The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document.
The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge covers the following: Patent number, Date patent was issued, Date patent was filed, Title of the patent, Applicant, Inventor, Assignee, Attorney firm, Primary examiner, Assistant examiner, CPCs, and Abstract. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document (in Adobe Acrobat format, aka pdf). To download or print any patent click here.
Patent No.:
Date of Patent:
Jul. 18, 2017
Filed:
Jan. 22, 2015
The Boeing Company, Chicago, IL (US);
Joshua M Mermelstein, Laguna Niguel, CA (US);
Wayne A. Viloria, Chino Hills, CA (US);
The Boeing Company, Chicago, IL (US);
Abstract
Embodiments described herein provide for in-place refueling of reactant sources for submersible vehicles that utilize fuel cells. In one embodiment, the vehicle includes a pressure hull that maintains a pressure boundary between an interior surface and an exterior surface, and includes a fuel cell. The vehicle includes a reactant source tank for the fuel cell that includes a fill port for transferring a reactant source to the reactant source tank. The vehicle includes a pressure hull penetrator that traverses from the exterior surface to the interior surface utilizing a passage through the pressure hull. The pressure hull penetrator maintains the pressure boundary between the exterior surface and the interior surface. The vehicle includes a fill tube coupled to the fill port of the reactant source tank that traverses through the pressure hull penetrator to the exterior surface, and an electrically non-conductive sleeve surrounding the fill tube.