US 7,569,099 B2Granted

Fuel deoxygenation system with non-metallic fuel plate assembly

AssigneeUnited Technologies Corporation

InventorsCharles C. Coffin, Thomas G. Tillman, He Huang, Brian M. Welch

Life of this patent

Estimating the term…

Loading patent…

Abstract

A fuel system for an energy conversion device includes a multiple of non-metallic fuel plates, gaskets, oxygen permeable membranes, porous substrate plates, and vacuum frame plates. Intricate 3-dimension fuel channel structures such as laminar flow impingement elements within the fuel channel dramatically enhance oxygen diffusivity in the FSU. The fuel plates are manufactured from a relatively soft non-metallic material. The non-metallic fuel plates and gasket arrangement provide an effective sealing interface between the fuel plate and oxygen permeable membrane, since compression may be applied to the plates without damaging the relatively delicate oxygen permeable membrane.

Claims17

Dependent claims

A fuel plate assembly for a deoxygenator system comprising:

a first non-metallic fuel plate which defines a first portion of a fuel channel, a multiple of first laminar flow impingement elements which extend at least partially above said first portion of said fuel channel defined by said first non-metallic fuel plate;
a second non-metallic fuel plate which defines a second portion of said fuel channel, a multiple of second laminar flow impingement elements which extend at least partially above said second portion of said fuel channel defined by said second non-metallic fuel plate, said multitude of second laminar flow impingement elements interleaved with said multitude of first laminar flow impingement elements within said fuel channel;
a first groove on one side of said first non-metallic fuel plate about a periphery of said first multitude of laminar flow impingement elements, a first up-standing ridge member on an opposite side of said first nonmetallic fuel plate about said periphery of said first multitude of laminar flow impingement elements, said first groove and said first up-standing ridge directly opposed, a second groove on one side of said second non-metallic fuel plate about a periphery of said second multitude of laminar flow impingement elements, a second up-standing ridge member on an opposite side of said second nonmetallic fuel plate about said periphery of said second multitude of laminar flow impingement elements, said second groove and said second up-standing ridge directly opposed such that said first upstanding ridge is received within said second groove;
and
a gasket mounted within said second groove to seal said first portion of said fuel channel with said second portion of said fuel channel.

2 more elements

A deoxygenator system comprising:

a first non-metallic fuel plate which defines a first multitude of laminar flow impingement elements formed within a first portion of a fuel channel, a first groove on one side of said first non-metallic fuel plate about a periphery of said first multitude of laminar flow impingement elements, a first up-standing ridge member on an opposite side of said first non-metallic fuel plate about said periphery of said first multitude of laminar flow impingement elements, said first groove and said first up-standing ridge directly opposed;
a second non-metallic fuel plate which defines a second multitude of laminar flow impingement elements formed within a second portion of said fuel channel, said second multiple of laminar flow impingement elements interleaved with said first multitude of laminar flow impingement elements, a second groove on one side of said second non-metallic fuel plate about a periphery of said second multitude of laminar flow impingement elements, a second up-standing ridge member on an opposite side of said second non-metallic fuel plate about said periphery of said second multitude of laminar flow impingement elements, said second groove and said second up-standing ridge directly opposed such that said first upstanding ridge is received within said second groove;
a gasket mounted within said second groove to seal said first portion of said fuel channel with said second portion of said fuel channel;
an oxygen receiving channel;
and
an oxygen permeable membrane in communication with said fuel channel and said oxygen receiving channel.

3 more elements

A deoxygenator system comprising:

a first non-metallic fuel plate which defines a first multitude of laminar flow impingement elements formed within a first portion of a fuel channel, a first groove on one side of said first non-metallic fuel plate about a periphery of said first multitude of laminar flow impingement elements, a first up-standing ridge member on an opposite side of said first non-metallic fuel plate about said periphery of said first multitude of laminar flow impingement elements, said first groove and said first up-standing ridge directly opposed;
and
a second non-metallic fuel plate which defines a second multitude of laminar flow impingement elements formed within a second portion of said fuel channel, said second multiple of laminar flow impingement elements interleaved with said first multitude of laminar flow impingement elements, a second groove on one side of said second non-metallic fuel plate about a periphery of said second multitude of laminar flow impingement elements, a second up-standing ridge member on an opposite side of said second non-metallic fuel plate about said periphery of said second multitude of laminar flow impingement elements, said second groove and said second up-standing ridge directly opposed such that said first upstanding ridge is received within said second groove to seal said first portion of said fuel channel with said second portion of said fuel channel.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.