A fuel system and method for rapid fuel change of a fuel tank with fuel and gas

Abstract

The present application relates to a kind of cabin section with fuel with gas quick replacement fuel system, comprising: equipment installation cabin section, fuel pipeline, self-sealing fluid connector, quick-change fluid connector, booster gas pipeline, booster gas interface, oil bladder and fuel interface.Loaded fuel cabin section is isolated from the outside by seal, and there is a booster gas interface and a fuel interface on end face as gas, liquid passage.The above two gas, liquid interface is connected to other cabin section and equipment by communication pipeline.By setting quick-change fluid connector on booster gas pipeline, self-sealing fluid connector is set on fuel pipeline, the pipeline is quickly disconnected and quickly sealed.The scheme enables cabin section to be equipped with fuel with gas whole cabin replacement, and the end of pipeline can be quickly sealed when disconnected and connected, only a small amount of gas or liquid is leaked.

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD

[0001] The application relates to a fuel system and a fuel loading method for a cabin section with fuel and gas, and belongs to the technical field of aircraft power systems and overall design. BACKGROUND

[0002] Limited space is available on an aircraft, and fuel loading is often shared with other equipment, payloads, etc. in a cabin section. Overall indicators often require the equipment / payload in the cabin to be replaced at the launch site, and the replacement needs to be completed within a short time, usually within ten minutes or even a few minutes. In the above-mentioned case where fuel loading and equipment / payload share a cabin section, the flow of fuel and pressurized gas increases the difficulty of equipment replacement in the cabin.

[0003] There are two common equipment replacement schemes as follows:

[0004] (1) Equipment is directly removed from the cabin

[0005] When the cabin section is only used for installing equipment and other solid devices, and is not used as a fuel tank, the equipment replacement only needs to remove the cabin cover and the mechanical connection, and then the equipment can be taken out and replaced from the cabin.

[0006] (2) Fuel is discharged and then the equipment is removed

[0007] When the equipment cabin is used to load equipment and fuel, the common disassembly and assembly method is: ① the fuel in the cabin is first discharged back to the ground tank, ② the fuel connection pipeline and the air pillow connection pipeline connected to the cabin are disconnected and sealed to prevent leakage, ③ the equipment is disassembled and replaced, ④ the fuel connection pipeline and the air pillow connection pipeline are installed, ⑤ fuel is added and pressurized gas is filled.

[0008] Due to the fuel loading capacity and overall layout requirements of the aircraft, some cabin sections must simultaneously load fuel and equipment, so the scheme (1) of directly disassembling the cabin cover to replace the equipment is not suitable. In order to achieve rapid equipment replacement, the time control is within ten minutes or even a few minutes, and the fuel discharge and filling links that take too much time must be saved, so the scheme (2) cannot be used.

[0009] As can be seen, the above two schemes have limitations and deficiencies when applied to the case where fuel and equipment share a cabin section and the equipment needs to be quickly replaced. If the fuel is not discharged, the equipment is disassembled and assembled with the cabin shell, and the problem of fuel and pressurized gas leakage from the cabin during disassembly and assembly needs to be solved, which affects other cabin sections and equipment. SUMMARY

[0010] The technical problem solved by the present invention is to overcome the shortcomings of the prior art and provide a fuel system and method for rapid fuel and gas swapping in a compartment. By setting connectors on the fuel pipeline and pressurized gas pipeline connected to the compartment, the gas and liquid pipelines can be disconnected / connected at this position without releasing the pressurized gas and fuel. At the same time, the ends of the pipelines can be quickly sealed when disconnecting and connecting, with only a small amount of gas or liquid leaking.

[0011] The technical solution of this invention is:

[0012] A fuel system with quick fuel and gas exchange in a compartment includes: an equipment installation compartment (1), a fuel line (2), a self-sealing fluid connector (3), a quick-change fluid connector (4), a pressurized gas line (5), a pressurized gas interface (6), a fuel bladder (7), and a fuel interface (8).

[0013] The self-sealing fluid connector (3) is connected in series in the fuel line (2), and the quick-change fluid connector (4) is connected in series in the booster gas line (5). The fuel line (2) and the booster gas line (5) are respectively connected to the fuel interface (8) and the booster gas interface (6) set on the equipment installation section (1). The equipment (9) is installed inside the equipment installation section (1). The equipment installation section (1) is also equipped with an oil bladder (7). The oil bladder (7) is connected to the external fuel line (2) through the fuel interface (8) set on the equipment installation section (1). The air cushion in the equipment installation section (1) is connected to the booster gas line (5) through the booster gas interface (6). The oil bladder (7) isolates the fuel from the air cushion and the equipment.

