Abstract: A cooling system for a fuel cell onboard a vehicle includes a coolant circuit and a thermal energy storage device in fluid communication with the coolant circuit. The coolant circuit defines a coolant passageway and is configured to circulate a coolant through the coolant passageway and through a portion of the fuel cell to absorb heat from the fuel cell. The thermal energy storage device includes a phase change material configured to store thermal energy released from the coolant flowing through the coolant circuit and through the thermal energy storage device in the form of latent heat. The phase change material is configured to dissipate thermal energy stored therein to a circumambient airflow flowing relative to the vehicle when the vehicle is moving.

Abstract: A cooling system for a fuel cell onboard a vehicle includes a coolant circuit and an auxiliary evaporative cooler. The coolant circuit is configured to circulate a coolant including a phase change material therethrough and through a portion of the fuel cell to absorb heat from the fuel cell. The auxiliary evaporative cooler includes a coolant channel in fluid communication with the coolant circuit, an airflow channel in fluid communication with an ambient environment, and a selectively permeable membrane that physically separates the coolant channel from the airflow channel and is selectively permeable to the phase change material. The auxiliary evaporative cooler is configured to evaporatively cool the coolant flowing through the coolant channel by promoting evaporation and transport of the phase change material from the coolant flowing through the coolant channel, through the selectively permeable membrane, and into an ambient airflow flowing through the airflow channel.

Abstract: A craft includes a hull, a wing, a hydrofoil, and a control system. The wing is configured to generate upwards aero lift as air flows past the wing to facilitate wing-borne flight of the craft. The hydrofoil is configured to generate upwards hydrofoil lift during a first mode of operation as water flows past the hydrofoil to facilitate hydrofoil-borne movement of the craft through the water. While the craft is hydrofoil-borne, the control system is configured to determine the upwards aero lift generated by the wing. The control system is further configured to control the hydrofoil to generate downwards hydrofoil lift to counteract the upwards aero lift generated by the wing that maintains the hydrofoil at least partially submerged in the water while the determined upwards aero lift is below a threshold lift.

Abstract: An example blown-wing craft includes at least one rudder, a first wing, a second wing, at least one first control surface, at least one second control surface, at least two first propeller assemblies, at least two second propeller assemblies, a plurality of sensors, and a control system. The control system is configured to (i) operate the blown-wing craft in a given mode; (ii) while operating the blown-wing craft, receive, via the plurality of sensors, a plurality of sensor inputs; and (iii) control an attitude of the blown-wing craft by selectively operating (a) the at least two first propeller assemblies, (b) the at least two second propeller assemblies, (c) the at least one rudder, (d) the at least one first control surface, and (e) the at least one second control surface based at least in part on the received plurality of sensor inputs and the given mode.

Abstract: An integrated hydrogen-electric engine includes a hydrogen fuel-cell; a hydrogen fuel source; an electric motor assembly disposed in electrical communication with the fuel-cell; an air compressor system configured to be driven by the motor assembly, and a cooling system having a heat exchanger radiator in a duct of the cooling system, and configured to direct an air stream including an air stream from the air compressor through the radiator, wherein an exhaust stream from a cathode side of the fuel-cell is fed via a flow control nozzle into the air stream in the cooling duct downstream of the radiator.

Abstract: Ram air cooling demands of a fuel-cell-powered aircraft are reduced by conducting exothermic heat generated by the fuel cells to a leading edge and/or trailing edge of the aircraft wings. The beat also may be used to deice the wings.

Abstract: An integral propulsion and auxiliary power generation system includes a rocket engine, a liquid propellant supply system, an auxiliary electrical system, and a transmission system. The liquid propellant supply system is configured to supply a liquid fuel and a liquid oxidizer to the rocket engine. The liquid propellant supply system includes a gas generator configured to burn a mixture of the liquid fuel and the liquid oxidizer to generate a combustion gas stream, and a gas turbine configured to convert the kinetic energy of the combustion gas stream into mechanical energy. The auxiliary electrical system includes a power generator configured to convert mechanical energy into electrical energy and an electric load device electrically coupled to the power generator. The transmission system is configured to mechanically couple the gas turbine and the power generator to selectively transfer mechanical energy between the gas turbine and the power generator.

