AIRCRAFT AND A RETROFIT CRYOGENIC FUEL SYSTEM

• US 20150344145A1
• Filed: 11/26/2013
• Published: 12/03/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 12/28/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: General Electric Company
• Original Assignee: General Electric Company
• Inventors: EPSTEIN, Michael Jay, WEISGERBER, Robert Harold, STUMBO, Paul Bernard
• Granted Patent: US 9,701,416 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: B64D 37/30 Fuel systems for specific fuels
• CPC Class Codes: B64D 37/32 Safety measures not otherwise provided for, e.g. preventing explosive conditions extinguishing or preventing fires in aircraft A62C
• CPC Class Codes: F02C 7/14 of fluids in the plant , e.g. lubricant or fuel F02C7/185 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: F02C 7/224 Heating fuel before feeding to the burner
• CPC Class Codes: F02C 9/40 specially adapted to the use of a special fuel or a plurality of fuels
• CPC Class Codes: F05D 2260/213 by the provision of a heat exchanger within the cooling circuit
• CPC Class Codes: F05D 2260/98 Lubrication
• CPC Class Codes: F17C 3/00 Vessels not under pressure
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 50/40 Weight reduction
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 50/60 Efficient propulsion technologies, e.g. for aircraft
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 90/40 Application of hydrogen technology to transportation, e.g. using fuel cells

Abstract

An aircraft having a turbine engine having a bleed air output line, a cryogenic fuel system having a cryogenic fuel tank for storing cryogenic fuel and a supply line operably coupling the tank to the turbine engine, and an on board inert gas generating system (OBIGGS) fluidly coupled to the bleed air output and having a nitrogen rich stream output line and an oxygen rich stream output line.

Claims

1. An aircraft, comprising:

a turbine engine having a bleed air output line;

a cryogenic fuel system having a cryogenic fuel tank for storing cryogenic fuel and a supply line operably coupling the tank to the turbine engine; and

an on board inert gas generating system (OBIGGS) fluidly coupled to the bleed air output line and having a nitrogen rich stream output line and an oxygen rich stream output line.

2. The aircraft of claim 1, further comprising a heat exchanger fluidly located between the turbine engine and the OBIGGS and wherein the bleed air output line routes through the heat exchanger.

3. The aircraft of claim 1 wherein the cryogenic fuel tank is located within a compartment.

4. The aircraft of claim 3 wherein the nitrogen rich stream output line is fluidly coupled with the compartment.

5. The aircraft of claim 4 wherein the compartment comprises an overboard vent.

6. The aircraft of claim 4, further comprising an expansion valve or turbine fluidly coupled to the nitrogen rich stream output line upstream of the compartment and configured to lower a pressure of the nitrogen rich stream provided to the compartment.

7. The aircraft of claim 4 wherein the nitrogen rich stream output line is fluidly coupled with the supply line located just upstream of the cryogenic fuel tank.

8. The aircraft of claim 1 wherein the aircraft is a dual fuel aircraft fueled by both cryogenic fuel and a kerosene based jet fuel.

16. The aircraft of claim 2 wherein the aircraft is a dual fuel aircraft fueled by both cryogenic fuel and a kerosene based jet fuel.

17. The aircraft of claim 3 wherein the aircraft is a dual fuel aircraft fueled by both cryogenic fuel and a kerosene based jet fuel.

18. The aircraft of claim 4 wherein the aircraft is a dual fuel aircraft fueled by both cryogenic fuel and a kerosene based jet fuel.

19. The aircraft of claim 5 wherein the aircraft is a dual fuel aircraft fueled by both cryogenic fuel and a kerosene based jet fuel.

20. The aircraft of claim 6 wherein the aircraft is a dual fuel aircraft fueled by both cryogenic fuel and a kerosene based jet fuel.

9. A retrofit cryogenic fuel system for an aircraft having a cargo bay and a turbine engine fueled by the cryogenic fuel, comprising:

an evacuated enclosure configured to be received within the cargo bay;

a cryogenic fuel tank located within the evacuated enclosure; and

at least one vent line or fuel supply line fluidly coupled to the evacuated enclosure.

10. The system of claim 9 wherein at least one of the vent line and the fuel supply line are continuous without a joint.

11. The system of claim 9 wherein the at least one vent line is fluidly coupled to ambient air external to the cargo bay when the evacuated enclosure is received within the cargo bay.

12. The system of claim 9 wherein the at least one vent line comprises an ejector coupling, with the ejector coupling configured to create a suction and an evacuated pressure condition within the line and the evacuated enclosure.

13. The system of claim 9, further comprising an inert gas generation system selectively coupled to the at least one fuel line to purge the fuel line.

14. The system of claim 10, further comprising an inert gas generation system selectively coupled to the at least one fuel line to purge the fuel line.

15. The system of claim 11, further comprising an inert gas generation system selectively coupled to the at least one fuel line to purge the fuel line.