JP2005280698A - Reserver for ultra-low temperature fuel, and vehicle having at least one reserver for ultra-low temperature fuel, especially airplane - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a useful protection for enabling safe operation of a vehicle, especially a type driven with hydrogen, owing to a high reactivity of hydrogen as fuel with oxygen. <P>SOLUTION: The fuel put in an accommodation chamber is separated at least partially by a barrier layer 16 from a contact area and/or contact element to be protected, and the barrier layer is accomplished by a reserver having such a feature as formed from a non-combustible medium heavier than the fuel stored. This enables chemical and/or physical segregation of the hydrogen from the surrounding areas to be protected. For a vehicle etc., in particular an airplane, safe operation is guaranteed by the application of this reserver. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2006,JPO&NCIPI

Description

  The present invention relates to a cryogenic fuel reservoir, in particular a hydrogen reservoir, which has a hermetically lockable containment chamber for receiving cryogenic fuel. Furthermore, the invention relates to a vehicle, in particular an aircraft, having at least one cryogenic fuel reservoir.

  This type of reservoir is typically used to store fuel that is used to drive any type of vehicle. Nowadays, for example, aircraft are usually driven or propelled by kerosene. However, it is increasingly desirable and necessary to apply alternative forms of energy. On the one hand, the increased environmental impact of aircraft on sensitive areas of the atmosphere and the stricter regulations to limit pollutant emissions in connection therewith have been forced to seek alternative energy. On the other hand, the availability of fossil fuels, particularly gasoline, to meet energy demand is limited. Therefore, so-called cryogenic fuel is indispensable for developing alternative fuels. Cryogenic fuel is an ultra-low temperature liquid gas.

  Liquid hydrogen and liquid natural gas have already been found to be particularly suitable. Since hydrogen is particularly environmentally friendly and can be obtained by solar energy or wind power, development in the aviation industry in particular focuses on hydrogen as an energy source.

  However, in order to accept and store such fuels, special safety regulations must be established. Hydrogen in particular exhibits high reactivity with oxygen, especially in the gaseous state. This means that undesirable reactions in the form of deflagration, explosion, etc. may occur due to contact between oxygen and hydrogen contained in the air. However, conventional reservoirs are not sufficient to separate hydrogen from its surroundings with the required reliability. Furthermore, the fire protection provided by known, normally non-fire resistant reservoirs is only insufficient. In particular, when hydrogen is ignited, it may not be possible to suppress the expansion of the fire, and there is a risk of danger surrounding the hydrogen tank. However, this leads to unacceptable safety vulnerabilities, especially when operating an airplane.

  Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide a simple and widely applicable reservoir that easily and safely separates cryogenic fuel from hazardous contact areas and / or contact elements.

  The purpose of this is that the fuel contained in the containment chamber (12) can be at least partly separated from the contact area and / or the contact element to be protected by the barrier layer (16), and the barrier layer. (16) is achieved by a reservoir having the above characteristics in that it is formed from a non-flammable medium heavier than the stored fuel. This makes hydrogen separation from the surroundings to be protected in a surprisingly simple and safe way, i.e., for example, in the vicinity of aircraft cabin structural components, cables that are at risk of short circuits, hydrogen. The separation of hydrogen from hazardous contact areas, such as components under high temperature or mechanically hazardous conditions under load. This makes it safer to operate any kind of device with dangerous contact areas. A further advantage is that the reservoir according to the invention is substantially based on known reservoirs and can therefore be modified without much effort. Furthermore, a slight increase in weight can greatly increase safety.

  Preferably, the barrier layer is made of helium. Due to the weight ratio of helium and hydrogen, a natural barrier layer of helium is formed underneath the hydrogen for complete gravitational reasons, so that all areas under the noncombustible helium are reliably separated from the hydrogen. The For this reason, such a reservoir is particularly suitable for placement on aircraft where the reservoir is located above the passenger seat of the fuselage.

