Cracking and separation of ammonia fuel
AssigneeRtx Corporation
InventorsPeter Cocks, Lance Smith
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A gas turbine engine includes a cracking device that is configured to decompose an ammonia flow into a flow that contains more hydrogen (H2) than ammonia (NH3), a first separation device that separates hydrogen downstream of the cracking device, wherein residual ammonia and nitrogen are exhausted as a residual flow. The separated flow contains more hydrogen than ammonia, and nitrogen is exhausted separately as a hydrogen flow. A combustor is configured to receive and combust the hydrogen flow from the separation device to generate a gas flow. A compressor section is configured to supply compressed air to the combustor. A turbine section is in flow communication with the gas flow produced by the combustor and is mechanically coupled to drive the compressor section.
Claims14
A fuel system for an aircraft propulsion system having a combustor configured to combust a fuel flow, the fuel system comprising:
- a fuel storage tank configured to store an ammonia fuel;
- an ammonia cracking device configured to decompose an ammonia flow into a flow containing more hydrogen (H2) than ammonia (NH3);
- a first separation device where a flow containing more hydrogen than ammonia is received from the ammonia cracking device, the first separation device is configured for separating hydrogen from residual ammonia and nitrogen, wherein residual ammonia is exhausted as a residual flow and a flow that contains more hydrogen than ammonia and nitrogen is exhausted separately as a hydrogen flow for communication to a combustor;
- and
- a second separation device downstream of the first separation device, the second separation device configured to receive the residual flow, separate ammonia from hydrogen and nitrogen, and communicate the hydrogen and nitrogen to the combustor.
A method of operating a gas turbine engine, comprising:
- decomposing an ammonia fuel flow with an ammonia cracking device into a flow containing more hydrogen (H2) than ammonia (NH3);
- removing hydrogen downstream of the ammonia cracking device with a first separation device;
- communicating the flow containing more H2 to a combustor configured to generate a gas flow;
- and
- removing ammonia from a residual flow exhausted from the first separation device in a second separation device, communicating separated ammonia from the residual flow to a fuel storage tank and communicating hydrogen and nitrogen from the residual flow to the combustor.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.