[0014] Furthermore, at least one of the two pipes connected to the inlet and outlet of the self-sealing fluid connector is a flexible hose, and at least one of the two pipes connected to the inlet and outlet of the quick-change fluid connector is a flexible hose.

[0015] Furthermore, the self-sealing fluid connector (3) and the quick-change fluid connector (4) have the same structure, both including two components: a female connector and a male connector; the female connector and the male connector are normally closed valves, one end of which is connected to the pipeline and kept unobstructed, and the other end is used for mutual docking.

[0016] Furthermore, when the female and male connectors are not mated together, their mating ends are sealed, and the fluid does not leak to the outside. When the female and male connectors are mated together until their axial end faces come into contact with each other, the valve cores of the female connector and the valve cores of the male connector squeeze each other and move away from the valve seats at the same time, so that the valve is in the open state and the two connectors become connected.

[0017] Furthermore, both the female and male connectors are equipped with sealing structures to seal the connection point during docking and prevent fluid leakage to the outside.

[0018] Furthermore, male connectors of the same type of fluid connector are interchangeable, and female connectors are interchangeable, thereby ensuring that the connectors can be switched when changing the tank; the fluid connector refers to a self-sealing fluid connector (3) or a quick-change fluid connector (4).

[0019] Furthermore, the space within the equipment installation compartment (1) is filled with equipment (9), fuel bladder (7) and air cushion. When the fuel is consumed and the volume decreases, the air cushion replenishes the space reduced by the fuel bladder (7) by filling with pressurized gas.

[0020] Furthermore, the diameter selection range of the self-sealing fluid connector (3) is as follows:

[0021] Step 1: Calculate the pressure loss of the self-sealing fluid connector during flight.

[0022] Where Q is the pressure loss, C is the structural coefficient, d is the fluid connector diameter, Δp is the flow resistance, and ρ is the fuel density;

[0023] Step Two: During the quick fuel exchange operation on the ground, fuel leaked from the system into the aircraft cabin through the self-sealing fluid connector. The formula for calculating the leakage amount is as follows:

[0024] Where V is the leakage amount. For average flow, and f() is the instantaneous flow function, and the average flow function is... According to the test results in the product manual, Q1 is the instantaneous flow rate, and t is the shutdown time.

[0025] Step 3: Determine the selection range for the self-sealing fluid connector's nominal diameter. The flow rate of the self-sealing fluid connector must be greater than a certain value, and the leakage during the quick-change process must be less than a certain value. The formula for determining the selection range for the self-sealing fluid connector's nominal diameter is as follows:

[0026] Furthermore, this invention also proposes a method for rapid refueling of compartments with both fuel and gas, the steps of which are as follows:

[0027] During final assembly, the self-sealing fluid connector is connected in series in the fuel line connected to the equipment installation compartment, and the quick-change fluid connector is connected in series in the pressurization line connected to the equipment installation compartment.

[0028] When a compartment already loaded with equipment, fuel and pressurized gas needs to be reloaded, the male and female connectors of the self-sealing fluid connector (3) and the quick-change fluid connector (4) are manually disconnected through the operation window. The mating ends are sealed, and the fuel and pressurized gas in the compartment will not leak from the disconnected fluid connectors.

[0029] Remove other mechanical connections from the equipment installation section and replace them with a new section equipped with another type of equipment;

[0030] Connect the male and female connectors of the fluid connector carried by the new compartment to the female and male connectors of the pipeline on the aircraft, respectively, and fix them in place. At this time, the pressurized air pipeline and the fuel pipeline are in a connected state, and the compartment is completed with fuel and gas.

[0031] In this method, the diameter selection range of the self-sealing fluid connector (3) is determined as follows:

[0032] Step 1: Calculate the pressure loss of the self-sealing fluid connector during flight.

[0033] Where Q is the pressure loss, C is the structural coefficient, d is the fluid connector diameter, Δp is the flow resistance, and ρ is the fuel density;

[0034] Step Two: During the quick fuel exchange operation on the ground, fuel leaked from the system into the aircraft cabin through the self-sealing fluid connector. The formula for calculating the leakage amount is as follows:

[0035] Where V is the leakage amount. For average flow, and f() is the instantaneous flow function, and the average flow function is... According to the test results in the product manual, Q1 is the instantaneous flow rate, and t is the shutdown time.

