Patent Grant
9790114
This invention relates to the field of equipment on board a passenger aircraft and in particular to adaptations making it possible, under the best conditions, to remineralize and correct the pH of water produced in an aircraft.
In order to reduce kerosene consumption, noise intensity and carbon dioxide production, aircraft manufacturers are turning toward the implementation of electrical power for the ground movement of aircrafts.
A technological solution for such an implementation lies in the use of a fuel cell to power the electric engine(s).
In parallel with the production of electricity, the chemical reaction implemented by a fuel cell produces water and heat.
To reduce the volume of water to be carried by a passenger aircraft, it may be envisaged to use the water produced by the fuel cell as potable water for consumption and for the supply of sanitary installations.
Such a use is nevertheless beset by numerous technical problems as described below.
The water produced by a fuel cell is demineralized and acidic and therefore requires an operation of demineralization and correction of its pH before being injected into the supply network of the aircraft.
In addition to the aspect of passenger health protection, this operation is also necessary due to the fragility of the generally stainless steel conduits of said supply network.
However, even if solutions for remineralization and pH correction exist, they require an exposure time and/or an exposure surface between the product for remineralization and/or pH correction and the water, which are not consistent with the exposure time, the congestion and/or the available mass in an aircraft.
These various technical problems have, until now, prevented serious consideration of the use of water production by a fuel cell as water for consumption and for supplying sanitary installations in a passenger aircraft in spite of the aforementioned advantages.
In view of the above, the applicant has conducted research aimed at overcoming the aforementioned disadvantages.
This research has led to the design of a method for remineralization and pH correction of water produced by a fuel cell on board an aircraft, which is notable in that it comprises diverting a portion of the water produced by the fuel cell toward at least one treatment tank containing a saturation reagent, and mixing the treated water flow coming from the treatment tank with the non-diverted water flow so as to obtain water with the desired mineralization and/or pH.
This feature is particularly advantageous in that it eliminates the need to treat all of the water from the fuel cell by direct contact with the reagent. The use of a reagent reaching a level of saturation makes it possible to control the parameters for treatment of the water coming from the treatment tank.
The treatment tank can contain a single treatment reagent and be associated with other tanks or contain a plurality of reagents intended for multiple treatments. It is then no longer necessary to have an exposure time with a reagent or to measure a reagent with respect to a volume, since the method of the invention can ensure that a certain volume of water passes into a treatment tank the treatment level of which is controlled, ensuring that, after mixing, the desired mineralization and/or pH levels are obtained. Moreover, the remineralization and/or pH correction are activated upon circulation of the water in the treatment tank, without requiring a significant exposure time.
It is understood that the implementation of such a method will lead to particularly compact solutions satisfying the objectives of the invention. The method of the invention therefore makes it possible to envisage using water from a fuel cell on board an aircraft for the purposes of passenger consumption and supply of the sanitary installations of said aircraft.
Thus another objective of the invention lies in the device making it possible to implement the method described above. According to the invention, the device comprises a first distributor tank in which the demineralized water from the fuel cell arrives, and from which at least two conduits emerge:
The use of a distributor tank ensures that the water from the fuel cell is diverted.
In order to double the capacities of such a device, said device comprises, according to another particularly advantageous feature of the invention, a first distributor tank in which the demineralized water from the fuel cell arrives and from which three conduits emerge:
This doubling of the treatment capacities makes it possible to envisage specialization thereof. Thus, according to another particularly advantageous feature of the invention, a first treatment tank comprises a saturation reagent ensuring remineralization and the second treatment tank comprises a saturation reagent ensuring correction of the pH.
A simplified version of the device comprises a division of the conduit for discharge of the demineralized water coming from the fuel cell into two conduits, one of which leads into a treatment tank, and the treated water conduit leaving said tank joins the non-treated water conduit for the purposes of mixing. To ensure the treatment based on all of the parameters, such a device can be cascade-mounted upstream or downstream of an identical device for treatment based on another parameter.
The implementation of the method, regardless of the device, is facilitated by the fact that one or more conduits is or are equipped with a flow rate regulation module. Thus, according to the type of treatment or the volumes displaced, the flow rates are adjusted.
For example, in order to filter the water from the fuel cell but also the water from the treatment, one or more conduits is or are equipped with a filtration module. These filtration modules can be arranged at the ends of the conduits inside said tanks.
Of course, the choice of reagent is crucial. To implement this method, the reagent very quickly reaches saturation so as to ensure the regularity of the parameters for treatment of the water from the treatment tanks from the start of operation. In addition, it is designed so that it can act only when the water is moving and not when it is stagnant, thus preventing overconcentration.
According to a non-limiting embodiment, the saturation reagent for the remineralization and/or pH correction contains the following elements, associated or not:
According to another particularly advantageous feature, the device comprises means for measuring the mineralization and the pH at the outlet of the device, communicating the data to an automated device for controlling the flow rate regulation module(s), thereby making it possible to propose the most precise remineralization and pH correction possible, and automatically.