  In a further preferred embodiment of the invention, the hydrogen is completely surrounded by a barrier layer. This can also isolate the dangerous contact area on the side and / or above the storage hydrogen.

  It is advantageous if the cryogenic fuel containment chamber is completely encapsulated with respect to the surroundings in the form that the containment chamber is surrounded by a chamber filled with inert gas. This further increases the safety level.

  Furthermore, the above problem is solved by a vehicle having at least one reservoir of the above kind. As a result, the cryogenic fuel is reliably separated from the surroundings to be protected, so that an improvement in the safety of vehicle operation is guaranteed. Even if a fire occurs, it is possible to prevent the fire from reaching the area with the barrier layer, and the fire treatment becomes easy.

  Further preferred features and embodiments of the invention will be apparent from the dependent claims and the description. Particularly preferred embodiments and fields of application are described below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

  The illustrated reservoir is used to store cryogenic fuel in an aircraft such as an airplane. Of course, the reservoir can also be applied in other fields, especially in the manufacture of passenger cars and trucks. The illustrated reservoir is applicable where cryogenic fuel is used, whatever its purpose, for example, dangerous contact areas and / or contact elements, i.e. structural components of aircraft cabins, for example, Must be separated from the surroundings to be protected, such as wiring, components that are heated or subject to mechanical hazards, or must be separated from working loads adjacent to the reservoir.

  The reservoir 10 shown in FIG. 1 is a cylindrical tank. However, the shape of the tank can be varied, for example spherical or other shapes. The tank has a wall 11 that can be closed to form a containment chamber 12. The wall 11 can consist of one or more layers. Furthermore, the reservoir 10 contains all the usual elements that are only schematically shown in FIG. 1, such as, for example, control and / or regulation elements, and / or evacuation and ventilation elements of the containment chamber 12 and pumps. Have.

The inside of the storage chamber 12 contains cryogenic fuel. Normally, such a reservoir 10 is filled with hydrogen 14. In the figure, hydrogen 14 exists mainly in liquid form (indicated by LH ₂ , wavy lines). The empty space above the liquid hydrogen 14 is filled with gaseous hydrogen 14 (indicated by dots). In addition to the hydrogen 14, a medium heavier than the hydrogen 14 exists in the storage chamber 13. This medium is preferably an inert gas, for example helium (He) 15. Helium 15 is significantly heavier than hydrogen 14, so that all (liquid and gas) portions of hydrogen are collected above the normally liquid helium mass in the containment chamber 12. Thus, the non-combustible helium 15 forms a barrier 16 disposed between the hydrogen 14 and the surrounding 17 on the opposite side of the helium 15. On the other hand, because oxygen has a particularly high reactivity with the gas portion, the barrier 16 is disposed on the opposite side of the barrier 16 and also separates the oxygen 14 from the components disposed inside the storage chamber 12. it can.

  The reservoir 10 shown in FIG. 1 is particularly applicable to an aircraft 18 where cryogenic fuel is stored in the reservoir 10 in the region of the fuselage 19 above the cabin 20 (see, eg, FIGS. 3 and 4). ). Preferably, several reservoirs 10 are arranged on the front, back, left and right of each other. The barrier 16 allows oxygen 14 in the reservoir 10 to be chemically and physically safely separated from hazardous contact areas, such as structural material of the fuselage 19, for example, so that the hydrogen 14 burns. Moreover, hydrogen will burn up. However, the area below the barrier 16 is shielded from fire.

