# US 8,569,906 B2 · Energy supply system for supplying energy to aircraft systems > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 8,569,906 B2 - Document ID: US8569906B2 - Status: Granted - Kind: B2 - Application number: 11/992,344 - Filed: 2006-09-27 - Published: 2010-01-28 - Granted: 2013-10-29 - Earliest claimed: 2005-09-29 - Assignees: Airbus Operations GmbH - Applicants: Ralf-Henning Stolte; Harald Gründel - Inventors: Ralf-Henning Stolte; Harald Gründel - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US8569906B2 ## CPC - B64D 41/00: Power installations for auxiliary purposes - H01M 16/003: {of fuel cells with other electrochemical devices, e.g. capacitors, electrolysers} - H02J 4/00: Circuit arrangements for mains or distribution networks not specified as AC or DC; Circuit arrangements for mains or distribution networks combining AC and DC sections or sub-networks (arrangements using intermediate DC-AC-DC conversion H02J1/002; arrangements using high-voltage DC [HVDC] links H02J3/36) - H02J 7/34: Parallel operation in networks using both storage and other DC sources, e.g. providing buffering (H02J7/14 takes precedence) - H02J 7/345: {using capacitors as storage or buffering devices} - B64D 2041/005: {Fuel cells} - H01M 2250/20: Fuel cells in motive systems, e.g. vehicle, ship, plane - H02J 2101/30: Fuel cells - H02J 2105/32: {for aircrafts} - Y02E 60/50: Fuel cells - Y02T 50/50: On board measures aiming to increase energy efficiency - Y02T 90/40: Application of hydrogen technology to transportation, e.g. using fuel cells - B64D: EQUIPMENT FOR FITTING IN OR TO AIRCRAFT; FLIGHT SUITS; PARACHUTES; ARRANGEMENT OR MOUNTING OF POWER PLANTS OR PROPULSION TRANSMISSIONS IN AIRCRAFT - H01M: PROCESSES OR MEANS, e.g. BATTERIES, FOR THE DIRECT CONVERSION OF CHEMICAL ENERGY INTO ELECTRICAL ENERGY - H02J: ELECTRIC POWER NETWORKS; CIRCUIT ARRANGEMENTS OR SYSTEMS FOR SUPPLYING OR DISTRIBUTING ELECTRIC POWER; SYSTEMS FOR STORING ELECTRIC ENERGY - Y02E: REDUCTION OF GREENHOUSE GAS [GHG] EMISSIONS, RELATED TO ENERGY GENERATION, TRANSMISSION OR DISTRIBUTION - Y02T: CLIMATE CHANGE MITIGATION TECHNOLOGIES RELATED TO TRANSPORTATION ## Abstract An energy supply system for an aircraft comprises at least one fuel cell and at least one energy storage device, wherein the fuel cell, of which there is at least one, is coupled to the energy storage device, of which there is at least one, such that the energy storage device can be charged by means of the fuel cell. ## Claims ### Claim 1 An energy supply system for energy supply of at least one consumer in an aircraft, the energy supply system comprising: at least one fuel cell; at least one electrical energy storage device; and at least one gas turbine serving as an auxiliary power unit for providing electrical power to consumers in the aircraft, wherein the at least one fuel cell is coupled to the at least one electrical energy storage device such that the at least one electrical energy storage device can be charged by the fuel cell, wherein the at least one electrical energy storage device is arranged as a buffer storage device between the at least one fuel cell and the at least one consumer, and wherein the electrical energy storage device is configured to provide electrical power to the gas turbine in a start-up phase of the gas turbine. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The energy supply system of claim 1, wherein said at least one electrical energy storage device is a plurality of electrical energy storage devices and said at least one fuel cell is a plurality of fuel cells. ### Claim 3 (depends on 1) The energy supply system of claim 1, wherein the at least one electrical energy storage device is a capacitor. ### Claim 4 (depends on 1) The energy supply system of claim 1, wherein the energy supply system is a passive system. ### Claim 5 (depends on 1) The energy supply system of claim 1, further comprising: at least one inverted rectifier or at least one rectifier. ### Claim 6 (depends on 5) The energy supply system of claim 5, wherein the at least one inverted rectifier or the at least one rectifier convert electrical energy provided by the at least one fuel cell or of the at least one electrical energy storage device. ### Claim 7 (depends on 6) The energy supply system of claim 6, wherein the conversion relates to voltage or to frequency. ### Claim 8 (depends on 1) The energy supply system of claim 1, further comprising: a control unit, wherein the control unit controls the at least one electrical energy storage device to buffer demand peaks of electrical loads generated by the consumers. ### Claim 9 (depends on 1) The energy supply system of claim 1, wherein the energy supply system is configured to charge the electrical energy storage device by an electrical energy recovery system from at least one of an electrical consumer load and an aircraft's on-board network. ### Claim 10 A method comprising: using an energy supply system for energy supply of at least one consumer in an aircraft, the energy supply system comprising at least one fuel cell; at least one electrical energy storage device; at least one gas turbine serving as an auxiliary power unit for providing electrical power to consumers in the aircraft; wherein the at least one fuel cell is coupled to the at least one electrical energy storage device such that the at least one electrical energy storage device can be charged by the fuel cell, and wherein the at least one electrical energy storage device is arranged as a buffer storage device between the at least one fuel cell and the at least one consumer, and wherein the electrical energy storage device is configured to provide electrical power the gas turbine in a start-up phase of the gas turbine. ### Claim 11 A method for operating an energy supply system in an aircraft, the method comprising: providing electrical energy by a fuel cell; storing the provided electrical energy in an intermediate storage device; providing electrical energy from the intermediate storage device to a gas turbine serving as an auxiliary power unit for providing electrical power to consumers in the aircraft during a start-up phase of the gas turbine.