System and method for detecting a fuel leak in an aircraft

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11801943-B2
Application number	US-202016854571-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Apr 21, 2020
Priority date	Oct 23, 2017
Publication date	Oct 31, 2023
Grant date	Oct 31, 2023

Abstract

A method of and a system for detecting a fuel leak in an aircraft, the aircraft comprising a first engine and a second engine. The method comprises upon determining that the aircraft has reached a first mode of operation: acquiring a first baseline fuel flow of the first engine; acquiring a second baseline fuel flow of the second engine. The method further comprises monitoring a first current fuel flow measured at the first engine and a second current fuel flow measured at the second engine; and triggering a fuel leak detection based on an analysis of the first baseline fuel flow, the first current fuel flow, the second baseline fuel flow and the second current fuel flow.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A computer-implemented method of detecting a fuel leak in an aircraft, the aircraft comprising a first engine and a second engine, the method comprising:
determining that the aircraft has reached a first mode of operation;
upon determining that the aircraft has reached the first mode of operation:
acquiring a first baseline fuel flow of the first engine using a first flowmeter, the first baseline fuel flow being determined as an average actual fuel flow of the first engine established over a period of time while operating in accordance with the first mode of operation, and
acquiring a second baseline fuel flow of the second engine using a second flowmeter, the second baseline fuel flow being determined as an average actual fuel flow of the second engine established over the period of time while operating in accordance with the first mode of operation;

monitoring a first current fuel flow measured at the first engine and a second current fuel flow measured at the second engine; and
triggering a fuel leak detection based on an analysis of the first baseline fuel flow, the first current fuel flow, the second baseline fuel flow and the second current fuel flow, wherein determining that the aircraft has reached the first mode of operation comprises determining that the following conditions are met:
(a) the aircraft is in flight;
(b) an altitude of the aircraft is between 20,000 feet and 51,000 feet;
(c) a rate of change of the altitude is between −400 feet/min and +400 feet/min;
(d) an air speed of the aircraft is between Mach 0.6 and Mach 0.94;
(e) fan speeds of the first engine and of the second engine are between 60% and 120% fan speed; and
(f) a total air temperature (TAT) sensed by the aircraft is between −60 Celsius degrees and +40 Celsius degrees, and
wherein the method further comprises, prior to determining that the first mode of operation has been reached and up until determination that the first mode of operation has been reached:
accessing, from a non-transitory computer-readable medium, a first pre-existing baseline fuel flow and a second pre-existing baseline fuel flow, the first pre-existing baseline fuel flow and the second pre-existing baseline fuel flow having been acquired during a previous flight of the aircraft; and
triggering the fuel leak detection based on an analysis of the first pre-existing baseline fuel flow, the first current fuel flow, the second pre-existing baseline fuel flow and the second current fuel flow.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the analysis of the first baseline fuel flow, the first current fuel flow, the second baseline fuel flow and the second current fuel flow comprises:
calculating a first ratio based on the first current fuel flow and the first baseline fuel flow; and
calculating a second ratio based on the second current fuel flow and the second baseline fuel flow.

3. The method of claim 2 , wherein triggering the fuel leak detection comprises at least one of triggering a first fuel leak detection associated with the first engine and triggering a second fuel leak detection associated with the second engine.

4. A system for detecting a fuel leak in an aircraft, the aircraft comprising a first engine and a second engine, the system comprising:
a processor;
a non-transitory computer-readable medium, the non-transitory computer-readable medium comprising control logic which, upon execution by the processor, causes:
upon determining that the aircraft has reached a first mode of operation:
acquiring a first baseline fuel flow of the first engine using a first flowmeter, the first baseline fuel flow being determined as an average actual fuel flow of the first engine established over a period of time while operating in accordance with the first mode of operation, and
acquiring a second baseline fuel flow of the second engine using a second flowmeter, the second baseline fuel flow being determined as an average actual fuel flow of the second engine established over the period of time while operating in accordance with the first mode of operation;

monitoring a first current fuel flow measured at the first engine and a second current fuel flow measured at the second engine; and
triggering a fuel leak detection based on an analysis of the first baseline fuel flow, the first current fuel flow, the second baseline fuel flow and the second current fuel flow, wherein determining that the aircraft has reached the first mode of operation comprises determining that the following conditions are met:
(a) the aircraft is in flight;
(b) an altitude of the aircraft is between 20,000 feet and 51,000 feet;
(c) a rate of change of the altitude is between −400 feet/min and +400 feet/min;
(d) an air speed of the aircraft is between Mach 0.6 and Mach 0.94;
(e) fan speeds of the first engine and of the second engine is between 60% and 120% fan speed; and
(f) a total air temperature (TAT) sensed by the aircraft is between −60 Celsius degrees and +40 Celsius degrees, and

wherein the non-transitory computer-readable medium further causes, prior to determining that the first mode of operation has been reached and up until determination that the first mode of operation has been reached:
accessing, from a non-transitory computer-readable medium, a first pre-existing baseline fuel flow and a second pre-existing baseline fuel flow, the first pre-existing baseline fuel flow and the second pre-existing baseline fuel flow having been acquired during a previous flight of the aircraft; and
triggering the fuel leak detection based on an analysis of the first pre-existing baseline fuel flow, the first current fuel flow, the second pre-existing baseline fuel flow and the second current fuel flow.

5. The system of claim 4 , wherein the analysis of the first baseline fuel flow, the first current fuel flow, the second baseline fuel flow and the second current fuel flow comprises:
calculating a first ratio based on the first current fuel flow and the first baseline fuel flow; and
calculating a second ratio based on the second current fuel flow and the second baseline fuel flow.

6. The system of claim 5 , wherein triggering the fuel leak detection comprises at least one of triggering a first fuel leak detection associated with the first engine and triggering a second fuel leak detection associated with the second engine.

7. The system of claim 6 , the first fuel leak detection is triggered based on a determination that the following conditions are met:
(a) the first ratio is above the second ratio;
(b) an absolute value of a difference between the first ratio and the second ratio is above a first predetermined threshold; and
(c) a position difference between a first position of a first throttle controlling the first engine and a second position of a second throttle controlling the second engine is below a second predetermined threshold.

8. The system of claim 7 , the second fuel leak detection is triggered based on a determination that the following conditions are met:
(a) the second ratio is above the first ratio;
(b) an absolute value of a difference between the first ratio and the second ratio is above a first predetermined threshold; and
(c) a position difference between a first position of a first throttle controlling the first engine and a second position of a second throttle controlling the second engine is below a second predetermined threshold.

9. The system of claim 8 , wherein the first predetermined threshold is 10% and the second predetermined threshold is 0.3 degree.

10. The system of claim 4 , wherein the period of time is 60 seconds.

11. The system of claim 4 , wherein triggering the fuel leak detection

Assignees

• Bombardier Inc

Inventors

• Viscotchi George
• Laporte Alexandre

Classifications

• B64D37/32 Primary

  Safety measures not otherwise provided for, e.g. preventing explosive conditions · CPC title

• B64D37/00

  Arrangements in connection with fuel supply for power plant (refuelling during flight B64D39/00) · CPC title

• G01M3/025

  Details with respect to the testing of engines or engine parts · CPC title

• G01M3/26

  by measuring rate of loss or gain of fluid, e.g. by pressure-responsive devices, by flow detectors · CPC title

• G05B23/0205

  by means of a monitoring system capable of detecting and responding to faults · CPC title