Energy storage system
View Patent ↗A closed loop energy storage system configured with a hydrogen tank, an oxygen tank, a fuel cell stack and an electrolyzer. A heat exchanger freeze-dries the hydrogen and oxygen prior to their storage in their respective tanks. The heat exchanger also uses excess fuel cell heat to preheat streams of hydrogen and oxygen coming from the tanks. Phase separators serve both to separate water from hydrogen and oxygen, and to store the water. A thermal management system encloses all the system components except the tanks. An airfoil-shaped shell covers the system, and the larger of the two tanks extends substantially across the shell at its point of greatest camber thickness. The tanks are composed of polymer liners integral with composite shells.
1. An energy storage system pod for use in an environment characterized by fluid flowing relative to the pod so as to define forward and rearward pod directions, comprising:
a first tank for containing a first reactant;
a second tank for containing a second reactant, one tank of the first and second tanks being a larger tank, and the other tank of the first and second tanks being a smaller tank, wherein the larger tank is forward of the smaller tank;
a fuel cell stack including a cathode and an anode, the fuel cell being configured to react the first reactant at the cathode with the second reactant at the anode to produce power; and
an outer shell containing the first tank, the second tank and the fuel cell stack, the outer shell forming an airfoil-shaped profile having a leading edge facing substantially in the forward direction, wherein the airfoil-shaped profile defines a camber thickness that varies along a chord line of the airfoil-shaped profile, wherein the larger tank extends substantially across the airfoil-shaped profile at its point of greatest camber thickness, and wherein the smaller tank is narrower than the larger tank in the direction of the camber thickness.
2. The energy storage system of claim 1 , and further comprising an electrolyzer stack, wherein the fuel cell stack and the electrolyzer stack are located between the first and second tanks.
3. The energy storage system of claim 1 , and further comprising a frame that supports the fuel cell stack and the first and second tanks, the frame having a first end including an attach point for an aircraft, and the frame having a second end having a first wheel and a second wheel configured to bear landing loads for the aircraft.
4. The energy storage system of claim 1 , wherein the first reactant is a fuel and the second reactant is an oxidizer.
5. The energy storage system of claim 1 , wherein
the airfoil-shaped profile extends substantially vertically;
the two tanks are cylindrical, each tank defining a tank axis of symmetry; and
the two tanks are supported with their tank axes of symmetry in a relatively vertical orientation.