General Electric Company

Seung-Hyuck Hong

Richard Louis Hart

Honggang Wang

Michael Anthony Benjamin

Anil Raj Duggal

Narendra Digamber Joshi

Hendrik Pieter Jacobus De Bock

Andrew Joseph Wickersham

Shih-Yang Hsieh

A method for operating a propulsion system for an aircraft, the propulsion system including a gas turbine engine and a fuel cell assembly, the fuel cell assembly including a fuel cell stack having a fuel cell defining an outlet positioned to remove output products from the fuel cell during operation, the method including: executing a startup sequence for the fuel cell assembly, wherein executing the startup sequence for the fuel cell assembly includes initiating the startup sequence for the fuel cell assembly; executing a startup sequence for the gas turbine engine, wherein executing the startup sequence for the gas turbine engine comprises initiating the startup sequence for the gas turbine engine subsequent to initiating the startup sequence for the fuel cell assembly; and operating the fuel cell assembly to provide output products to a combustion section of the gas turbine engine.

Systems and method of operating a fuel cell assembly

An integrated fuel cell and combustor assembly includes a combustor that is fluidly coupled with at least one upstream compressor that generates compressed air. A fuel cell stack having a cathode and an anode is fluidly coupled to the combustor. The fuel cell stack is configured to receive intake fuel and a portion of the compressed air as intake air, to generate a fuel cell power output using the intake fuel and the intake air, and to direct a fuel and air exhaust from the fuel cell stack into the combustor. A self-reliant air supply system is fluidly coupled with the at least one upstream compressor and the fuel cell stack, and is configured to supply the intake air to the fuel cell stack. A fault-tolerant controller is configured to detect a transient event within the combustor and to control the self-reliant air supply system during the transient event.

Integrated fuel cell and combustor assembly

A combustion section defines an axial direction, a radial direction, and a circumferential direction. The combustion section includes a casing that defines a diffusion chamber. A combustion liner is disposed within the diffusion chamber and defines a combustion chamber the combustion liner is spaced apart from the casing such that a passageway is defined between the combustion liner and the casing. A fuel cell assembly is disposed in the passageway. The fuel cell assembly includes a fuel cell stack that has a plurality of fuel cells each extending between an inlet end and an outlet end. The inlet end receives a flow of air and fuel and the outlet end provides output products to the combustion chamber. The fuel cell assembly further includes an electrical circuit that is electrically coupled to the plurality of fuel cells and that extends through the casing.

Gas turbine combustion section having an integrated fuel cell assembly

A propulsion system including: a fuel cell assembly having a fuel cell defining an outlet positioned to remove output products from the fuel cell and a fuel cell assembly operating condition; a turbomachine comprising a compressor section, a combustion section, and a turbine section arranged in serial flow order, the combustion section configured to receive a flow of aviation fuel from an aircraft fuel supply and further configured to receive the output products from the fuel cell; and a controller comprising memory and one or more processors, the memory storing instructions that when executed by the one or more processors cause the propulsion system to perform operations including receiving data indicative of a mid-flight flameout within the combustion section; modifying the fuel cell assembly operating condition in response to receiving data indicative of the mid-flight flameout within the combustion section; and initiating a relight of the combustion section.

Relight of a propulsion system with a fuel cell

A gas turbine engine including a catalytic reactor and a combustor. The catalytic reactor is configured (i) to receive hydrogen fuel, (ii) to receive air containing oxygen, (iii) to catalytically react at least a portion of the oxygen in the air with at least a portion of the hydrogen in the hydrogen fuel to produce water, and (iv) to output diluent comprising the catalytically produced water. The combustor includes (a) a combustion chamber and (b) at least one nozzle that is fluidly coupled to the catalytic reactor to receive the diluent output by the catalytic reactor and configured to inject the diluent into the combustion chamber.

System for producing diluent for a gas turbine engine

An engine assembly includes a combustor, a fuel cell stack integrated with the combustor, and a pre-burner system fluidly connected to the fuel cell stack. The fuel cell stack is configured to direct fuel and air exhaust from the fuel cell stack into the combustor. The pre-burner system is configured to control a temperature of an air flow directed into the fuel cell stack. The combustor is configured to combust the fuel and air exhaust from the fuel cell stack into one or more gaseous combustion products that drive a downstream turbine. The engine assembly can further include a catalytic partial oxidation convertor that is fluidly connected to the fuel cell stack. The catalytic partial oxidation convertor is configured to develop a hydrogen rich fuel stream to be directed into the fuel cell stack.