[0036] Step 3: Determine the selection range for the self-sealing fluid connector's nominal diameter. The flow rate of the self-sealing fluid connector must be greater than a certain value, and the leakage during the quick-change process must be less than a certain value. The formula for determining the selection range for the self-sealing fluid connector's nominal diameter is as follows:

[0037] The beneficial effects of this invention compared to the prior art are:

[0038] (1) The compartment of the present invention can be quickly replaced with the entire compartment. The fuel and pressurized gas in the compartment do not need to be released or refilled. The replacement time occupied by the fuel system does not exceed ten minutes, so that the equipment meets the index requirements with the replacement time of the entire compartment.

[0039] (2) The present invention provides a method for selecting and determining the diameter of the self-sealing fluid connector, so that during the equipment replacement process of the present invention, the fuel and pressurized gas in the compartment can be quickly sealed in the compartment and will not flow out to contaminate other compartments, and the amount of fuel leakage is very small, generally not more than 5 drops.

[0040] (3) The present invention enables the equipment installation bay to carry fuel at the same time, effectively utilizing the space around the equipment and improving the space utilization efficiency on the aircraft. Attached Figure Description

[0041] Figure 1It is a fuel system with the function of rapid fuel and gas swapping of the entire tank;

[0042] Figure 2 Schematic diagram of a compartment being loaded with fuel oil, pressurization gas, and equipment;

[0043] Figure 3 Diagram of gas and liquid pipeline structure;

[0044] Figure 4 This is a structural diagram of a fluid connector, where 4a is a schematic diagram of the connector assembly, 4b is a schematic diagram of the male connector, and 4c is a schematic diagram of the female connector. Detailed Implementation

[0045] The specific embodiments of the present invention will now be described in further detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0046] The primary function of the fuel system is to store fuel and provide a continuous supply of pressurized fuel to downstream engines. A certain section of the aircraft serves as both equipment installation space and a fuel tank. To enable rapid equipment replacement, the fuel system must allow for the rapid and leak-free replacement of fuel and air cushions within the cabin.

[0047] This invention relates to a fuel system with a rapid, integrated fuel and gas-filled compartment refueling capability, suitable for aircraft compartments that simultaneously carry fuel and equipment, and where multiple types of equipment require refueling. The fuel-loaded compartment is isolated from the outside environment by a seal, typically featuring a small-diameter pressurized gas inlet and a fuel inlet on its end face as gas / liquid channels. These two gas / liquid inlets are connected to other compartments and equipment via connecting pipelines. By installing a quick-change fluid connector on the pressurized gas pipeline and a self-sealing fluid connector on the fuel pipeline, rapid disconnection and sealing of the pipelines are achieved. This design enables the entire compartment to be refueled with both fuel and gas.

[0048] 1. Structural form

[0049] like Figure 1 and Figure 2 As shown, the present invention proposes a fuel system with a quick fuel and gas exchange function for the entire compartment, comprising: equipment installation compartment 1, fuel line 2, self-sealing fluid connector 3, quick-change fluid connector 4, pressurized gas line 5, pressurized gas interface 6, fuel bladder 7, and fuel interface 8.

[0050] The self-sealing fluid connector 3 is connected in series in the fuel line 2, and the quick-change fluid connector 4 is connected in series in the booster gas line 5. The fuel line 2 and the booster gas line 5 are respectively connected to the fuel interface 8 and the booster gas interface 6 set on the equipment installation section 1. The equipment 9 is installed inside the equipment installation section 1. The equipment installation section 1 is also equipped with a fuel bladder 7. The fuel bladder 7 is connected to the external fuel line 2 through the fuel interface 8 set on the equipment installation section 1. The air cushion in the equipment installation section 1 is connected to the booster gas line 5 through the booster gas interface 6. The fuel bladder 7 isolates the fuel from the air cushion and the equipment.

[0051] Gas and liquid pipelines such as Figure 3 As shown, the pipes are connected to and sealed with other equipment via pipe fittings to form gas and liquid channels. If the pipe fittings are disassembled, they cannot be sealed, and internal fluid will leak out. The pipes can be rigid or flexible. At least one of the two pipes connected to the inlet and outlet of the self-sealing fluid connector must be a flexible hose, and at least one of the two pipes connected to the inlet and outlet of the quick-change fluid connector must be a flexible hose.

[0052] like Figure 4 As shown, the self-sealing fluid connector 3 and the quick-change fluid connector 4 have the same structure, both including two components: a female connector and a male connector. The female and male connectors are normally closed valves, with one end connected to the pipeline and kept open, and the other end used for mating. When the female and male connectors are not mated together, the mating ends are individually sealed, as shown... Figure 4 b) and Figure 4 As shown in c), the fluid does not leak to the outside. When the female and male connectors are mated until their axial end faces contact each other, the two valve cores inside the connectors press against each other and simultaneously move away from the valve seats, putting the valve in the open state, as shown in c). Figure 4 As shown in a), the interiors of the two connectors become interconnected. Both the female and male connectors are equipped with sealing structures to ensure a tight seal at the connection point during mating, preventing fluid leakage to the outside.

