Fuel circuit of a turbine engine

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9650960-B2
Application number	US-201314109284-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Dec 17, 2013
Priority date	Dec 18, 2012
Publication date	May 16, 2017
Grant date	May 16, 2017

Abstract

A fuel circuit for a turbine engine is provided. The fuel circuit includes a fuel return valve connected to the main circuit and to a fuel tank, the valve being capable of adopting an open position in which the valve allows an excess quantity of fuel to be returned to the tank, and a closed configuration in which the return of fuel to the tank is blocked; a first hydraulic line connecting the valve to the main circuit, and including a first filter; a second hydraulic line connecting the valve to the main circuit, and including a second filter; and an intermediate hydraulic line connected to the first and second lines downstream from the filters, the first and second lines being hydraulically connected together by the intermediate line when the valve is in the closed configuration.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A turbine engine fuel circuit comprising:
a fuel return valve configured to be connected firstly to a main fuel circuit of a turbine engine and secondly to a fuel tank, the fuel return valve being capable of adopting an open configuration in which the fuel return valve allows an excess quantity of fuel coming from the main fuel circuit to be returned to the fuel tank, and a closed configuration in which the return of fuel to the fuel tank is blocked;
a first hydraulic line connecting the fuel return valve to the main fuel circuit and including a first filter;
a second hydraulic line connecting the fuel return valve to the main fuel circuit and including a second filter; and
an intermediate hydraulic line connected to the first hydraulic line downstream from the first filter, and connected to the second hydraulic line downstream from the second filter, the first and second hydraulic lines being hydraulically connected together by the intermediate hydraulic line when the fuel return valve is in the closed configuration; and
wherein the first and second hydraulic lines are hydraulically connected together by the intermediate hydraulic line only when the fuel return valve is in the closed configuration.

2. The fuel circuit according to claim 1 , wherein the intermediate hydraulic line passes through the inside of the fuel return valve, the hydraulic connection between the first and second hydraulic lines being established or interrupted by actuating the fuel return valve.

3. The fuel circuit according to claim 1 , wherein the fuel return valve comprises a valve member that is movable between an open position corresponding to the open configuration of the fuel return valve, and a closed position corresponding to the closed configuration of the fuel return valve, the valve member defining a chamber via which the intermediate hydraulic line passes when the valve member is in the closed position.

4. The fuel circuit according to claim 1 , including an adjustable constriction in the intermediate hydraulic line in order to modify the flow rate of fuel in said intermediate hydraulic line.

5. The fuel circuit according to claim 1 , including first and second pressure regulators, the first regulator being arranged in the first hydraulic line between the point of connection, between the intermediate hydraulic line and the fuel return valve, and the second regulator being arranged in the second hydraulic line between the connection point of the intermediate hydraulic line and the fuel return valve.

6. The fuel circuit according to claim 1 , wherein the main fuel circuit includes a low-pressure pump, a high-pressure pump, and a heat exchanger between the low-pressure pump and the high-pressure pump, and wherein the first hydraulic line is connected to the main fuel circuit upstream from the heat exchanger and the second hydraulic line is connected to the main fuel circuit downstream from the heat exchanger.

7. A turbine engine including a fuel circuit according to claim 1 .

8. The fuel circuit according to claim 6 , wherein the first hydraulic line is connected to the main fuel circuit between the low pressure pump and the heat exchanger.

9. The fuel circuit according to claim 6 , wherein the second hydraulic line is connected to the main fuel circuit between the heat exchanger and the high-pressure pump.

10. The fuel circuit according to claim 6 , wherein the main fuel circuit includes a hydraulic energy recovery member, situated between the low-pressure pump and the heat exchanger, and wherein the first hydraulic line is connected to the main fuel circuit between the low-pressure pump and the energy recovery member.

11. The fuel circuit according to claim 10 , wherein the hydraulic energy recovery member is a jet pump.

Assignees

• Snecma

Inventors

• Vertenoeuil Philippe
• Brun Gilles

Classifications

• F02C7/232 Primary

  Fuel valves {(control of fuel supply by means of fuel metering valves F02C9/263)}; Draining valves or systems (valves in general F16K) · CPC title

• F05D2260/606

  Bypassing the fluid · CPC title

• F02C9/263

  by means of fuel metering valves · CPC title

• F02C9/36

  characterised by returning of fuel to sump (F02C9/38 takes precedence) · CPC title

• F02C7/236 Primary

  Fuel delivery systems comprising two or more pumps · CPC title