Cooling architecture using cryogenic fuels
AssigneeHamilton Sundstrand Corporation
InventorAbbas A. Alahyari
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A system for cooling a superconducting motor includes a combustor and fuel tank that contains a fuel. The system further includes a cooling system that provides the fuel to the superconducting motor or a cryocooler to cool the superconducting motor, resulting in at least partially vaporized fuel coming out of the superconducting motor or cryocooler. The cooling system also a cryocooler and a two-phase ejector that mixes the fuel from the tank and the at least partially vaporized fuel to produce a mixed fuel. The combustor receives the mixed fuel and generates electric power due its combustion. The power can be provided to the superconducting motor.
Claims10
A system for cooling a superconducting motor, the system comprising:
- a fuel tank that contains a fuel and includes a fuel output;
- a combustor that receives the fuel from the fuel tank and generates electric power due to combustion of the fuel and provides the electric power to the superconducting motor;
- and
- a cooling system that provides the fuel to the superconducting motor to cool the superconducting motor, the cooling system comprising:
- a two-phase ejector that includes a liquid fuel input fluidly coupled to the fuel tank, a vaporized fuel input fluidly coupled to the superconducting motor and an output fluidly coupled to the combustor;
- a main path that transports fuel from the fuel tank, through the two-phase ejector and to the combustor, wherein the liquid fuel input receives the liquid fuel from the fuel tank via the main path;
- a cooling path that that transports fuel from the fuel tank, through the superconducting motor and to the vaporized fuel input of the two-phase ejector, wherein the cooling path branches from the main fuel path;
- wherein the two-phase ejector mixes the fuel and the vaporized fuel together to form a fuel stream at the output that is provided to the combustor;
- wherein the liquid fuel is provided from the tank to the main and cooling paths in parallel;
- wherein the main path passes through other aircraft loads before the main path provides the liquid fuel to the liquid fuel input of the two-phase ejector.
A method for cooling a superconducting motor, the system comprising:
- passing fuel from a fuel tank to a combustor to generates electric power due to combustion of the fuel;
- providing the electric power to the superconducting motor;
- wherein passing fuel includes:
- providing liquid fuel to a fuel a two-phase ejector that includes a liquid fuel input, a partially or totally vaporized fuel input and an output, wherein the liquid fuel is provided to the liquid fuel input via a main path;
- providing liquid fuel to a cooling path that that transports fuel from the fuel tank, through the superconducting motor and to the partially or totally vaporized fuel input of the two-phase ejector, wherein the fuel is partially or totally vaporized by the superconducting motor, wherein the cooling path branches from the main fuel path;
- and
- passing the liquid fuel from the main path to other aircraft loads before providing the liquid fuel to the liquid fuel input of the two-phase ejector;
- wherein the two-phase ejector mixes the fuel and the at least partially vaporized fuel together to form a fuel stream at the output;
- wherein the fuel is provided to the liquid fuel input and the cooling path in parallel.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.