[0053] The male connectors of the same type of fluid connector are interchangeable, and the female connectors are interchangeable, thus ensuring that the connectors can be switched when changing the tank; the fluid connector refers to the self-sealing fluid connector 3 or the quick-change fluid connector 4.

[0054] The space inside the equipment installation compartment 1 is filled with equipment 9, fuel bladder 7 and air cushion. When the fuel is consumed and the volume is reduced, the air cushion is filled with pressurized air to make the space reduced by the fuel bladder 7.

[0055] 2. Specific working process of the present invention:

[0056] (1) During final assembly, connect the self-sealing fluid connector in series with the fuel line connected to the compartment, and connect the quick-change fluid connector in series with the pressurization line connected to the compartment. Connect the mating ends of the fluid connectors together.

[0057] (2) When a compartment that is already loaded with equipment, fuel and pressurizer needs to be reloaded, the male and female connectors of the fluid connector can be manually disconnected through the operation window. Since the docking ends are sealed, the fuel and pressurizer in the compartment will not leak from the disconnected fluid connector.

[0058] (3) Remove other mechanical connections from the compartment and replace them with a compartment equipped with another type of equipment.

[0059] (4) Connect the male / female fluid connectors carried by the new compartment to the female / male connectors of the pipelines on the aircraft and secure them reliably. At this time, the pressurized gas pipeline and the fuel pipeline are in a connected state. The compartment is now fully refueled and gasified.

[0060] 3. The nominal diameter selection range of the self-sealing fluid connector 3 shall be determined as follows:

[0061] (1) Since the fluid connector is connected in series in the system piping, during flight, the flow resistance characteristics of the self-sealing fluid connector will affect the fuel flow rate through the connector and the piping it is located in. The formula for calculating the pressure loss of the self-sealing fluid connector is as follows:

[0062] Where Q represents pressure loss.

[0063] C—Structural coefficient

[0064] d—fluid connector bore

[0065] Δp — Flow resistance

[0066] ρ — fuel density

[0067] (2) During the quick-change operation, fuel leaks from the system into the aircraft cabin through the self-sealing fluid connector, while air simultaneously enters the system from the outside through the same connector. The amount of leakage affects cabin contaminant control, and the amount of air intake affects system operation during flight. Leakage amount formula.

[0068] Where V represents the leakage amount.

[0069] —Average flow rate

[0070] Q1 - Instantaneous flow rate

[0071] t — Closing time

[0072] Average flow This was found in the product manual's test results.

[0073] (3) Based on the operational parameter requirements of the system during flight, the flow rate through the self-sealing fluid connector must be greater than a certain value; the leakage during the quick-change process must be less than a certain value. According to formulas (1) and (2) above, the formula for selecting the diameter range of the self-sealing fluid connector is as follows:

[0074] (4) Select components based on structural requirements.

[0075] This invention provides a method for selecting and determining the diameter of the self-sealing fluid connector, which ensures that during the equipment replacement process, the fuel and pressurized gas in the compartment are quickly sealed inside the compartment, preventing them from leaking out and contaminating other compartments, and that the amount of fuel leakage is very small, generally not exceeding 5 drops.

[0076] The parts of this invention not described in detail are common knowledge to those skilled in the art.

Claims

1. A fuel system for rapid fuel and gas swapping in a compartment, characterized in that... include: Equipment installation compartment (1), fuel line (2), self-sealing fluid connector (3), quick-change fluid connector (4), booster gas line (5), booster gas interface (6), fuel bladder (7) and fuel interface (8); The self-sealing fluid connector (3) is connected in series in the fuel line (2), and the quick-change fluid connector (4) is connected in series in the booster gas line (5). The fuel line (2) and the booster gas line (5) are respectively connected to the fuel interface (8) and the booster gas interface (6) set on the equipment installation section (1). The equipment (9) is installed inside the equipment installation section (1). The equipment installation section (1) is also equipped with an oil bladder (7). The oil bladder (7) is connected to the external fuel line (2) through the fuel interface (8) set on the equipment installation section (1). The air cushion in the equipment installation section (1) is connected to the booster gas line (5) through the booster gas interface (6). The oil bladder (7) isolates the fuel from the air cushion and the equipment. The diameter selection range of the self-sealing fluid connector (3) is as follows: The pressure loss of the self-sealing fluid connector during flight is calculated as follows: Where Q is the pressure loss, C is the structural coefficient, d is the fluid connector diameter, Δp is the flow resistance, and ρ is the fuel density; During a quick fuel exchange operation on the ground, fuel leaked from the system into the aircraft cabin through a self-sealing fluid connector. The formula for calculating the leakage amount is as follows: Where V is the leakage amount. For average flow, and f() is the instantaneous flow function, and the average flow function is... According to the test results in the product manual, Q1 is the instantaneous flow rate, and t is the shutdown time. To determine the selection range of the nominal diameter of a self-sealing fluid connector, the flow rate of the connector must be greater than a certain value, and the leakage during quick-change must be less than a certain value. The formula for selecting the nominal diameter of a self-sealing fluid connector is as follows:

