# US 11,993,403 B2 · Advanced cooling for cryogenic powered vehicles > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 11,993,403 B2 - Document ID: US11993403B2 - Status: Granted - Kind: B2 - Application number: 15/988,973 - Filed: 2018-05-24 - Published: 2019-11-28 - Granted: 2024-05-28 - Earliest claimed: 2018-05-24 - Assignees: The Boeing Company - Applicants: The Boeing Company - Inventors: John H. Blumer; Gregory R. Day; Marianne E. Mata; Martin E. Lozano; Tyler C. Staudinger; Mark W. Henley - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US11993403B2 ## CPC - B64G 1/42: Arrangements or adaptations of power supply systems - B60L 58/33: by cooling - B64G 1/402: {Propellant tanks; Feeding propellants} - B64G 1/50: for temperature control - B64G 1/503: {Radiator panels} - F28C 3/00: Other direct-contact heat-exchange apparatus - H01M 8/00: Fuel cells; Manufacture thereof - H01M 8/04089: of gaseous reactants - H01M 8/04208: {Cartridges, cryogenic media or cryogenic reservoirs} - H01M 8/04328: {of anode reactants at the inlet or inside the fuel cell} - H01M 8/04388: {of anode reactants at the inlet or inside the fuel cell} - H01M 8/04701: Temperature - H01M 8/04708: {of fuel cell reactants} - H01M 8/04753: {of fuel cell reactants} - H10W 40/00: Arrangements for thermal protection or thermal control (integrated devices comprising arrangements for thermal protection H10D89/60) - H01M 2250/20: Fuel cells in motive systems, e.g. vehicle, ship, plane - Y02E 60/50: Fuel cells - Y02T 90/40: Application of hydrogen technology to transportation, e.g. using fuel cells - B64G: COSMONAUTICS; VEHICLES OR EQUIPMENT THEREFOR - B60L: PROPULSION OF ELECTRICALLY-PROPELLED VEHICLES (arrangements or mounting of electrical propulsion units or of plural diverse prime-movers for mutual or common propulsion in vehicles B60K1/00, B60K6/20; arrangements or mounting of electrical gearing in vehicles B60K17/12, B60K17/14; preventing wheel slip by reducing power in rail vehicles B61C15/08; dynamo-electric machines H02K; control or regulation of electric motors H02P); SUPPLYING ELECTRIC POWER FOR AUXILIARY EQUIPMENT OF ELECTRICALLY-PROPELLED VEHICLES (electric coupling devices combined with mechanical couplings of vehicles B60D1/64; electric heating for vehicles B60H1/00); ELECTRODYNAMIC BRAKE SYSTEMS FOR VEHICLES IN GENERAL (control or regulation of electric motors H02P); MAGNETIC SUSPENSION OR LEVITATION FOR VEHICLES; MONITORING OPERATING VARIABLES OF ELECTRICALLY-PROPELLED VEHICLES; ELECTRIC SAFETY DEVICES FOR ELECTRICALLY-PROPELLED VEHICLES - F28C: HEAT-EXCHANGE APPARATUS, NOT PROVIDED FOR IN ANOTHER SUBCLASS, IN WHICH THE HEAT-EXCHANGE MEDIA COME INTO DIRECT CONTACT WITHOUT CHEMICAL INTERACTION (safety devices in general F16P; fluid heaters having heat generating means F24H; with an intermediate heat-transfer medium coming into direct contact with heat-exchange media F28D15/00 - F28D19/00; details of heat-exchange apparatus of general application F28F) - H01M: PROCESSES OR MEANS, e.g. BATTERIES, FOR THE DIRECT CONVERSION OF CHEMICAL ENERGY INTO ELECTRICAL ENERGY - H10W: GENERIC PACKAGES, INTERCONNECTIONS, CONNECTORS OR OTHER CONSTRUCTIONAL DETAILS OF DEVICES COVERED BY CLASS H10 - Y02E: REDUCTION OF GREENHOUSE GAS [GHG] EMISSIONS, RELATED TO ENERGY GENERATION, TRANSMISSION OR DISTRIBUTION - Y02T: CLIMATE CHANGE MITIGATION TECHNOLOGIES RELATED TO TRANSPORTATION ## Abstract In one or more embodiments, a disclosed method for cooling a vehicle involves routing, by a bypass line, boil-off of a cryogenic fuel of the vehicle past a cold plate to cool a subsystem mounted proximate the cold plate. The method further involves purging the boil-off in a direction away from the vehicle, after the boil-off passes the cold plate. In one or more embodiments, the cryogenic fuel involves liquid hydrogen (LH2), liquid oxygen (LO2), and/or liquid methane (LCH4). In at least one embodiment, the boil-off of the cryogenic fuel involves gaseous hydrogen (GH2), gaseous oxygen (GO2), and/or gaseous methane (GCH4). The vehicle is a space vehicle, an airborne vehicle, a terrestrial vehicle, or a marine vehicle. In at least one embodiment, the vehicle is a fuel cell vehicle (FCV). ## Claims ### Claim 1 A method for cooling a cryogenic powered vehicle, the method comprising: storing a cryogenic fuel in a cryogenic fuel tank; capturing boil-off of the cryogenic fuel escaped from the cryogenic fuel tank and forming escaped boil-off; and providing cooling to an avionics subsystem by repurposing the escaped boil-off; wherein repurposing the escaped boil-off comprises: routing, by a bypass line, the escaped boil-off past a cold plate to cool the avionics subsystem mounted on the cold plate; and purging the escaped boil-off in a direction away from the vehicle, after the escaped boil-off passes the cold plate; wherein the method further comprises: sensing, by a temperature sensor associated with the cold plate, a temperature of the cold plate; and at least one of opening or closing a control valve on the bypass line to maintain the temperature of the cold plate to be within a predetermined temperature range. