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US 7,550,218 B2Granted
Apparatus for producing water onboard of a craft driven by a power plant
AssigneeAirbus Deutschland GmbH
InventorsClaus Hoffjann, Hans-Juergen Heinrich
Life of this patent
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Abstract
Water is generated onboard of a craft such as an aircraft or in a self-contained stationary system by partially or completely integrating a water generating unit into a power plant of the craft or system. The water generating unit includes one or more high temperature fuel cells which partially or completely replace the combustion chamber or chambers of the power plant. A reformer process is integrated into the high temperature fuel cell which is arranged between, on the one hand, a fan (30) and power plant compressor stages (31, 32) and, on the other hand, power plant turbine stages (33, 34). These power plant stages may be provided in such redundant numbers that safety and redundancy requirements are satisfied.
Claims34
An aircraft turbofan engine comprising a compressor, a turbine, a thrust-producing bypass fan, at least one coupling shaft that interconnects said compressor, said turbine, and said thrust-producing bypass fan, a fuel oxidizer section that is interposed in a gas flow passage between said compressor and said turbine, and a condenser arrangement adapted to output water out of said aircraft turbofan engine at a water outlet thereof, wherein:
- said fuel oxidizer section has an air inlet facing toward said compressor in said gas flow passage and adapted to take in compressed air from said compressor, a fuel inlet adapted to take in a fuel that includes at least one fuel component suitable to be oxidized in at least one oxidation process using the fuel and the compressed air in said fuel oxidizer section, and a hot gas outlet facing toward said turbine in said gas flow passage and adapted to output a hot gas produced with heat from the at least one oxidation process;
- and
- said fuel oxidizer section includes at least one high temperature fuel cell incorporated therein, wherein said fuel cell has a fuel side of said fuel cell connected to said fuel inlet, an air side of said fuel cell integrated in said gas flow passage between said air inlet and said hot gas outlet, and a fuel cell exhaust outlet connected to an inlet of said condenser arrangement.
An aircraft turbofan engine comprising a compressor, a turbine, a thrust-producing bypass fan, at least one coupling shaft that interconnects said compressor, said turbine, and said thrust-producing bypass fan, a fuel oxidizer section that is interposed in a gas flow passage between said compressor and said turbine, and a condenser arrangement adapted to output water out of said aircraft turbofan engine at a water outlet thereof, wherein:
- said fuel oxidizer section has an air inlet facing toward said compressor in said gas flow passage and adapted to take in compressed air from said compressor, a fuel inlet adapted to take in a fuel that includes at least one fuel component suitable to be oxidized in at least one oxidation process using the fuel and the compressed air in said fuel oxidizer section, and a hot gas outlet facing toward said turbine in said gas flow passage and adapted to output a hot gas produced with heat from the at least one oxidation process;
- said fuel oxidizer section includes at least one high temperature fuel cell incorporated therein, wherein said fuel cell has a fuel side of said fuel cell connected to said fuel inlet, an air side of said fuel cell integrated in said gas flow passage between said air inlet and said hot gas outlet, and a fuel cell exhaust outlet connected to an inlet of said condenser arrangement;
- the at least one oxidation process includes a high temperature fuel cell process to be carried out in said at least one high temperature fuel cell, wherein the fuel is to be oxidized with oxygen extracted from the compressed air, the compressed air is to be heated with heat evolved from the high temperature fuel cell process and is to be output as the hot gas through said hot gas outlet, and a fuel cell exhaust containing oxidized fuel components is to be output through said fuel cell exhaust outlet;
- and
- said condenser arrangement is adapted to condense the fuel cell exhaust and produce the water at said water outlet.
2 more elements
An apparatus for producing water in an aircraft turbofan engine system,
- comprising a turbine engine, at least one high temperature fuel cell integrated as a water generating unit into said turbine engine, and an exhaust gas condensing system (6, 7) coupled to an exhaust gas discharge (5) of said high temperature fuel cell (1) and adapted to condense the water out of exhaust gas of said high temperature fuel cell (1),
- wherein said turbine engine comprises a compressor, a turbine, a bypass fan, at least one coupling shaft interconnecting said compressor, said turbine and said bypass fan, and a fuel-oxidizing air-heating section interposed between said compressor and said turbine,
- wherein said at least one high temperature fuel cell is incorporated in said fuel-oxidizing air-heating section, and
- wherein said exhaust gas condensing system comprises a heat exchanger (7), and an exhaust gas turbine (6) that has a turbine inlet thereof connected to said exhaust gas discharge (5) of said high temperature fuel cell and that has a turbine outlet thereof connected to said heat exchanger (7).
