Fuel oxygen reduction unit for prescribed operating conditions
AssigneeGeneral Electric Company
InventorsEthan Patrick O'Connor, Brandon Wayne Miller, Daniel Alan Niergarth, Alfred Albert Mancini
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A fuel oxygen reduction unit for an engine is provided. The fuel oxygen reduction unit includes an inlet fuel line; a stripping gas source; a contactor selectively in fluid communication with the stripping gas source, the inlet fuel line, or both to form a fuel/gas mixture; and a separator that receives the fuel/gas mixture, the separator configured to separate the fuel/gas mixture into an outlet stripping gas flow and an outlet fuel flow; wherein a flow of stripping gas passes through the fuel oxygen reduction unit a single time.
Claims17
A fuel oxygen reduction unit for an engine comprising:
- an inlet fuel line;
- a stripping gas source;
- a contactor selectively in fluid communication with the stripping gas source and the inlet fuel line to form a fuel/gas mixture;
- a separator that receives the fuel/gas mixture, the separator configured to separate the fuel/gas mixture into an outlet stripping gas flow and an outlet fuel flow;
- wherein a flow of stripping gas passes through the fuel oxygen reduction unit a single time, the flow of stripping gas is not recirculated back to the fuel oxygen reduction unit, the flow of stripping gas is not recirculated back to the contactor, and the outlet stripping gas flow does not flow through a gas oxygen reduction portion;
- and
- a valve downstream of the stripping gas source and upstream of the contactor, wherein the valve is transitionable between a closed position in which the stripping gas source is not in fluid communication with the contactor, and an open position in which the stripping gas flows to the contactor, and wherein the valve transitions to the open position at a prescribed operating condition that indicates the engine is at an end of an operating cycle.
A fuel oxygen reduction system for an engine comprising:
- an inlet fuel line;
- a stripping gas source;
- a contactor selectively in fluid communication with the stripping gas source and the inlet fuel line to form a fuel/gas mixture;
- a separator that receives the fuel/gas mixture, the separator configured to separate the fuel/gas mixture into an outlet stripping gas flow and an outlet fuel flow;
- a storage tank that receives the outlet fuel flow;
- a primary tank containing a primary fuel flow;
- and
- a valve downstream of the storage tank and the primary tank,
- wherein the valve is transitionable between a first position in which the primary tank is in fluid communication with the engine, and a second position in which the storage tank is in fluid communication with the engine.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.