Air-separation device, inerting device and aircraft comprising such a device

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9901867-B2
Application number	US-201415028250-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Sep 15, 2014
Priority date	Oct 9, 2013
Publication date	Feb 27, 2018
Grant date	Feb 27, 2018

Abstract

The invention relates to an air-separation device comprising a generally cylindrical casing housing a filtration element including a bundle of hollow oblong fibers forming a membrane, the longitudinal axis of the fibers being parallel to the longitudinal axis (A) of the cylindrical casing, said casing comprising an air inlet at a first end and an outlet for purified gas at a second end. The device comprises a member for maintaining the fiber bundle in the casing, characterized in that the maintenance member comprises at least one spring member disposed inside the casing, said spring member being loaded between an end-stop formed by the casing and a longitudinal end of the fiber bundle in order to maintain the fiber bundle longitudinally in place while allowing it to dilate and contract.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An inerting device for an aircraft tank comprising an air separation device, said air separation device comprising:
a casing having a generally cylindrical form and a longitudinal axis and having an air inlet orifice and a purified gas outlet orifice at first and second ends thereof, respectively;
a filtration element enclosed within said casing, said filtration element comprising a bundle of hollow oblong fibers forming a membrane, a longitudinal axis of the fibers being parallel to said longitudinal axis of said cylindrical casing, said bundle having, at one or both ends thereof, a rigid layer of a material;
a first retention unit supported on said rigid layer and being adapted and configured to retain said bundle of fibers in said casing, said first retention unit comprising at least one spring unit arranged inside said casing, each of said at least one spring unit of said first retention unit being compressed between a first longitudinal end of the bundle of fibers and a first stop that is formed by said casing so as to permit expansion or contraction of said bundle of fibers.

2. The device of claim 1 , wherein said at least one spring unit of said first retention unit comprises at least one resilient washer.

3. The device of claim 2 , wherein said at least one spring unit of said first retention unit further comprises a flat support washer that is arranged between, said at least one resilient washer of said first retention unit and the first longitudinal end of the bundle of fibers.

4. The device of claim 3 , wherein said flat support washer is in contact with said at least one resilient washer of said first retention unit.

5. The device of claim 2 , wherein said at least one spring unit of said first retention unit comprises a plurality of said resilient washers.

6. The device of claim 1 , wherein said at least one spring unit of said first retention unit comprises at least one wavy resilient washer.

7. The device of claim 6 , wherein said at least one wavy resilient washer comprises a plurality of wavy resilient washers and each of said plurality of wavy resilient washers of said first retention unit is stacked on a same side of said casing.

8. The device of claim 1 , further comprising a second retention unit comprising at least one spring unit, said at least one spring unit of said second retention unit comprises at least one resilient washer, wherein:
said bundle has a second longitudinal end opposite said first longitudinal end; and
said at least one resilient washer of said at least one spring unit of said second retention unit being arranged between a second stop formed by said casing and said second longitudinal end of said bundle of fibers.

9. The device of claim 1 , wherein said casing comprises two ends which are assembled to one another and form, respectively, a base and a cover of said casing.

10. The device of claim 9 , further comprising a cylindrical central sleeve arranged in said casing around said bundle of fibers.

11. The device of claim 1 , wherein said material of said rigid layer is a thermosetting material.

12. An aircraft comprising said inerting device of claim 1 .

Assignees

• Lair Liquide Sa Pour Letude Et Lexploitation Des Procedes George Claude
• Air Liquide

Inventors

• Roussin Bouchard Xavier
• Caillaud Aurelie
• Gianese Pierre
• Dumont Elodie
• Dejonghe Jean Marc

Classifications

• B01D67/0097

  Storing or preservation · CPC title

• B01D63/02

  Hollow fibre modules · CPC title

• B01D2258/06

  Polluted air · CPC title

• B01D63/021

  Manufacturing thereof · CPC title

• B01D2313/02

  Specific tightening or locking mechanisms · CPC title