Aircraft

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10995479-B2
Application number	US-201816110364-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Aug 23, 2018
Priority date	Aug 31, 2017
Publication date	May 4, 2021
Grant date	May 4, 2021

Abstract

An aircraft has: an aircraft fuselage, a cabin region formed in the aircraft fuselage, underfloor region separated from the cabin region by a floor partition, and a fresh-water supply system. The fresh-water supply system has a fresh-water provision unit arranged in the underfloor region. The fresh-water supply system has multiple water extraction units which are each arranged in the cabin region, and a water line network branched off from the fresh-water provision unit and extending to the water extraction units. Each water extraction unit has a shut-off valve, a filter unit and a tapping point, which are coupled in series by means of water lines. Each filter unit has an exchangeable water filter with a first filter material designed for filtering particles out of the water flowing through the water filter and with a second filter material designed for softening the water flowing through the water filter.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. An aircraft, having:
an aircraft fuselage;
a cabin region formed in the aircraft fuselage;
an underfloor region formed in the aircraft fuselage and separated from the cabin region by a floor partition arranged in the aircraft fuselage; and
a fresh-water supply system,
wherein the fresh-water supply system has a fresh-water provision unit arranged in the underfloor region,
wherein the fresh-water supply system has multiple water extraction units each arranged in the cabin region,
wherein the fresh-water supply system has a water line network branched off from the fresh-water provision unit and extending to the water extraction units, such that water can flow from the fresh-water provision unit to each of the water extraction units,
wherein each water extraction unit has a shut-off valve, a filter unit and a tapping point, coupled in series by water lines, such that water can flow from the shut-off valve through the filter unit to the tapping point,
wherein each filter unit has an exchangeable water filter with a first filter material and with a second filter material,
wherein the first filter material is configured for filtering particles out of the water flowing through the water filter, and
wherein the second filter material is configured for softening the water flowing through the water filter.

2. The aircraft according to claim 1 , wherein the first filter material is activated carbon filter material.

3. The aircraft according to claim 1 , wherein the second filter material is formed as a catalyst material.

4. The aircraft according to claim 1 , wherein the first filter material and/or the second filter material is of granulate-like form.

5. The aircraft according to claim 1 , wherein the first filter material and/or the second filter material is of dimensionally stable and/or open-pore form.

6. The aircraft according to claim 1 , wherein a part of the water line network arranged in the underfloor region has no filters for water filtering.

7. The aircraft according to claim 1 , wherein the water filter of each filter unit is formed as an exchangeable water filter cartridge held releasably by a filter cartridge holder of the respective filter unit.

8. The aircraft according to claim 7 , wherein each water filter cartridge is formed as a water filter cartridge configured to be plugged into and unplugged from the respective filter cartridge holder, and wherein each of the filter cartridge holders is configured for the plugging-in and unplugging of a water filter cartridge.

9. The aircraft according to claim 1 , wherein the multiple water filters are of identical design.

10. The aircraft according to claim 1 , wherein each water extraction unit is assigned to in each case one kitchen monument in the cabin region or in each case one toilet monument in the cabin region.

11. The aircraft according to claim 1 , wherein each water filter comprises:
a housing;
an interior space formed by the housing;
a first port for the supply of water into the interior space; and
a second port for the discharge of water out of the interior space,
wherein the interior space is filled with the first and second filter material such that water can flow from the first port to the second port while being in direct contact with the filter materials.

12. The aircraft according to claim 11 , wherein the interior space of the housing is divided by a screen-like partition into a first filter chamber and a second filter chamber, and
wherein the first filter material is arranged exclusively in the first filter chamber and the second filter material is arranged exclusively in the second filter chamber.

13. The aircraft according to claim 12 , wherein the partition of each water filter is configured and/or arranged such that the second filter chamber is arranged downstream of the first filter chamber in a flow direction for water from the first port to the second port.

14. The aircraft according to claim 12 , wherein the housing of each water filter has a cylindrical form, and
wherein the first port of the respective water filter is arranged on a first end side of the housing, the second port of the respective water filter is arranged on a second end side of the housing, and the partition of the respective water filter is arranged between the end sides of the housing such that the filter chambers of the respective water filter are arranged in series in a longitudinal axial direction of the housing so as to be separated by the partition.

15. The aircraft according to claim 12 , wherein the housing of each water filter has a hollow cylindrical form, and the partition of the respective water filter is arranged as a ring-shaped partition in the interior space of the housing, such that the first filter chamber of the respective water filter is arranged radially to the outside of, and so as to be separated by the partition from, the second filter chamber of the respective water filter.

Assignees

• Airbus Operations Gmbh

Inventors

• Alps Volker
• Wiese Thomas
• Flashaar Sebastian
• Reiss Matthias

Classifications

• Y02T50/40

  Weight reduction · CPC title

• C02F2201/001

  Build in apparatus for autonomous on board water supply and wastewater treatment (e.g. for aircrafts, cruiseships, oil drilling platforms, railway trains, space stations) · CPC title

• C02F2201/005

  Valves · CPC title

• C02F5/02

  Softening water by precipitation of the hardness · CPC title

• C02F2001/425

  using cation exchangers · CPC title