US 11,866,185 B2
Electric propulsion system of an aircraft
Christophe Labarthe, Toulouse (FR); Franck Alvarez, Toulouse (FR); Fabien Latourelle, Toulouse (FR); Olivier Verseux, Toulouse (FR); Pascal Pome, Toulouse (FR); Jean Francois Allias, Toulouse (FR); Olivier Ciet, Toulouse (FR); Olivier Raspati, Toulouse (FR); Anthony Roux, Toulouse (FR); and Benedikt Bammer, Taufkirchen (DE)
Assigned to AIRBUS SAS, Blagnac (FR); and AIRBUS OPERATIONS SAS, Toulouse (FR)
Filed by Airbus SAS, Blagnac (FR); and Airbus Operations SAS, Toulouse (FR)
Filed on Mar. 23, 2022, as Appl. No. 17/701,818.
Claims priority of application No. 2103181 (FR), filed on Mar. 29, 2021.
Prior Publication US 2022/0306306 A1, Sep. 29, 2022
Int. Cl. F02K 5/00 (2006.01); B64D 27/24 (2006.01); B60L 50/70 (2019.01); B60L 58/33 (2019.01); B64C 11/00 (2006.01); B64D 29/00 (2006.01); B64D 33/08 (2006.01)
CPC B64D 27/24 (2013.01) [B60L 50/70 (2019.02); B60L 58/33 (2019.02); B64C 11/00 (2013.01); B64D 29/00 (2013.01); B64D 33/08 (2013.01); F02K 5/00 (2013.01); B60L 2200/10 (2013.01)] 15 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A propulsion system of an aircraft, comprising:
a system for producing electricity comprising a set of fuel cells;
at least one electric motor supplied with electricity by at least some of the fuel cells;
a propeller mechanically coupled to the at least one electric motor and driven only by the at least one electric motor; and
a nacelle housing at least the system for producing electricity and the at least one electric motor, said nacelle comprising an air circulation channel provided to allow the system for producing electricity to be cooled,
wherein the propeller is external to the nacelle,
wherein the air circulation channel extends inside the nacelle from a first end of said air circulation channel, that is situated at a first longitudinal end of the nacelle, to a second end of the air circulation channel located between the first longitudinal end of the nacelle and a second longitudinal end of the nacelle, the air circulation channel having an opening in a lateral wall of the nacelle between the first longitudinal end of the nacelle and the second longitudinal end of the nacelle, such that an entirety of the flow of air within said air circulation channel flows through the opening in the lateral wall of the nacelle and through the first longitudinal end of the nacelle;
wherein at least a part of the air circulation channel that is contiguous with the first end of the air circulation channel is delimited by an outer surface of cylindrical shape that surrounds a longitudinal axis of the nacelle;
wherein the air circulation channel receives a heat exchanger provided to allow the system for producing electricity to be cooled; and
wherein the propeller is situated near the first longitudinal end of the nacelle.