Integrated fuel cell and engine combustor assembly

An engine assembly includes a combustor, a fuel cell stack integrated with the combustor, the fuel cell stack configured (i) to direct fuel and air exhaust from the fuel cell stack into the combustor and (ii) to generate electrical energy, a catalytic partial oxidation convertor that is fluidly connected to the fuel cell stack, the catalytic partial oxidation convertor being configured to optimize a hydrogen content of a fuel stream to be directed into the fuel cell stack, and one or more subsystems electrically connected with the fuel cell stack, the one or more subsystems being configured to receive the electrical energy generated by the fuel cell stack. The combustor is configured to combust the fuel and air exhaust from the fuel cell stack into one or more gaseous combustion products that drive a downstream turbine.

A combustion section defines an axial direction, a radial direction, and a circumferential direction. The combustion section includes a casing that defines a diffusion chamber. A combustion liner is disposed within the diffusion chamber and defines a combustion chamber. The combustion liner is spaced apart from the casing such that a passageway is defined between the combustion liner and the casing. A fuel cell assembly is disposed in the passageway. The fuel cell assembly includes a fuel cell that extends between an inlet end and an outlet end. The inlet end receives a flow of air and fuel and the outlet end provides output products to the combustion chamber. The fuel cell extends at an angle between the inlet end and the outlet end relative to a radial projection line.

A propulsion system for an aircraft, the aircraft including an aircraft fuel supply, the propulsion system including: a turbomachine including a compressor section, a combustion section, and a turbine section arranged in serial flow order, the combustion section configured to receive a flow of aviation fuel from the aircraft fuel supply; and a fuel cell assembly including a fuel cell stack having a solid oxide fuel cell, the solid oxide fuel cell defining an outlet positioned to remove output products from the solid oxide fuel cell and provide the output products to the combustion section, the solid oxide fuel cell including a cathode; an electrolyte layer; and an anode positioned opposite the electrolyte layer from the cathode, the anode including a cermet, the cermet including less than 25% by volume nickel.

Solid oxide fuel cell assembly

A method for operating a propulsion system for an aircraft, the propulsion system including a gas turbine engine and a fuel cell assembly, the fuel cell assembly comprising a fuel cell stack having a fuel cell defining an outlet positioned to remove output products from the fuel cell during operation, the method including: executing a startup sequence for the gas turbine engine, wherein executing the startup sequence comprises initiating the startup sequence for the gas turbine engine; executing a startup sequence for the fuel cell assembly concurrently with, or subsequent to, initiating the startup sequence for the gas turbine engine; and operating the fuel cell assembly to provide output products to a combustion section of the gas turbine engine.

A combustion section defines an axial direction, a radial direction, and a circumferential direction. The combustion section includes a casing that defines a diffusion chamber. A combustion liner is disposed within the diffusion chamber and defines a combustion chamber. The combustion liner is spaced apart from the casing such that a passageway is defined between the combustion liner and the casing. A fuel cell assembly is disposed in the passageway. The fuel cell assembly includes a fuel cell stack having a plurality of fuel cells each extending between an inlet end and an outlet end. Each fuel cell of the plurality of fuel cells includes an air channel and a fuel channel each fluidly coupled to the combustion chamber.

A combustion section defines an axial direction, a radial direction, and a circumferential direction. The combustion section includes a casing that defines a diffusion chamber. A combustion liner is disposed within the diffusion chamber and defines a combustion chamber. The combustion liner is spaced apart from the casing such that a passageway is defined between the combustion liner and the casing. A fuel cell assembly is disposed in the passageway. The fuel cell assembly includes a fuel cell stack that has a plurality of fuel cells each extending between an inlet end and an outlet end. The inlet end receives a flow of air and fuel and the outlet end provides output products to the combustion chamber. The outlet end of the plurality of fuel cells extends through the combustion liner and partially defines the combustion chamber.

A method for operating a propulsion system for an aircraft, the propulsion system including a gas turbine engine and a fuel cell assembly, the fuel cell assembly including a fuel cell stack having a solid oxide fuel cell defining an outlet positioned to remove output products from the solid oxide fuel cell during operation, the method including: operating the fuel cell assembly to provide output products to a combustor of a combustion section of the gas turbine engine; and operating the fuel cell assembly, the gas turbine engine, or both such that a pressure within an anode of the solid oxide fuel cell is less than a pressure within a cathode of the solid oxide fuel cell, is less than a pressure within a combustion chamber of the gas turbine engine, or both while operating the gas turbine engine.

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Clifton Park, NY, United States of America

Seung-Hyuck Hong