Aircraft having an Engine, a Fuel Tank, and a Fuel Cell

• Main Authors: LIEW KAN-ERN, STEINWANDEL JUERGEN
• Format: Patent
• Language: English
• Published: 06.11.2014
• Subjects: AIR INTAKES FOR JET-PROPULSION PLANTS; AIRCRAFT; ARRANGEMENTS OR MOUNTING OF POWER PLANTS OR PROPULSIONTRANSMISSIONS IN AIRCRAFT; AVIATION; BASIC ELECTRIC ELEMENTS; BLASTING; CLIMATE CHANGE MITIGATION TECHNOLOGIES RELATED TOTRANSPORTATION; COMBUSTION ENGINES; CONTROLLING FUEL SUPPLY IN AIR-BREATHING JET-PROPULSION PLANTS; COSMONAUTICS; ELECTRICITY; EQUIPMENT FOR FITTING IN OR TO AIRCRAFT; FLYING SUITS; GAS-TURBINE PLANTS; GENERAL TAGGING OF CROSS-SECTIONAL TECHNOLOGIES SPANNING OVER SEVERAL SECTIONS OF THE IPC; GENERAL TAGGING OF NEW TECHNOLOGICAL DEVELOPMENTS; HEATING; HOT-GAS OR COMBUSTION-PRODUCT ENGINE PLANTS; LIGHTING; MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; PARACHUTES; PERFORMING OPERATIONS; PROCESSES OR MEANS, e.g. BATTERIES, FOR THE DIRECT CONVERSIONOF CHEMICAL INTO ELECTRICAL ENERGY; REDUCTION OF GREENHOUSE GAS [GHG] EMISSIONS, RELATED TO ENERGYGENERATION, TRANSMISSION OR DISTRIBUTION; TECHNICAL SUBJECTS COVERED BY FORMER USPC CROSS-REFERENCE ART COLLECTIONS [XRACs] AND DIGESTS; TECHNOLOGIES OR APPLICATIONS FOR MITIGATION OR ADAPTATION AGAINSTCLIMATE CHANGE; TRANSPORTING; WEAPONS

An aircraft includes a propulsion unit with a compressor and a bleed air device for providing bleed air from the propulsion unit, a fuel tank for a fuel, at least one fuel cell, a reactor for reforming fuel from the fuel tank to a hydrogen-containing fuel gas, and at least one feed unit with a bleed air inlet, a fuel inlet, an oxidizing agent outlet, and a fuel outlet. The feed unit can selectively and not simultaneously feed an oxidizing agent by means of the oxidizing agent outlet or fuel by means of the fuel outlet into the reactor. The feed unit is connected to the bleed air device and designed to provide the oxidizing agent based on bleed air.