Fuel tank, fuel pipe, and aircraft

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9957059-B2
Application number	US-201514623802-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Feb 17, 2015
Priority date	Feb 18, 2014
Publication date	May 1, 2018
Grant date	May 1, 2018

Abstract

A fuel tank that stores fuel to be fed to a fuel supply destination through a pipe, wherein a whole or a portion of a storage fuel contact portion in contact with the fuel within the fuel tank is subjected to surface finishing for imparting hydrophilicity.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A fuel supply apparatus comprising:
a fuel tank that stores liquid fuel therein, wherein at least a portion of an inner wall of the fuel tank in contact with the liquid fuel is a hydrophilic surface configured to solidify water thereon;
a drain port that is fluidly coupled to the fuel tank and configured to discharge the water from the fuel tank; and
a fuel pipe attached to the fuel tank, the fuel pipe directing the liquid fuel in the fuel tank to a fuel supply destination, wherein at least a portion of an inner wall of the fuel pipe is made of a material having water repellency, or is subjected to surface finishing for imparting water repellency.

2. An aircraft comprising:
the fuel supply apparatus according to claim 1 , and
an engine as the fuel supply destination.

3. The aircraft according to claim 2 ,
wherein a portion of a cooling oil path through which cooling oil used in the engine flows is arranged so as to enable heat dissipation to the fuel pipe or a member provided in the fuel pipe and through which the liquid fuel passes.

4. An aircraft comprising:
a fuel pipe through which fuel flows from a tank that stores the fuel to a fuel supply destination, wherein the fuel tank comprises:
a hydrophilic surface configured to solidify water thereon; and
a drain port that is fluidly coupled to the fuel tank and configured to discharge the water from the fuel tank;

an engine as the fuel supply destination;
a cooling oil pipe wherein cooling oil, used in the engine, flows therethrough; and
a heat transfer member configured to contact a portion of the fuel pipe and a portion of the cooling oil pipe, thereby thermally coupling the fuel pipe and the cooling oil pipe.

5. The aircraft according to claim 4 ,
wherein a member is further provided in the fuel pipe and the fuel passes through the member, and
the member and the cooling pipe are thermally coupled.

Assignees

• Mitsubishi Aircraft Corp

Inventors

• Kawano Shingo
• Fujii Atsushi
• Kanemaki Yuichi
• Komoda Ushio
• Umemoto Toshiyuki

Classifications

• B64D37/20

  Emptying systems · CPC title

• B64D37/02

  Tanks (tanks constructed integrally with aircraft wings B64C3/34) · CPC title

• Y02T50/44

  Cross-Sectional Technologies · mapped topic

• B64D37/34 Primary

  Conditioning fuel, e.g. heating (during filling B64D37/18) · CPC title

• Y02T50/40

  Weight reduction · CPC title