Aeronautics and astronautics – Aircraft control – Airship control
Patent
1989-04-14
1992-02-25
Jordan, Charles T.
Aeronautics and astronautics
Aircraft control
Airship control
244 24, 244 30, 244134R, B64B 158
Patent
active
050906372
ABSTRACT:
A helium purification system for use with lighter-that-air airships has a catalytic purification stage for removing oxygen from the lift gas, and if desired, a nitrogen removal stage. Impure lift gas is passed through the catalytic purification stage which includes catalytic means for reacting hydrogen and contaminating oxygen entrained in the lift gas to form water and liberate heat energy. The catalytic reaction of oxygen and hydrogen increases the lift capacity of the airship both by removing oxygen from the lift gas which can then be replaced with additional lift gas and by heating the lift gas. The lifht weight catalytic purifier requiring no external power makes practical an on-board lift gas purifier to scavenge oxygen from the lift gas as soon as it enters the aerostat whose only cost of operation is that of the hydrogen consumed. Hydrogen gas may be added in approximate stoichiometric proportion to react with oxygen in the lift gas, but preferably hydrogen is maintained as a component of the lift gas at a concentration of up to the flammable limit of about 14% of the total lift gas to increase the lift capacity of the airship. Heat from the catalytic reaction of oxygen and hydrogen is also used to de-ice the aerostat surface by directing such heated gas leaving the catalytic purifier over the inner surface of the aerostat fabric along the top of the aerostat. The airship empennage are may also be de-iced by separate catalytic reactors located in the empennage. The liberated heat may then be heat exchanged with air for circulation throughout the empennage surface and over the hinged or pivot connections between the movable and stationary parts of the empennage. A nitrogen removal stage, utilizing a semi-permeable membrane purifier or an absorption purifier means removes both nitrogen and oxygen from the lift gas, either before, or after, catalytic purification of the lift gas. For land-based purification systems, prior removal of air components is preferred to reduce the amount of heat generated by the catalytic reaction. When the catalytic stage is placed on-board the aerostat the catalytic oxygen removal stage is decoupled from but precedes the nitrogen stage which normally will be a land-based system.
REFERENCES:
patent: 3346216 (1967-10-01), Desmarteau
patent: 3897032 (1975-07-01), Papst
patent: 4685640 (1987-08-01), Warrington et al.
patent: 4773617 (1988-09-01), McCampbell
Jordan Charles T.
Lieberman Rochelle
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