2. The fuel system for rapid fuel-gas switching in a compartment according to claim 1, characterized in that: At least one of the two pipes connected to the inlet and outlet of the self-sealing fluid connector is a flexible hose, and at least one of the two pipes connected to the inlet and outlet of the quick-change fluid connector is a flexible hose.

3. The fuel system for rapid fuel-gas transfer in a compartment according to claim 1, characterized in that: The self-sealing fluid connector (3) and the quick-change fluid connector (4) have the same structure, both including two components: a female connector and a male connector. The female connector and the male connector are normally closed valves, one end of which is connected to the pipeline and kept open, and the other end is used for mutual docking.

4. A fuel system for rapid fuel and gas swapping in a compartment according to claim 3, characterized in that: When the female and male connectors are not connected, their respective ends are sealed, and the fluid does not leak to the outside. When the female and male connectors are connected to their axial end faces, the valve cores of the female connector and the valve cores of the male connector are pressed against each other and simultaneously leave the valve seat, so that the valve is in the open state and the two connectors become connected.

5. A fuel system for rapid fuel and gas swapping in a compartment according to claim 4, characterized in that: Both the female and male connectors are equipped with sealing structures to seal the connection point during connection, preventing fluid leakage to the outside.

6. A fuel system for rapid fuel-gas transfer in a compartment according to any one of claims 3 to 5, characterized in that: The male connectors of the same type of fluid connector are interchangeable, and the female connectors are interchangeable, so as to ensure that the connectors can be switched when changing the tank; the fluid connector refers to the self-sealing fluid connector (3) or the quick-change fluid connector (4).

7. A fuel system for rapid fuel-gas transfer in a compartment according to any one of claims 3 to 5, characterized in that: The space inside the equipment installation compartment (1) is filled with equipment (9), fuel bladder (7) and air cushion. When the fuel is consumed and the volume is reduced, the air cushion is filled with pressurized air to make the space reduced by the fuel bladder (7).

8. A method for rapid fuel-fuel ... The steps are as follows: During final assembly, the self-sealing fluid connector is connected in series in the fuel line connected to the equipment installation compartment, and the quick-change fluid connector is connected in series in the pressurization line connected to the equipment installation compartment. When a compartment already loaded with equipment, fuel and pressurized gas needs to be reloaded, the male and female connectors of the self-sealing fluid connector (3) and the quick-change fluid connector (4) are manually disconnected through the operation window. The mating ends are sealed, and the fuel and pressurized gas in the compartment will not leak from the disconnected fluid connectors. Remove other mechanical connections from the equipment installation section and replace them with a new section equipped with another type of equipment; Connect the male and female connectors of the fluid connector carried by the new compartment to the female and male connectors of the pipeline on the aircraft, respectively, and fix them in place. At this time, the pressurized air pipeline and the fuel pipeline are in a connected state, and the compartment is completed with fuel and gas replacement. The diameter selection range of the self-sealing fluid connector (3) is as follows: Step 1: Calculate the pressure loss of the self-sealing fluid connector during flight. Where Q is the pressure loss, C is the structural coefficient, d is the fluid connector diameter, Δp is the flow resistance, and ρ is the fuel density; Step Two: During the quick fuel exchange operation on the ground, fuel leaked from the system into the aircraft cabin through the self-sealing fluid connector. The formula for calculating the leakage amount is as follows: Where V is the leakage amount. For average flow, and f() is the instantaneous flow function, and the average flow function is... According to the test results in the product manual, Q1 is the instantaneous flow rate, and t is the shutdown time. Step 3: Determine the selection range for the self-sealing fluid connector's nominal diameter. The flow rate of the self-sealing fluid connector must be greater than a certain value, and the leakage during the quick-change process must be less than a certain value. The formula for determining the selection range for the self-sealing fluid connector's nominal diameter is as follows:

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