PRESSURE HULL PENETRATOR FOR SUBMERSIBLE VEHICLES THAT UTILIZE FUEL CELLS

摘要

Examples described herein provide for in-place refueling of reactant sources for submersible vehicles that utilize fuel cells. In one example, the vehicle includes a pressure hull that maintains a pressure boundary between an interior surface and an exterior surface, and includes a fuel cell. The vehicle includes a reactant source tank for the fuel cell that includes a fill port for transferring a reactant source to the reactant source tank. The vehicle includes a pressure hull penetrator that traverses from the exterior surface to the interior surface utilizing a passage through the pressure hull. The pressure hull penetrator maintains the pressure boundary between the exterior surface and the interior surface. The vehicle includes a fill tube coupled to the fill port of the reactant source tank that traverses through the pressure hull penetrator to the exterior surface, and an electrically non-conductive sleeve surrounding the fill tube.