Fuel delivery system

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11078846-B2
Application number	US-201816049459-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jul 30, 2018
Priority date	Jul 30, 2018
Publication date	Aug 3, 2021
Grant date	Aug 3, 2021

Abstract

A fuel delivery system includes a turbine, a pump, and an oxygen removal unit. The turbine is adapted to receive and expel fuel at different pressures. The pump is in fluid communication with, and mechanically coupled to, the turbine, and is configured to expel and receive the fuel at about the respective different pressures. The turbine is configured to convert pressure energy of the fuel to kinetic energy to drive the pump. The oxygen removal unit is in fluid communication with at least one of the turbine and the pump, and is configured to remove oxygen from the fuel.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A fuel delivery system comprising:
a turbine adapted to receive fuel at a first high pressure and expel the fuel at a first low pressure;
a pump in fluid communication with and mechanically coupled to the turbine, and configured to expel the fuel at a second high pressure and receive the fuel at a second low pressure, wherein the turbine is configured to convert pressure energy of the fuel to kinetic energy to drive the pump, and the first and second low pressures are both lower than either of the first and second high pressures; and
an oxygen removal unit in fluid communication with at least one of the turbine and the pump and configured to remove oxygen from the fuel, wherein the first and second high pressures are higher than an efficient operating pressure of the oxygen removal unit, and wherein the oxygen removal unit is located between the turbine and the pump for receiving the fuel from the turbine and expelling the fuel to the pump.

2. The fuel delivery system set forth in claim 1 , wherein the turbine is adapted to receive fuel in an oxygenated condition and expel the fuel in the oxygenated condition to the oxygen removal unit, and the pump is adapted to receive the fuel in a deoxygenated condition and expel the fuel in the deoxygenated condition.

3. The fuel delivery system set forth in claim 2 , further comprising:
a turbine inlet conduit in fluid communication with the turbine, and adapted to flow the fuel in the oxygenated condition;
a turbine outlet conduit extending between and in fluid communication with the turbine and the oxygen removal unit, and adapted to flow the fuel in the oxygenated condition;
a pump inlet conduit extending between and in fluid communication with the oxygen removal unit and the pump, and adapted to flow the fuel in the deoxygenated condition; and
a pump outlet conduit in fluid communication with the pump, and adapted to flow the fuel in the deoxygenated condition.

4. The fuel delivery system set forth in claim 1 , wherein the oxygen removal unit comprises a membrane.

5. The fuel delivery system set forth in claim 1 , wherein the fuel delivery system is a jet fuel delivery system.

6. A fuel delivery system comprising:
a turbine adapted to receive fuel at a first high pressure and expel the fuel at a first low pressure;
a pump in fluid communication with and mechanically coupled to the turbine, and configured to expel the fuel at a second high pressure and receive the fuel at a second low pressure, wherein the turbine is configured to convert pressure energy of the fuel to kinetic energy to drive the pump, and the first and second low pressures are both lower than either of the first and second high pressures;
an oxygen removal unit in fluid communication with at least one of the turbine and the pump and configured to remove oxygen from the fuel, wherein the first and second high pressures are higher than an efficient operating pressure of the oxygen removal unit; and
a fuel filter in fluid communication between the turbine and the pump, wherein the fuel filter receives the fuel at the second high pressure from the pump and expels the fuel at a third high pressure closer to the first high pressure than the second high pressure, and wherein the oxygen removal unit receives the fuel at the first low pressure.

7. The fuel delivery system set forth in claim 6 , wherein the first low pressure equals the second low pressure.

8. A fuel delivery system comprising:
a turbine configured to receive fuel at a first high pressure and expel the fuel at a first low pressure;
a pump coupled to and in fluid communication with the turbine and configured to receive the fuel at a second low pressure and expel the fuel at a second high pressure, wherein the turbine is adapted to convert pressure energy of the fuel to kinetic energy to drive the pump; and
a fuel conditioning unit disposed between and in fluid communication with the turbine and the pump, wherein the fuel conditioning unit is configured to operate more efficiently at one of a high pressure range and a low pressure range than the other of the high pressure range and the low pressure range, wherein the high pressure range includes of the first and second high pressures and the low pressure range includes the first and second low pressures, wherein the fuel delivery system is a jet fuel delivery system, and wherein the fuel conditioning unit is an oxygen removal unit constructed to remove oxygen from the fuel.

9. The fuel delivery system set forth in claim 8 , wherein the oxygen removal unit operates more efficiently at the low pressure range than the high pressure range.

10. The fuel delivery system set forth in claim 9 , wherein the oxygen removal unit is disposed upstream from the pump and downstream from the turbine.

11. The fuel delivery system set forth in claim 10 , wherein the fuel delivery system is an aviation fuel delivery system and the oxygen removal unit is configured to reduce coking.

12. The fuel delivery system set forth in claim 11 , wherein the first low pressure and the second low pressure are less than 150 psia.

Assignees

• Hamilton Sundstrand Corp
• Hamilton Sunstrand Corp

Inventors

• O'Rorke Morgan
• Ramos Erick

Classifications

• F05D2270/11

  to prolong engine life · CPC title

• F02K9/48

  driven by a gas turbine fed by propellant combustion gases {or fed by vaporized propellants or other gases} · CPC title

• B01D19/0031

  by filtration · CPC title

• F01D15/08

  Adaptations for driving, or combinations with, pumps · CPC title

• B01D2257/104

  Oxygen · CPC title