Liquid drainage installation for a rotorcraft engine compartment

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9358410-B2
Application number	US-201514594532-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jan 12, 2015
Priority date	Jan 13, 2014
Publication date	Jun 7, 2016
Grant date	Jun 7, 2016

Abstract

An installation for draining liquid away from an aircraft engine compartment. Said drainage installation comprises a collector for collecting said liquid and provided with an opening putting the collector into fluid flow communication with an upstream inlet of a drainage line that is open to the outside via a downstream outlet. The drainage line includes an obstacle to the flow of the liquid that allows the liquid to flow towards the downstream outlet of the drainage line when there is a predefined quantity of liquid retained by said obstacle. The opening of the collector is provided with a firebreak grille arranged as a cap extending in elevation over the opening and including a plurality of orifices distributed at the periphery of the firebreak grille going from its base towards its top.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A drainage installation for draining liquid away from an aircraft engine compartment, said drainage installation comprising a collector for collecting said liquid, which collector has at least one opening enabling the collector to be put into fluid flow communication with an upstream inlet of a drainage line that is open to the outside via a downstream outlet, the drainage line including an obstacle to the flow of the liquid, which obstacle is arranged between the upstream inlet and the downstream outlet of the drainage line, said obstacle being suitable for allowing the liquid to flow towards the downstream outlet of the drainage line depending on a predefined quantity of liquid retained by said obstacle, wherein said at least one opening of the collector is provided with a firebreak grille arranged as a cap extending in elevation over the opening and including a plurality of orifices distributed at the periphery of the firebreak grille going from its base towards its top.

2. A drainage installation according to claim 1 , wherein the arrangement of the orifices relative to one another and their distribution through the firebreak grille are uniform going from the base towards the top of the firebreak grille.

3. A drainage installation according to claim 1 , wherein the arrangement of the orifices relative to one another and their distribution through the firebreak grille vary going from the base towards the top of the firebreak grille between a low zone of the firebreak grille for discharging to the drainage line the liquid that has been drained by the collector, and a high zone of the firebreak grille for allowing the escape towards the collector of air coming from the drainage line.

4. A drainage installation according to claim 1 , wherein the openings of the orifices are shaped and dimensioned for a flame obstacle distance lying in the range 0.5 mm to 3 mm, the orifices themselves conferring its firebreaking nature on the grille.

5. A drainage installation according to claim 1 , wherein the openings of the orifices are circular in shape and have individual areas lying in the range 2 mm 2 to 6 mm 2 .

6. A drainage installation according to claim 1 , wherein the orifices are arranged for the most part through the side faces of the firebreak grille being oriented transversely to its direction extending in elevation.

7. A drainage installation according to claim 1 , wherein the dimension in elevation of the firebreak grille is greater than a depth of liquid that is tolerated inside the collector.

8. A drainage installation according to claim 1 , wherein the firebreak grille is in fluid flow communication with the drainage line via a connection arranged as a funnel.

9. A drainage installation according to claim 1 , wherein said obstacle is formed by a valve that can be controlled to open at a predetermined pressure threshold of the liquid coming from the collector and acting on the valve.

10. A drainage installation according to claim 1 , wherein at least the lateral faces of the firebreak grille are defined by a surface of revolution.

11. A drainage installation according to claim 1 , wherein the cross-section of the firebreak grille is polygonal in shape.

Assignees

• Airbus Helicopters

Inventors

• Jullie Thibault
• Morente Franck

Classifications

• B64C1/1453 Primary

  Drain masts · CPC title

• A62C4/00 Primary

  Flame traps allowing passage of gas but not of flame or explosion wave · CPC title

• B64D29/00

  Power-plant nacelles, fairings or cowlings · CPC title

• A62C3/08

  in aircraft {(A62C3/0207 takes precedence)} · CPC title

• B64D2045/009

  Fire detection or protection; Erosion protection, e.g. from airborne particles · CPC title