Method for disinfecting a water system of an aircraft

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11338047-B2
Application number	US-201916419200-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	May 22, 2019
Priority date	May 30, 2018
Publication date	May 24, 2022
Grant date	May 24, 2022

Abstract

A method for disinfecting a water system of an aircraft includes letting-in of hot water at an inlet of the water system by a first ground service unit; flushing the hot water from the inlet, through water pipes of the water system, to an outlet of the water system; and letting-out of the hot water at the outlet, by the first ground service unit or a second ground service unit; the hot water being flushed into the inlet and out of the outlet over a predefined disinfection period; and the hot water being provided at the inlet via a continuous-flow heater of the first ground service unit.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A method for disinfecting a water system of an aircraft, comprising:
letting-in hot water at an inlet of the water system by a first ground service unit;
flushing the hot water from the inlet, through water pipes of the water system, to an outlet of the water system; and
letting-out the hot water at the outlet, by the first ground service unit or a second ground service unit;
wherein the hot water is flushed into the inlet and out of the outlet over a predefined disinfection period; and
the hot water is provided at the inlet via a continuous-flow heater of the first ground service unit.

2. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the hot water has a water temperature of between 60° C. and 80° C.

3. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the letting-out the hot water at the outlet is controlled by a pressure-maintaining means of the first ground service unit and/or of the second ground service unit.

4. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the water pipes comprises at least one of inlet pipes, distribution pipes, outlet pipes and consumer pipes.

5. The method according to claim 1 , wherein pressure is applied to a tank section of the water system during the flushing of the hot water, in order to keep the hot water away from the tank section.

6. The method according to claim 5 , wherein compressed air, for application of compressed air to the tank section, is provided via a compressed-air supply of the first ground service unit and/or the second ground service unit.

7. The method according to claim 6 , wherein the compressed air is let into the tank section via a tank outlet of the tank section.

8. The method according to claim 1 , wherein a hot-water circuit is formed from the inlet, through a tank section to the outlet, and back to the inlet.

9. The method according to claim 8 , wherein the hot-water circuit is closed between the outlet and the inlet by a circulation pump of the first ground service unit.

10. The method according to claim 8 , wherein a tank outlet of the tank section is used as the outlet.

Assignees

• Airbus Operations Gmbh

Inventors

• Flashaar Sebastian
• Rempe Michael
• Schreiner Axel

Classifications

• C02F2209/02

  Temperature · CPC title

• C02F1/02

  by heating (methods of steam generation F22B; preheating boiler feed-water or accumulating preheated boiler feed-water F22D) · CPC title

• C02F2201/008

  Mobile apparatus and plants, e.g. mounted on a vehicle · CPC title

• B64F5/30 Primary

  Cleaning aircraft · CPC title

• A61L2/04 Primary

  Heat (radiation A61L2/08) · CPC title