According to another particularly advantageous feature of the invention, the device comprises at least one flowmeter making it possible to measure the flow rate of the water before or after mixing and at least one metering pump positioned at the outlet of the treatment tank so as to measure the amount of treated water to be mixed with the non-treated water.
According to a preferred embodiment, the device comprises means for measuring the flow rate (or a flowmeter) of the non-diverted water associated with metering means of the metering pump type arranged at the outlet of the treatment tank so as to reinject the adequate treated water volume into the non-treated water.
The device also comprises a module for disinfecting the water after the final mixing.
According to a particularly advantageous feature of the invention, the treatment tanks are detachable and interchangeable. Whether or not it is a specialized configuration, the design of the treatment tanks as expendable with a limited lifetime ensures control of the method and the effects thereof.
As the fundamental concepts of the invention have been described above in their most basic form, other details and features will become clearer in view of the following description and the appended drawings, with a plurality of embodiments of a device according to the invention provided as non-limiting examples.
As shown in the drawing of
A first distributor tank 100 receives the demineralized water E1 from the fuel cell referenced P and from which two conduits 110 and 120 emerge:
The third tank receives and optimizes the water mixture E4. Mineralized water with a corrected pH E5 leaves the tank 300.
As shown, a plurality of filtration modules 400 are arranged along the path of the treated or non-treated water. According to an embodiment not shown, filtration means are provided in the distributor tank so that the water received is filtered before distribution in conduits 110 and 120.
Similarly, a flow rate regulation module 500 is provided in the conduit 120. The difference in height between the outlets giving access to the conduits 110 and 120 ensures the circulation of water in the bypass circuit in spite of the head losses due to the presence of the reactant R in the tank 200.
According to another embodiment not shown, the first tank 100 also comprises a volume of reagent to perform a first treatment step.
The same applies to the final tank, which can be equipped with a filtration module and/or a reagent volume to complete the treatment.
The device D′ shown in the drawing of
As for device D, device D′ comprises a first distributor tank 100′ in which the demineralized water E1 from the fuel cell, referenced P, arrives, and from which three conduits emerge.
Two conduits 110′ and 120′ each lead into a different treatment tank 200a′ and 200b′ comprising a rapid saturation reagent R1 and R2, which can be different from one tank to another with which the water comes into contact, the water thus treated being discharged by a fourth conduit 210a′ and a fifth 210b′ conduit.
The third conduit 130′ allows water coming directly from the first tank 100′ to circulate and is rejoined by the treated water coming from the two treatment tanks inside a mixing tank 300′ for the purposes of mixing.
As shown, a plurality of filtration modules 400′ are provided in the device D′, in particular at the inlets and outlets of the treatment tanks.
In addition, the conduits 110′, 120′, 130′ are equipped with a filtration module 500′.
The device D3 shown in the drawing of
In addition, this device D3 also comprises, downstream of the outlet of the tank 300, a water disinfection module 800 as well as a new filtration module 900.
According to a preferred embodiment, the disinfection module 800 comprises ultraviolet radiation production means as well as ozone production means.
In addition, according to another feature, the filtration of the final filtration means 900 is performed by means of activated carbon.
According to another feature not shown, the tank 300 comprises a plurality of mixing tanks communicating with one another so as to better manage the available space.
The device D4 shown in the drawing of
It is understood that the method and the devices described above and illustrated have been done so for the purpose of disclosure rather than limitation. Of course, various arrangements, modifications and improvements may be made to the example above without going beyond the scope of the invention.
| Number | Date | Country | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| 11 60828 | Nov 2011 | FR | national |
| Filing Document | Filing Date | Country | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| PCT/FR2012/052711 | 11/23/2012 | WO | 00 |
| Publishing Document | Publishing Date | Country | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| WO2013/076432 | 5/30/2013 | WO | A |
| Number | Name | Date | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| 6093321 | Bonnelye | Jul 2000 | A |
| 7713426 | Newcombe | May 2010 | B2 |
| 7771599 | Choi | Aug 2010 | B1 |
| 20020179545 | Rosenberger | Dec 2002 | A1 |
| 20040038089 | Hoffjann | Feb 2004 | A1 |
| 20040043276 | Hoffjann | Mar 2004 | A1 |
| 20040104180 | Gaudinot | Jun 2004 | A1 |
| Number | Date | Country |
|---|---|---|
| 10 2011 102177 | Nov 2012 | DE |
| 2006 228619 | Aug 2006 | JP |
| WO 2012159890 | Nov 2012 | WO |
| Entry |
|---|
| International Search Report, dated Jan. 23, 2013, from International Phase of the instant application. |
| English Translation of International Preliminary Report on Patentability Chapter I, dated Jul. 8, 2014, from International Phase of the instant application. |
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 20150284277 A1 | Oct 2015 | US |