Abstract: A fuel cell system having at least one fuel cell having an external surface; and one or more of audio, image, or strain sensors external to the fuel cell surface, configured for detecting a change in the external surface of the fuel cell indicative of a fault condition. The at last one sensor may include a visual camera, an IR camera, an IR detector, or a UV-responsive camera, or an ultrasound transducer, a piezoelectric sensor and a vibration sensor, or a surface acoustic wave detector, or a mass spectrometer.

Abstract: Disclosed is a stabilized solution of 70% to 100% hydrogen peroxide containing an alkali phosphate as a stabilizer, a rocket propellant including a combustible fuel and oxidizer, wherein the oxidizer is a stabilized solution of 70% to 100% hydrogen peroxide, and a rocket having a fuel store, an oxidizer store and a rocket engine, wherein the oxidizer is a stabilized solution of 70% to 100% hydrogen peroxide.

Abstract: A rocket configured to employ superheated water as a propellant, includes a photon reactor including a photon generator configured to generate UV light to superheat water.

Abstract: An example wing-in-ground effect vehicle includes (i) a main wing having main wing control surfaces; (ii) a tail having tail control surfaces; (iii) a blown-wing propulsion system arranged along the main wing or the tail; (iv) a retractable hydrofoil configured to operate in: (a) an extended configuration in which the retractable hydrofoil extends below a hull of the vehicle for submersion below a water surface and (b) a retracted configuration in which the retractable hydrofoil is retracted at least partially into the hull of the vehicle; and (v) a control system configured to maneuver the vehicle by (i) causing a change in orientation of the retractable hydrofoil when the retractable hydrofoil is operating in the extended configuration, and (ii) causing a change in orientation of the main wing control surfaces and tail control surfaces when the retractable hydrofoil is operating in the retracted configuration.

Abstract: An example wing-in-ground effect vehicle includes (i) a main wing having main wing control surfaces; (ii) a tail having tail control surfaces; (iii) a blown-wing propulsion system arranged along the main wing or the tail; (iv) a retractable hydrofoil configured to operate in: (a) an extended configuration in which the retractable hydrofoil extends below a hull of the vehicle for submersion below a water surface and (b) a retracted configuration in which the retractable hydrofoil is retracted at least partially into the hull of the vehicle; and (v) a control system configured to maneuver the vehicle by (i) causing a change in orientation of the retractable hydrofoil when the retractable hydrofoil is operating in the extended configuration, and (ii) causing a change in orientation of the main wing control surfaces and tail control surfaces when the retractable hydrofoil is operating in the retracted configuration.

Abstract: An example wing-in-ground effect vehicle includes (i) a main wing having main wing control surfaces; (ii) a tail having tail control surfaces; (iii) a blown-wing propulsion system arranged along the main wing or the tail; (iv) a retractable hydrofoil configured to operate in: (a) an extended configuration in which the retractable hydrofoil extends below a hull of the vehicle for submersion below a water surface and (b) a retracted configuration in which the retractable hydrofoil is retracted at least partially into the hull of the vehicle; and (v) a control system configured to maneuver the vehicle by (i) causing a change in orientation of the retractable hydrofoil when the retractable hydrofoil is operating in the extended configuration, and (ii) causing a change in orientation of the main wing control surfaces and tail control surfaces when the retractable hydrofoil is operating in the retracted configuration.

Abstract: A method and system which shows a user contacts that are nearby but protects those contacts' privacy by mixing indistinguishably into the list contacts that are not nearby thus creating an obfuscated list such that user is unable to identify which contacts are nearby and which are not nearby. The user selects contacts the user would want to see if they were nearby. If the user selects a contact who is actually nearby, the system then protects the user's privacy by presenting another obfuscated list to the selected contact. The system discloses proximity only after two users have each mutually selected each other. The system may more broadly be used by showing the user contacts that have any form of matching personal data while still protecting all users' privacy with obfuscated lists until two users have each mutually selected each other.

Abstract: A method and system for generating a tool to improve communications and connectivity value by sharing of personal data between users without reducing privacy.