Aircraft fuel cell air supply anti contamination system
AssigneeZero Emissions Aerospace Limited
InventorMatthew Noel Orchard
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
The invention defines a combined system of sensor(s), control logic, air intake and contaminant deflector for a fuel cell system mounted on an aircraft, which will detect contamination in the free air flow surrounding the aircraft and if excessive contamination is detected will activate the contaminant deflector to protect the fuel cell system from contamination, damage and power loss. The system ensures constant speed of the aircraft by adjusting the power of the fuel cells to compensate any change in aircraft drag and adjusts the speed of any connected compressors to maintain and achieve necessary changes in power and compensation for any air pressure losses the system creates.
Claims20
An aircraft air intake channel anti-contamination system, comprising:
- an air intake channel having an inlet at an external surface of the aircraft, the air intake channel being configured to deliver air from an air flow around the aircraft to a fuel cell of the aircraft;
- a sensor configured to detect contaminants in the air flow;
- a contaminant deflector deployable from a retracted position to a deployed position in which it disrupts the air flow to thereby deflect contaminants away from or out of the air intake channel;
- an actuator configured to deploy and retract the contaminant deflector;
- and
- a controller operatively connected to the actuator, to the sensor, to the fuel cell, and to a compressor that provides air to the fuel cell,
- wherein the controller is programmed, during all aircraft operational phases including taxiing, take-off, landing, and flight, to move the contaminant deflector to the deployed position in response to detection by the sensor of contaminants in the air flow, and to retract the contaminant deflector to the retracted position in response to the detected contaminants falling below a predetermined level,
- wherein the controller is further programmed to adjust a power setting of the fuel cell in response to deployment and retraction of the contaminant deflector, and further based on a voltage generated by the fuel cell,
- wherein the sensor is mounted on the external surface of the aircraft at a location where the air flow is substantially unaffected by deployment of the contaminant deflector,
- wherein the contaminant deflector is positioned upstream of the inlet of the air intake channel and directs the air flow outwardly away from the external surface of the aircraft when in the deployed position or
- wherein the contaminant deflector is positioned within the air intake channel and diverts the air entering the inlet to a secondary outlet at the external surface of the aircraft when in the deployed position.
An aircraft comprising a fuel cell, an external surface, an air intake channel in fluid communication with the external surface and the fuel cell, a compressor that provides air to the fuel cell, and an aircraft air intake channel anti-contamination system configured to protect the air intake channel from airborne contaminants in an air flow around the aircraft, the air intake channel being configured to deliver air from the air flow to the fuel cell, and the system including:
- a sensor configured to detect contaminants in the air flow;
- a contaminant deflector deployable from a retracted position to a deployed position in which it disrupts the air flow to thereby deflect contaminants away from or out of the air intake channel;
- an actuator configured to deploy and retract the contaminant deflector;
- and
- a controller operatively connected to the actuator, to the sensor, to the fuel cell, and to the compressor,
- wherein the controller is programmed to move the contaminant deflector to the deployed position in response to detection by the sensor of contaminants in the air flow, and to retract the contaminant deflector to the retracted position in response to the detected contaminants falling below a predetermined level,
- wherein the controller is further programmed to adjust a power setting of the fuel cell in response to deployment and retraction of the contaminant deflector, and further based on a voltage generated by the fuel cell,
- wherein the aircraft air intake channel anti-contamination system is configured to operate during all aircraft operational phases, including taxiing, take-off, landing, and flight,
- wherein the sensor is mounted on the external surface of the aircraft at a location where the air flow is substantially unaffected by deployment of the contaminant deflector,
- wherein either:
- the contaminant deflector is positioned upstream of an inlet of the air intake channel and directs the air flow outwardly away from the external surface of the aircraft when in the deployed position or
- the contaminant deflector is positioned within the air intake channel and diverts the air entering the inlet to a secondary outlet at the external surface of the aircraft when in the deployed position.
A method of protecting an air intake channel of an aircraft from airborne contaminants in an air flow using an anti-contamination system,
- the aircraft comprising a fuel cell, an external surface, and a compressor that provides air to the fuel cell,
- the air intake channel having an inlet at the external surface and being configured to deliver air from the air flow around the aircraft to the fuel cell,
- the anti-contamination system comprising a sensor configured to detect contaminants in the air flow, a contaminant deflector deployable from a retracted position to a deployed position in which it disrupts the air flow to thereby deflect contaminants away from or out of the air intake channel, an actuator configured to deploy and retract the contaminant deflector, and a controller operatively connected to the actuator, to the sensor, to the fuel cell, and to the compressor,
- the method including the steps of:
- by the controller, responding to detection of contaminants in the air flow by the sensor by deploying the contaminant deflector to the deployed position during all aircraft operational phases, including taxiing, take-off, landing, and flight;
- by the controller, retracting the contaminant deflector to the retracted position in response to the detected contaminants falling below a predetermined level;
- and
- by the controller, adjusting a power setting of the fuel cell in response to deployment and retraction of the contaminant deflector, and further based on a voltage generated by the fuel cell,
- wherein the sensor is mounted on the external surface of the aircraft at a location where the air flow is substantially unaffected by deployment of the contaminant deflector, and
- wherein either:
- the contaminant deflector is positioned upstream of the inlet of the air intake channel and directs the air flow outwardly away from the external surface of the aircraft when in the deployed position, or
- the contaminant deflector is positioned within the air intake channel and diverts the air entering the inlet to a secondary outlet at the external surface of the aircraft when in the deployed position.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.