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein: the cryogenic fuel comprises at least one of liquid hydrogen (LH2), liquid oxygen (LO2), or liquid methane (LCH4). ### Claim 3 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein: the escaped boil-off of the cryogenic fuel comprises at least one of gaseous hydrogen (GH2), gaseous oxygen (GO2), or gaseous methane (GCH4); and the escaped boil-off enters the bypass line after escaping from the cryogenic fuel tank via a vent pipe. ### Claim 4 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein the method further comprises: opening a regulator valve on the bypass line to direct the escaped boil-off toward the bypass line. ### Claim 5 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein the method further comprises: sensing, by a regulator valve on the bypass line, a pressure of the bypass line. ### Claim 6 (depends on 5) The method of claim 5, wherein the method further comprises: at least one of opening or closing the regulator valve on the bypass line to maintain the pressure of the bypass line to be within a predetermined pressure range. ### Claim 7 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein: the vehicle is one of a space vehicle, an airborne vehicle, a terrestrial vehicle, or a marine vehicle. ### Claim 8 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein the vehicle is a fuel cell vehicle (FCV). ### Claim 9 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein the method further comprises: opening a solenoid valve on the bypass line to direct the escaped boil-off toward the bypass line. ### Claim 10 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein the method further comprises: adjusting, by an orifice plate on the bypass line, a rate of a flow of the escaped boil-off within the bypass line. ### Claim 11 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein the purging of the escaped boil-off in the direction away from the vehicle comprises purging of the escaped boil-off in the direction away from the vehicle via a main vent line. ### Claim 12 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein the method further comprises: causing, by a check valve on the bypass line, the escaped boil-off to flow within the bypass line in a forward direction. ### Claim 13 A system for cooling a cryogenic powered vehicle, the system comprising: an avionics subsystem; a cryogenic fuel tank for storing a cryogenic fuel, the cryogenic fuel tank allowing a boil-off of cryogenic fuel to escape and form escaped boil-off; and a repurposing subsystem for repurposing the escaped boil-off to cool the avionics subsystem, the repurposing subsystem comprising; a cold plate, wherein the avionics subsystem is mounted on the cold plate; and a bypass line configured to route the escaped boil-off past the cold plate to cool the avionics subsystem mounted on the cold plate; a temperature sensor associated with the cold plate and configured to sense a temperature of the cold plate; and a control valve on the bypass line configured to at least one of open or close to maintain the temperature of the cold plate to be within a predetermined temperature range. ### Claim 14 (depends on 13) The system of claim 13, further comprising: one or more vent pipes configured to route the escaped boil-off to flow from the cryogenic fuel tank to the bypass line; and a regulator valve configured to sense a pressure of at least of the one or more bypass lines. ### Claim 15 (depends on 14) The system of claim 14, wherein the regulator valve is further configured to at least one of open or close to maintain the pressure to be within a predetermined pressure range. ### Claim 16 (depends on 13) The system of claim 13, wherein the system is further configured such that: the escaped boil-off is purged in the direction away from the vehicle via a main vent line. ### Claim 17 (depends on 13) The system of claim 13, wherein the system further comprises: a solenoid valve on the bypass line configured to open to direct the escaped boil-off toward the bypass line. ### Claim 18 (depends on 13) The system of claim 13, wherein the system is configured such that after the escaped boil-off passes the cold plate, the escaped boil-off is purged in a direction away from the vehicle. ### Claim 19 (depends on 13) The system of claim 13, wherein the system is configured such that the escaped boil-off enters the bypass line after escaping from the cryogenic fuel tank via a vent pipe. ### Claim 20 (depends on 13) The system of claim 13, wherein: the vehicle is one of a space vehicle, an airborne vehicle, a terrestrial vehicle, or a marine vehicle.