping With Heat Exchange and Redundant Pumps
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing hydrogen fuel systems for aircraft face challenges in efficiently warming and pressurizing liquid hydrogen for effective combustion in gas turbine engines while providing system redundancy and effective heat exchange.
Innovation Solution
A hydrogen pumping system that includes a boost pump in the tank, a fuel pump powered by multiple electric motors, a heat exchanger for warming hydrogen, and a vacuum line for managing gas during start-up, along with a configuration that uses hydrogen for cooling components and bleed gas from the gas turbine engine.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Quantity of substance
If liquid hydrogen is stored at cryogenic temperatures in the fuel tank, then hydrogen can be efficiently stored, but the hydrogen remains too cold to provide effective cooling to system components
Solution Approach 1:
The heat exchanger is positioned in the fuel line between the tank and power generation device to preliminarily warm the hydrogen before it reaches the power generation device, allowing the hydrogen to provide effective cooling to components along the fuel line
Solution Approach 2:
A heat exchanger is introduced as an intermediary component that transfers thermal energy from the cold hydrogen to surrounding system components, enabling the cold hydrogen to cool components while warming itself to a usable temperature for power generation
2Device complexity
If a single fuel pump is used to pump hydrogen from the tank, then the system is simpler, but system redundancy and reliability are reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The pumping system is segmented into multiple independent fuel pumps that can operate individually or in conjunction, allowing the system to maintain functionality if one pump fails while distributing the pumping load across multiple components
Solution Approach 2:
Different pumps are positioned at different locations in the system (some in the tank, some external) with different functional characteristics, allowing each pump to be optimized for its specific location and function while contributing to overall system redundancy
3Productivity
If hydrogen is pumped through the system, then hydrogen reaches the power generation device, but heat generated by electric motors and system components must be managed
Solution Approach 1:
The cold hydrogen that would normally be wasted cooling the electric motors and system components is converted into a useful resource by routing it through heat exchangers that transfer its cooling capacity to other system components, thereby eliminating the energy loss while maintaining hydrogen delivery efficiency
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
The system effectively warms and pressurizes hydrogen for efficient combustion, provides system redundancy, and enhances component cooling, reducing specific fuel consumption and increasing combustion stability.
Implementation Method 1
a heat exchanger positioned along the fuel line between the pump and the gas turbine engine for heating the hydrogen pumped through the heat exchanger by the pump
Implementation Method 2
a vacuum line for drawing hydrogen gas from adjacent the pump inlet prior to initiating a start-up of the fuel pump
Implementation Method 3
the hydrogen is used to provide cooling of the electric motor by routing the hydrogen through a cooling passage (e.g., a cooling sleeve/jacket) the flows along and/or through a casing/housing of the electric motor and extracts heat generated by the electric motor
Data Source
AI summary
The present disclosure relates to hydrogen pumping systems for pumping hydrogen from a fuel tank (where the hydrogen is stored as liquid hydrogen LH2) to a power generation device at which the hydrogen is used as fuel. The pumping systems include features providing system redundancy, effective heat exchange for warming the hydrogen, gas turbine air bleed cooling, component cooling and removal of hydrogen gas.