Fuel system and aircraft

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9764851-B2
Application number	US-201414446863-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jul 30, 2014
Priority date	Aug 7, 2013
Publication date	Sep 19, 2017
Grant date	Sep 19, 2017

Abstract

Provided is a fuel system that can reduce the amount of fuel in a second tank before the amount of fuel in a first tank. A fuel system includes: a first tank and a second tank that respectively store fuel; a fuel supply pump that supplies at least the fuel in the first tank out of the first and second tanks to a fuel consuming section; a transfer pump that transfers the fuel in the second tank into the first tank; and a fuel passage having an inlet in communication with an inner portion of the first tank, and an outlet in communication with an inner portion of the second tank. The fuel in the first tank overflows into the second tank through the fuel passage.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A fuel system comprising:
a first tank and a second tank that respectively store fuel;
a fuel supply pump that supplies the fuel in the first tank out of the first tank to a fuel consuming section;
a transfer pump that transfers the fuel in the second tank into the first tank; and
a fuel passage having an inlet in communication with an inner portion of the first tank, and an outlet in communication with an inner portion of the second tank,
wherein the fuel passage permits the fuel in the first tank to overflow into the second tank through the fuel passage when an amount of the fuel in the first tank exceeds a predetermined storage amount,
wherein the fuel system is mounted on an aircraft and the fuel passage has a down grade from the inlet toward the outlet based on a dihedral angle of a main wing of the aircraft, and
wherein the fuel passage is an elongated conduit that extends within the first tank along a length of the first tank.

2. The fuel system according to claim 1 ,
wherein when an amount of the fuel in the first tank exceeds the predetermined storage amount, the fuel in the first tank overflows into the second tank through the fuel passage, and
the fuel stops overflowing into the second tank from the first tank after termination of the transfer of the fuel from the second tank to the first tank.

3. The fuel system according to claim 1 , wherein the first tank is located outside the second tank on a right or left side of the second tank.

4. The fuel system according to claim 1 , wherein the transfer pump is a jet pump.

5. The fuel system according to claim 1 ,
wherein a vent that leads to outside air is provided in at least one of the first tank and the second tank, and
one of the first tank and the second tank communicates with the vent provided in the other of the tanks through the fuel passage.

6. The fuel system according to claim 3 ,
wherein the aircraft includes a skin and a plurality of stringers that reinforce the skin, and
the fuel passage is formed inside the skin, the adjacent stringers, and a cover member that covers a gap between the adjacent stringers.

7. The fuel system according to claim 3 ,
wherein the main wing has the dihedral angle and a sweepback angle, and
the outlet of the fuel passage is located above a fluid surface of the fuel in the first tank when a position of the aircraft is within a predetermined range of a climb angle.

8. The fuel system according to claim 3 ,
wherein the main wing has the dihedral angle and a sweepback angle,
the fuel passage includes a fluid surface upper portion that is located above a fluid surface of the fuel in the first tank when a position of the aircraft is within a predetermined range of a climb angle in the vicinity of the outlet, and
a vent hole is formed in the fluid surface upper portion.

9. The fuel system according to claim 3 ,
wherein the main wing has the dihedral angle and a sweepback angle,
the fuel passage includes a fluid surface upper portion that is located above a fluid surface of the fuel in the first tank when a position of the aircraft is within a predetermined range of a climb angle in the vicinity of the outlet,
a vent hole is formed in the fluid surface upper portion, and
the outlet of the fuel passage is in the vicinity of a fluid surface of the fuel in the second tank.

10. The fuel system according to claim 3 ,
wherein the main wing has the dihedral angle and a sweepback angle,
the fuel passage includes a fluid surface upper portion that is located above a fluid surface of the fuel in the first tank when a position of the aircraft is within a predetermined range of a climb angle in the vicinity of the outlet,
a vent hole is formed in the fluid surface upper portion, and
the fuel passage comprises a plurality of outlets.

11. The fuel system according to claim 1 , comprising a plurality of second tanks, wherein the second tanks are connected in parallel with the first tank.

12. The fuel system according to claim 1 , comprising:
a plurality of second tanks;
a pump that transfers the fuel in one of the second tanks into other one of the second tanks; and
a fuel passage having an inlet in communication with the inner portion of the one of the second tanks, and an outlet in communication with an inner portion of the other one of the second tanks, wherein:
the fuel in the one of the second tanks is caused to overflow into the other one of the second tanks through the fuel passage; and
the second tanks are connected in series with the first tank.

13. A fuel system comprising:
a first tank and a second tank that respectively store fuel;
a fuel supply pump that supplies the fuel in the first tank out of the first tank to a fuel consuming section;
a transfer pump that transfers the fuel in the second tank into the first tank; and
a fuel passage having an inlet in communication with an inner portion of the first tank, and an outlet in communication with an inner portion of the second tank,
wherein the fuel passage permits the fuel in the first tank to overflow into the second tank through the fuel passage when an amount of the fuel in the first tank exceeds a predetermined storage amount, and
wherein the fuel passage is an elongated conduit that extends within the first tank along a length of the first tank and toward an upper region above a liquid surface of the fuel within the first tank.

14. The fuel system according to claim 1 , wherein the fuel passage extends within the first tank along a substantial length of the first tank.

15. The fuel system according to claim 1 , wherein the fuel passage extends within the first tank along a majority of a length of the first tank.

Assignees

• Mitsubishi Aircraft Corp

Inventors

• Komoda Ushio

Classifications

• Y10T137/85978

  With pump · CPC title

• B64D37/22

  facilitating emptying in any position of tank · CPC title

• B64D37/04 Primary

  Arrangement thereof in or on aircraft · CPC title

• B64C3/34

  Tanks constructed integrally with wings, e.g. for fuel or water · CPC title

• Y02T50/44

  Cross-Sectional Technologies · mapped topic