  If the barrier formed from the hydrogen / helium mixture under gravity conditions is not sufficient because the dangerous contact element and / or the contact surface is located, for example, on the side or above the hydrogen 14, FIG. As can be seen, the reservoir 21 can also have an additional chamber 22. For this purpose, the reservoir 10 is completely surrounded by an additional wall that apparently forms the outer layer, as shown in FIG. Depending on the distance of the wall 23 to the wall 11, another storage chamber 24 is formed. An inert gas is present in the storage chamber 24 which is an alternative or addition to the storage chamber 12. Thereby, a protective barrier layer in the form of a protective chamber is formed surrounding the hydrogen chamber. This allows a combined chemical, physical and mechanical separation of hydrogen. In FIG. 2, the storage chamber 12 is filled with hydrogen 14, which is mostly in liquid form (indicated by wavy lines) and small in gas form (indicated by dots). Optionally, helium 15 may still be present in the containment chamber 12. In the containment chamber 24, helium 15 (indicated by a dotted line) is present mainly in liquid form, but optionally also in the form of a gas or liquid / gas mixture.

  Alternative or in addition to the illustrated positions of the reservoirs 10, 21 in the aircraft 18, for example, the front of the fuselage (fuselage), such as between the cockpit 25 and the cabin 20 and in the area of the wings 26. These reservoirs can also be arranged in the area. The reservoirs 10, 21 can also be applied in the spacecraft, power plant or shipbuilding field.

  The term “consisting of” does not exclude other elements or steps, and the term “a” does not exclude a plurality. All elements described in connection with different embodiments can also be combined.

  It should also be noted that reference signs in the claims shall be construed as not limiting the scope of the claims.

FIG. 3 is a side sectional view of the first embodiment of the reservoir. FIG. 6 is a side cross-sectional view of another embodiment of a reservoir. 1 is a side view of an aircraft having a reservoir positioned above a cabin cabin. FIG. FIG. 4 is a plan view of the aircraft according to FIG. 3.

Explanation of symbols

10: Reservoir 11: Wall 12, 13: Accommodating chamber 14: Hydrogen 15: Helium 16: Barrier layer 18: Airplane 19: Airframe 20: Guest room
21: reservoir 22: chamber 23: additional wall 24: storage room 25: cockpit 26: wing

Claims (14)

In a cryogenic fuel, in particular a hydrogen reservoir, having a sealed and lockable storage chamber (12) for containing cryogenic fuel,
The fuel contained in the containment chamber (12) can be at least partially separated from the contact area and / or the contact element to be protected by the barrier layer (16), the barrier layer (16) Is formed from a non-flammable medium heavier than the stored fuel.   Reservoir according to claim 1, characterized in that the barrier layer (16) is formed from an inert gas.   Reservoir according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the barrier layer (16) is made of helium (15).   A reservoir according to claim 3, characterized in that helium (15) is supplied into the containment chamber (12) as a helium / hydrogen mixture together with fuel, ie hydrogen (14).   5. Reservoir according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that hydrogen (14) and helium (15) are supplied into the storage chamber (12) in liquid and / or gaseous form.   Helium (15) as a chemical / physical layer (16), on the one hand, separates hydrogen (14) and forms dangerous contact areas, elements, etc. outside the containment chamber (12), and helium (15) arranged in a sandwich between the wall (11) of the reservoir (10, 21) and the hydrogen (14) supplied to the interior of the storage chamber. The reservoir according to any one of claims 5 to 6.   A reservoir according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the hydrogen is completely surrounded by the barrier layer (16).   The cryogenic fuel containment chamber (12) is completely encapsulated with respect to its surroundings in the form that the containment chamber (12) is surrounded by a chamber (22) filled with inert gas. The reservoir according to any one of claims 1 to 7.   9. The chamber (22) between the wall (11) and the additional wall (23) is formed as a storage chamber (24) and is filled with helium (15). Reservoir.   10. A reservoir according to claim 8 or 9, characterized in that the chamber (22) is provided in an airtight state.   Reservoir according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the barrier layer (16) is an integral part of the reservoir (10, 21).   12. The reservoir (10, 21) according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the reservoir (10, 21) is provided as a tank and is arranged in the area of the aircraft (19) of an aircraft (18). Reservoir.   13. A reservoir according to claim 12, characterized in that the tank is arranged above the cabin (20).   Vehicle, in particular an aircraft, having at least one reservoir (10, 21) according to any one of the preceding claims.

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