METHOD FOR OPERATING AN ENERGY SUPPLY DEVICE

Abstract

The invention relates to an energy supply device with at least one fuel cell and to a method for operating at least one energy supply device with at least one fuel cell, which has at least one anode that can be supplied with a fuel and at least one cathode that can be supplied with ambient air for generating electrical energy. The proposed energy supply device has a converter device.

Claims

1. A method for operating an energy supply device with at least one fuel cell, at least one anode of which is supplied with fuel and at least one cathode of which is supplied with ambient air for generating electrical energy, by a converter device of the energy supply device, inert gas and thermal energy are produced from the fuel and the ambient air, wherein the energy supply device is used in a flight drive and the converter device is a catalytic converter device, which has a catalyst that promotes the reaction of the fuel with the ambient air, and wherein the catalyst is arranged on a metal grid or mesh or is incorporated in it, through which or around which flow the reaction gases.

2. The method for operating an energy supply device with at least one fuel cell according to claim 1, wherein inert gas produced by the converter device, instead of the fuel, is fed to the at least one anode at least intermittently when the at least one fuel cell is switched off and/or is not in operation.

3. The method for operating an energy supply device with at least one fuel cell according to claim 1, wherein the inert gas produced by the converter device, instead of ambient air, is fed to the at least one cathode at least intermittently when the at least one fuel cell is switched off and/or is not in operation.

4. The method for operating an energy supply device with at least one fuel cell according to claim 1, wherein the at least one fuel cell, when it is not in operation, is loaded with the thermal energy that is produced by the converter device.

5. An energy supply device with at least one fuel cell, which has at least one anode that can be supplied with a fuel and at least one cathode that can be supplied with ambient air for generating electrical energy as well as a converter device, by which inert gas and thermal energy is produced from the fuel and the ambient air, wherein the energy supply device is used in a flight drive and the converter device is a catalytic converter device, which has a catalyst that promotes the reaction of the fuel with the ambient air, and wherein the catalyst is arranged on a metal grid or mesh or is incorporated in it, through which or around which can flow the reaction gases.

6. The energy supply device according to claim 5, further comprising a converter cooling circuit, by which the thermal energy is dissipated from the converter device.

7. The energy supply device according to claim 6, wherein the thermal energy dissipated from the converter device is fed to the at least one fuel cell via the converter cooling circuit.

8. The energy supply device according to claim 6, wherein an inert gas feeding device, by which the inert gas produced in the converter device is fed to the anode.

9. The energy supply device according to claim 5, wherein an inert gas feeding device, by which the inert gas produced in the converter device is fed to the cathode.

10. The energy supply device according to claim 5, for generating electrical energy in an aircraft engine, wherein the energy supply device is used for the network-independent supply of any consumer on board an aircraft and/or in the scope of an auxiliary power unit.

11. The energy supply device according to claim 5, is configured and arranged for carrying out a method for operating an energy supply device.

12. The energy supply device according to claim 5 is configured and arranged for use in an aircraft engine.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING FIGURES

[0024] Further features, advantages, and possible applications of the invention ensue from the following description in connection with the figures. Shown are:

[0025] FIG. 1 which is a schematic illustration of an exemplary energy supply device according to the invention; and

[0026] FIG. 2 which is a schematic illustration of a flow chart of the method according to the invention for operating an energy supply device with at least one fuel cell.

DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0027] FIG. 1 shows a schematic illustration of an exemplary energy supply device 11 according to the invention. The at least one anode 12 of the fuel cell 10 is supplied with a fuel via a fuel feed line 13 depicted in FIG. 1 with thin solid lines. In the energy supply device 11 described in the exemplary embodiment, hydrogen, which is stored in a hydrogen tank 23, is fed in as the fuel.

[0028] The at least one cathode 14 of the fuel cell 10 is supplied with ambient air via an air feed line 15, depicted in FIG. 1 by thick solid lines. The ambient air 25 taken from the surroundings or the oxygen contained therein serves as an oxidant for the production of drive energy by the fuel cell 10. The energy supply device 11 further has a converter device 30, to which fuel and ambient air are fed and which serves for producing an inert gas and thermal energy.

[0029] Fuel—hydrogen in the exemplary embodiment, given by way of example—is fed to the converter device 30 of the energy supply device 11 via a fuel feed line 17. Furthermore, ambient air as oxidant is fed to the converter device 30 via the air feed line 18, so that, in the converter device 30, the hydrogen can react with the air oxygen, whereby the inert gas nitrogen and water are formed with liberation of heat. The water can simply be discharged to the surroundings. The converter device 30 is connected to an inert gas feeding device 38, which, in FIG. 1, is drawn in the form of a dotted line. Via the inert gas feeding device 38, it is possible to feed the nitrogen that is formed in the converter device to the anode 12 and/or to the cathode 14. Accordingly, nitrogen can flow through the regions of the fuel cell 10 to which fuel or ambient air is fed during operation of the fuel cell, in order to replace any residual gases and any possibly present moisture with an inert gas. In this case, remaining hydrogen can be discharged directly into the surroundings 26.

[0030] The energy supply device 11 further has a cooling circuit 32, by which thermal energy can be dissipated from a temperature control device 33 that is arranged in the region of the fuel cell 10. In FIG. 1, the cooling circuit 32 is depicted schematically by dashed lines. The cooling circuit 32 has a heat exchanger 34, via which, in particular during operation of the fuel cell, excess thermal energy that is generated can be dissipated from the cooling circuit 32. In particular, when the fuel cell 10 is not in operation, it is possible to feed thermal energy produced by the converter device 30 to the cooling circuit 32. By way of example, in the exemplary embodiment, this is done by a heat exchanger 35, which dissipates thermal energy from the inert gas produced by the converter device 30 and fed to the anode 12 and/or to the cathode 14 of the fuel cell 10. This thermal energy is delivered to a converter cooling circuit 36, designed in the exemplary embodiment by way of example, which is part of the cooling circuit 32 of the energy supply device 11 and is depicted schematically in FIG. 1 by thick dashed lines. Via the converter cooling circuit 36, the thermal energy is dissipated from the converter device 30 to the temperature control device 33 of the fuel cell 10 in order to protect the fuel cell 10, in particular when the fuel cell 10 is stored in a switched-off state, from temperatures near or below the freezing point, or in order to preheat the fuel cell 10 prior to its being switched on so as, in this way, to prevent degradation phenomena and thus to prolong the service life of the fuel cell 10.

[0031] FIG. 2 shows a schematic illustration of a flow chart of the method according to the invention for operating an energy supply device 11 with at least one fuel cell 10, the at least one anode 12 of which is supplied with a fuel and the at least one cathode 14 of which is supplied with ambient air for generating drive energy. In the method according to the invention, in a step a), an inert gas and thermal energy are produced from the fuel by a converter device 30 of the energy supply device 11.

[0032] In a further and, in particular, optional step b), inert gas formed in the converter device 30 is fed to the at least one anode 12 at least intermittently when, for example, the at least one fuel cell 10 is switched off and/or is not in operation and, as chosen, in a further step c), inert gas formed in the converter device 30 is fed to the at least one cathode 14 at least intermittently when the at least one fuel cell 10 is switched off and/or is not in operation.

[0033] In an optional implementation of the method, in a step d), the at least one fuel cell 10 is exposed to thermal energy produced in the converter device 30, in particular when the fuel cell is not in operation. In particular, the energy supply device 11 depicted schematically in FIG. 1 is suitable for carrying out the method described in FIG. 2.