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US 2026/0024784 A1Published application
Air-cooled fuel cell stacks integrated into aircraft wings
AssigneeZeroAvia, Inc.
InventorsJonathan Leopold Nutzati Fontaine, Jose Rodrigues, Bradley Clark Riordan, Valery Miftakhov
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A fuel-cell-powered aircraft system has integrated air-cooled fuel cell stacks positioned within an interior space of at least one wing of an aircraft. An airflow path is positioned in contact with at least a heat exchanger of the fuel cell stack. The induced flow of air through the airflow path cools the heat exchanger. The efficiently-induced flow of air for cooling the fuel cell stack has a zero or minimal drag penalty.
Claims21
A fuel-cell-powered aircraft system comprising:
- at least one fuel cell stack positioned within an interior space of at least one wing of an aircraft;
- at least one plenum pipe formed by an interior space of a front spar of the at least one wing;
- and
- an airflow path positioned in contact with at least a heat exchanger of the fuel cell stack, wherein induced flow of air through the airflow path cools the heat exchanger.
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(canceled)
A fuel-cell-powered aircraft system comprising:
- a plurality of fuel cell stacks positioned within an interior space of at least one wing of a fuel-cell-powered aircraft, wherein the interior space is formed in a location between a rear spar, a front spar, and at least one rib of the wing;
- at least one plenum pipe formed by an interior space of the front spar of the wing;
- and
- at least one airflow path formed between an inlet and outlet located on the wing, and positioned in contact with a heat exchanger of each of the fuel cell stacks in the interior space, wherein an induced flow of air through the airflow path cools the heat exchanger.
1 more element
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.