1 more element
An apparatus for producing water in an aircraft turbofan engine system,
- comprising a turbine engine, at least one high temperature fuel cell integrated as a water generating unit into said turbine engine, and an exhaust gas condensing system coupled to an exhaust gas discharge (5) of said high temperature fuel cell (1) and adapted to condense the water out of exhaust gas of said high temperature fuel cell (1), and an exhaust gas turbine (6) connected in series between said exhaust gas discharge (5) of said high temperature fuel cell (1) and said exhaust gas condensing system,
- wherein said turbine engine comprises a compressor, a turbine, a bypass fan, at least one coupling shaft interconnecting said compressor, said turbine and said bypass fan, and a fuel-oxidizing air-heating section interposed between said compressor and said turbine,
- wherein said at least one high temperature fuel cell is incorporated in said fuel-oxidizing air-heating section, and
- wherein said exhaust gas turbine (6) forms a stage adapted to condense the water out of the exhaust gas.
1 more element
An apparatus for producing water in an aircraft turbofan engine system,
- comprising a turbine engine, at least one high temperature fuel cell integrated as a water generating unit into said turbine engine, an exhaust gas condensing system (6, 7) coupled to an exhaust gas discharge (5) of said high temperature fuel cell (1) and adapted to condense the water out of exhaust gas of said high temperature fuel cell (1), and an exhaust gas evaporator (14A) and a condenser (14B) arranged in series with and downstream of said exhaust gas condensing system (6, 7),
- wherein said turbine engine comprises a compressor, a turbine, a bypass fan, at least one coupling shaft interconnecting said compressor, said turbine and said bypass fan, and a fuel-oxidizing air-heating section interposed between said compressor and said turbine, and
- wherein said at least one high temperature fuel cell is incorporated in said fuel-oxidizing air-heating section.
An apparatus for producing water in an aircraft turbofan engine system,
- comprising a turbine engine, at least one high temperature fuel cell integrated as a water generating unit into said turbine engine, and a fuel supply adapted to supply to said high temperature fuel cell, through a fuel inlet (3), a fuel mixture having gray water admixed to a fuel,
- wherein said turbine engine comprises a compressor, a turbine, a bypass fan, at least one coupling shaft interconnecting said compressor, said turbine and said bypass fan, and a fuel-oxidizing air-heating section interposed between said compressor and said turbine,
- wherein said at least one high temperature fuel cell is incorporated in said fuel-oxidizing air-heating section, wherein said fuel inlet comprises a fuel evaporator (3A) arranged and adapted to evaporate said fuel mixture,
- wherein said fuel evaporator (3A) is thermally coupled to said high temperature fuel cell (1) so as to heat said fuel evaporator (3A) by process heat from said high temperature fuel cell (1), and
- wherein said apparatus further comprises an internal reformer (2) incorporated in said fuel cell (1) positioned downstream of said fuel evaporator (3A).
2 more elements
An apparatus for producing water in an aircraft turbofan engine system,
- comprising a turbine engine, at least one high temperature fuel cell integrated as a water generating unit into said turbine engine, and a fuel supply adapted to supply to said high temperature fuel cell, through a fuel inlet (3), a fuel mixture having gray water admixed to a fuel,
- wherein said turbine engine comprises a compressor, a turbine, a bypass fan, at least one coupling shaft interconnecting said compressor, said turbine and said bypass fan, and a fuel-oxidizing air-heating section interposed between said compressor and said turbine,
- wherein said at least one high temperature fuel cell is incorporated in said fuel-oxidizing air-heating section,
- wherein said fuel inlet comprises a fuel evaporator (3A) arranged and adapted to evaporate said fuel mixture,
- wherein said apparatus further comprises an internal reformer (2) incorporated in said fuel cell (1) positioned downstream of said fuel evaporator, and
- wherein said apparatus further comprises a fuel compressor (8) arranged downstream and in series with said fuel evaporator (3A).
3 more elements
An apparatus for producing water in an aircraft turbofan engine system,
- comprising a turbine engine and at least one high temperature fuel cell integrated as a water generating unit into said turbine engine,
- wherein said turbine engine comprises a compressor, a turbine, a bypass fan, at least one coupling shaft interconnecting said compressor, said turbine and said bypass fan, and a fuel-oxidizing air-heating section interposed between said compressor and said turbine,
- wherein said at least one high temperature fuel cell is incorporated in said fuel-oxidizing air-heating section,
- wherein said compressor comprises a supercharger compressor stage (31) and a compressor main stage (32),
- wherein said turbine comprises a high pressure turbine stage (33) and a low pressure turbine stage (34), and
- wherein said compressor main stage (32) and said high pressure turbine stage (33) remain rotatable with a reduced rotational speed so as to supply cooling air to said high temperature fuel cell (1) when said bypass fan (30), said supercharger compressor stage (31) and said low pressure turbine stage (34) are subjected to braking.
3 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.