An auxiliary power unit for an aircraft. It includes an air compressor coupled to an air-drawing device for drawing in air from outside the aircraft, the compressor supplying compressed air to a manifold. The manifold is configured to supply air to an environmental control system and a start-up module of at least one propulsion system of the aircraft running on hydrogen. The manifold is also configured to supply air to a fuel cell stack arranged to provide an electric generation function configured to power non-propulsive systems of the aircraft, the fuel cell stack also being supplied with hydrogen from a tank supplying hydrogen to the at least one propulsion system of the aircraft.

An electricity production system for an aircraft comprising a fuel cell, with an anode and a cathode, supplying an electric motor, a first feed pipe between the anode and a hydrogen source, a compressor, a second feed pipe between the inlet of the compressor and an oxygen source, a first transfer pipe between the outlet of the compressor and the cathode, a valve, an upstream pipe between the outlet of the compressor and the valve, a downstream pipe between the valve and an air outlet, and a controller which controls the position of the valve and the flow rate of the compressor. Such an electricity production system thus provides better control of the air flow supplied to the fuel cell on the basis of the electrical power required for the electric motor providing propulsion.

An unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) for gas transport is disclosed. The UAV includes a fuselage enclosing a volume, and a gas reservoir enclosed within the fuselage, filling at least a majority of the volume. The gas reservoir is configured to receive and store a gas at a pressure no greater than 100 bar. The UAV also includes a propulsion system having at least one engine, each of the at least one engine coupled to a prop that is driven by the at least one engine using energy derived from the gas stored in the gas reservoir. The UAV also includes a control system communicatively coupled to the propulsion system and configured to operate the unmanned aerial vehicle to autonomously transport the gas. The UAV may have a footprint while on the ground, and the footprint of the UAV may be no larger than three standard parking spaces.

A fuel-cell system at 540 VDC for powering an electrical load of a rotorcraft with a first fuel cell and a second fuel cell. Each fuel cell is configured identically and features a positive electrical node and a negative electrical node. Each fuel cell is configured to provide one half of the electrical load of the rotorcraft and one half of the voltage of the electrical load.

A VTOL aircraft system includes a first unit having a cockpit, at least one propeller, at least two landing legs and at least two locking mechanisms. A second unit has a housing with a base portion, a first unit engaging portion, and at least two lock mechanism-engaging structure, each corresponding to one of the at least two locking mechanisms of the first unit. The housing of the second unit defines at least one interior cavity with at least one cargo area, a central passage providing access between the first and second unit, and a fuel cell configured around the central passage.

The invention relates to a system for cooling a fuel cell (10) of a transport vehicle such as an aircraft, comprising: a cooling heat exchanger (30) configured to be able to exchange heat between a loop (20) for cooling the cell and a channel for circulating dynamic air; a device (22, 23) for recovering water produced by said fuel cell; a tank (25) for storing recovered water; a device (50) for spraying water into said dynamic air channel (40) upstream of said heat exchanger (30); and a computer (28) for controlling the amount of sprayed water on the basis of a measurement representing the temperature of said fuel cell (10).

A propulsion system including: a fuel cell assembly comprising a fuel cell, the 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 the 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: delivering the output products from the fuel cell to the combustion section to mitigate combustion dynamics within the combustion section.

A system and method for the transfer of cryogenic fluid fuel includes a nozzle positionable with respect to fuel tank inlet, e.g., of an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV), a seal to seal the area where the nozzle and inlet are connected, a collapsible and expandable bellows providing an isolation volume where the fluid is transferred from the nozzle into the inlet; a vacuum is provided in the volume to avoid accumulation of fuel or other species in the volume.

Aircraft having at least one propulsion unit supplied with hydrogen by at least one hydrogen tank, and having at least one thrust reversal system including at least one actuator. The aircraft can include at least one means for storing or transporting the residual hydrogen of the propulsion unit, a fuel cell disposed in the hydrogen power source and supplied with hydrogen by the at least one means for storing the residual hydrogen, and a hydrogen thrust reverser actuation system. The thrust reverser actuation system can include a hydrogen thrust reverser actuation controller and a hydrogen primary power unit with a fuel cell supplied with hydrogen and powering the at least one thrust reverser actuator.

Disclosed are systems and methods for a power control system for a vehicle having multiple power sources. The power control system may include a plurality of sensors associated with one or more power sources and a microcontroller configured to receive a plurality of signal inputs, wherein the microcontroller selects a power state for the power control system based at least in part on the plurality of signal inputs from the plurality of sensors. The power state may be selected from a group including a first power state, wherein power is provided to a critical power subsystem, an essential power subsystem, and an auxiliary power subsystem, a second power state, wherein power is provided to the critical power subsystem and the essential power subsystem of the vehicle, and a third power state, wherein power is provided only to the critical power subsystem of the vehicle.