Aircraft aerial refuelling system

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9409651-B2
Application number	US-201213454157-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Apr 24, 2012
Priority date	Apr 28, 2011
Publication date	Aug 9, 2016
Grant date	Aug 9, 2016

Abstract

An aircraft aerial refueling system including at least one pressure controlled fuel pump having a control system adapted to regulate the pump outlet fuel pressure using an outlet fuel pressure signal as control feedback. Also, methods of operating an aircraft aerial refueling system.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. An aircraft aerial refuelling system, comprising:
a plurality of aircraft fuel tanks,
at least one aerial refuelling dispense station,
a plurality of pressure controlled fuel pumps each having an outlet and a fuel pick-up,
each of said plurality of fuel tanks in fluid communication with at least one of said fuel pick-ups of said plurality of pressure controlled fuel pumps, and each outlet including a pressure sensor configured to transmit an outlet fuel pressure signal,
a fuel pipe fluidically connecting the outlet of each of the plurality of pressure controlled fuel pumps to the at least one aerial refuelling dispense station, and
a pump control system configured to:
receive a demand fuel pressure signal, and
compare the demand fuel pressure signal with the outlet fuel pressure signal.

2. The aircraft aerial refuelling system according to claim 1 , wherein the pump control system is further configured to provide a pump drive signal to the pump based upon the demand fuel pressure input signal and any difference between a value of the demand fuel pressure signal and a value of the outlet fuel pressure signal.

3. The aircraft aerial refuelling system according to claim 2 , wherein the pump control system includes a proportional-integral-differential (PID) controller for comparing the demand fuel pressure input signal with the outlet fuel pressure signal.

4. The aircraft aerial refuelling system according to claim 1 , further comprising a Fuel Quantity and Management System (FQMS) adapted to provide the demand fuel pressure signal to the pump control system.

5. The aircraft aerial refuelling system according to claim 1 , wherein the demand fuel pressure signal is dependent upon an ambient air pressure outside an aircraft.

6. The aircraft aerial refuelling system according to claim 4 , wherein the FQMS is adapted to receive an ambient air pressure signal and to modify the demand fuel pressure signal according to a value of an ambient air pressure outside an aircraft.

7. The aircraft aerial refuelling system according to claim 6 , further comprising a Air Data System (ADS), wherein the ADS is adapted to provide the ambient air pressure signal to the FQMS.

8. The aircraft aerial refuelling system according to claim 1 , wherein the pump includes a motor adapted to receive a pump drive signal from the control system.

9. The aircraft aerial refuelling system according to claim 1 , wherein the pump is a centrifugal pump including an impeller.

10. The aircraft aerial refuelling system according to claim 1 , further comprising computer readable storage media containing a set of instructions for controlling the pressure controlled fuel pumps individually.

11. The aircraft aerial refuelling system according to claim 10 , wherein the set of instructions includes a set of nominal pump outlet pressure settings for the plurality of pressure controlled fuel pumps depending on the status of the aerial refuelling dispense station(s).

12. The aircraft aerial refuelling system according to claim 11 , wherein the set of instructions further includes a set of pump outlet pressure setting adjustments for the plurality of pressure controlled fuel pumps depending on a fuel volume within each tank.

13. The aircraft aerial refuelling system according to claim 12 , further comprising a Fuel Quantity and Management System (FQMS) configured to measure the fuel level within each tank.

14. The aircraft aerial refuelling system according to claim 12 , wherein the set of pump outlet pressure setting adjustments are configured to automatically adjust the aircraft weight balance to within predetermined limits.

15. A method of operating an aircraft aerial refuelling system, comprising:
providing a plurality of aircraft fuel tanks,
at least one aerial refuelling fuel dispense station,
a plurality of pressure controlled fuel pumps each having an outlet and a fuel pick-up,
each of said plurality of fuel tanks in fluid communication with at least one of said fuel pick-ups of said plurality of pressure controlled fuel pumps, and each outlet including a pressure sensor configured to transmit an outlet fuel pressure signal, and
a fuel pipe fluidically connecting the outlet of each of the plurality of pressure controlled fuel pumps to the at least one aerial refuelling dispense station,

the method comprising controlling the pump outlet fuel pressure using the outlet fuel pressure signal as control feedback.

16. The method of operating an aircraft aerial refuelling system according to claim 15 , wherein the regulating step includes comparing a demand fuel pressure signal with the outlet fuel pressure signal, and automatically controlling the pump to ensure that the outlet fuel pressure does not exceed the demand fuel pressure.

17. The method according to claim 15 , further comprising automatically regulating the maximum pump outlet fuel pressure depending on the ambient air pressure outside the aircraft.

18. A method of operating an aircraft aerial refuelling system, comprising:
providing a plurality of aircraft fuel tanks,
a plurality of aerial refuelling dispense stations,
a plurality of pressure controlled fuel pumps each having an outlet and a fuel pick-up,
each of said plurality of fuel tanks in fluid communication with at least one of said fuel pick-ups of said plurality of pressure controlled fuel pumps, and each outlet including a pressure sensor configured to transmit an outlet fuel pressure signal, and
a fuel pipe fluidically connecting the outlet of each of the plurality of pressure controlled fuel pumps to the at least one aerial refuelling dispense station,

the method comprising automatically substantially maintaining fuel balance between the tanks during a high flow rate fuel dispense from the plurality of fuel tanks simultaneously via one or more of the aerial refuelling dispense stations by controlling a pressure of the outlet of each of said plurality of pressure controlled fuel pumps.

19. A method of operating an aircraft aerial refuelling system, comprising:
providing a plurality of fuel tanks,
a plurality of aerial refuelling dispense stations,
a plurality of pressure controlled fuel pumps each having an outlet and a fuel pick-up,
each of said plurality of fuel tanks in fluid communication with at least one of said fuel pick-ups of said plurality of pressure controlled fuel pumps, and each outlet including a pressure sensor configured to transmit an outlet fuel pressure signal, and
a fuel pipe fluidically connecting the outlet of each of the plurality of pressure controlled fuel pumps to the at least one aerial refuelling dispense station,

the method comprising automatically substantially maintaining aircraft lateral and/or longitudinal weight balance during a high flow rate fuel dispense from the plurality of fuel tanks simultaneously via one or more of the aerial refuelling dispense stations by controlling a pressure of the outlet of each of said pressure controlled fuel pumps.

20. The method according to claim 18 , wherein controlling the outlet pressure of each fuel pump includes setting a nominal outlet pressure for each fuel pump depending on the fuel system architecture and/or performance, and the status of the one or more aerial refuelling dispense stations.

21. The method according to claim 20 , wherein controlling the outlet pressure of each fuel pump further includes monitoring a fuel level within each fuel tank and adjusting the outlet pressure for each fu

Assignees

• Tichborne Franklin
• Lawson Mark
• Freeman Hugh
• Epifanie Arnaud
• Edwards Adrian
• Airbus Operations Ltd

Inventors

• Tichborne Franklin
• Lawson Mark
• Freeman Hugh
• Epifanie Arnaud
• Edwards Adrian

Classifications

• F04D29/22

  specially for centrifugal pumps · CPC title

• B64D37/16

  Filling systems (ground installations for fuelling aircraft B64F1/28) · CPC title

• B64C17/10

  Transferring fuel to adjust trim · CPC title

• B64D39/00 Primary

  Refuelling during flight · CPC title