Controllable airplane drainage system
By designing a controllable aircraft drainage system, utilizing water pumps and engine bleed air systems, the problem of rapid drainage of accumulated water from aircraft was solved, achieving efficient and controllable drainage of accumulated water, reducing the risk of equipment immersion and electro-corrosion, saving energy, and improving safety.
Patent Information
- Application Number
- CN202423258083.2
- Authority / Receiving Office
- CN · China
- Patent Type
- Utility models(China)
- Current Assignee / Owner
- Filing Date
- 2024-12-27
- Publication Date
- 2025-12-02
- Estimated Expiration
- 2034-12-27
AI Technical Summary
Existing aircraft drainage systems are unable to quickly and effectively drain water from the cabin during flight. In particular, the drainage hole design of stealth aircraft makes it difficult for water to be drained in a timely manner, posing risks of equipment immersion and electrolytic corrosion.
A controllable aircraft drainage system was designed, including a water pump, a water storage tank, a drainage pump, and an engine bleed air system. Through power pumping and automatic/manual control, the system achieves efficient collection and unified discharge of accumulated water.
It enables efficient and controllable drainage of water accumulated in aircraft, reduces the risk of equipment immersion and electro-corrosion, saves aircraft power, adapts to water storage conditions in different cabins, and improves safety.
Smart Images
Figure CN223618923U_ABST
Abstract
Description
Technical Field
[0001] This utility model relates to the field of aircraft overall environmental engineering technology, and in particular to a controllable aircraft drainage system. Background Technology
[0002] When an aircraft is in flight, water may accumulate in the cabin due to rain, air condensation, or other reasons. When a certain level of water remains in the cabin, it can cause equipment and wiring harnesses to be submerged for extended periods, affecting their functionality and potentially posing safety risks. Furthermore, during aircraft maneuvers, water accumulated at the bottom of the cabin may be splashed to higher areas, causing water to enter various onboard equipment and their electrical connectors, posing risks of electrical corrosion and short circuits.
[0003] Jet aircraft typically employ drainage methods by installing drain holes at the lowest points of each compartment, relying on gravity or inertia during maneuvers to drain water. However, due to environmental factors, the rate of water accumulation inside the cabin can be significantly greater than the rate of natural drainage through these drain holes. Furthermore, some stealth aircraft have size limits on their surface drain holes; smaller holes make the surface tension of the water more pronounced, making it more difficult for water to drain out of the aircraft in a timely manner. Utility Model Content
[0004] The purpose of this invention is to provide a controllable aircraft drainage system. This invention enables controllable drainage of aircraft.
[0005] The technical solution of this utility model is: a controllable aircraft drainage system, including a water pumping pipe connected to the lowest point of each aircraft compartment that needs drainage, a shut-off valve on the water pumping pipe, the water pumping pipes being connected in parallel and then connected to a water pumping pump, the water pumping pump being connected to a water storage tank, the water storage tank being connected to a drain pipe, and the water pumping pump being electrically connected to a water pumping pump controller.
[0006] In the aforementioned controllable aircraft drainage system, the water pump is also connected to the engine via an engine bleed air line, and the engine bleed air line is equipped with a pressure reducing shut-off valve.
[0007] In the aforementioned controllable aircraft drainage system, the pumping pipe is also equipped with a one-way valve.
[0008] In the aforementioned controllable aircraft drainage system, a water pressure sensor is installed at the lowest point of each compartment that needs drainage.
[0009] In the aforementioned controllable aircraft drainage system, the drainage system coexists with the aircraft's conventional drainage holes.
[0010] In the aforementioned controllable aircraft drainage system, the top of the water storage tank is equipped with an overflow component.
[0011] In the aforementioned controllable aircraft drainage system, a heating component is also installed on the water pumping pipe.
[0012] In the aforementioned controllable aircraft drainage system, the water storage tank is installed near the longitudinal center of gravity of the aircraft.
[0013] In the aforementioned controllable aircraft drainage system, the water storage tank is installed in the belly of the aircraft, including in the equipment compartment, the main landing gear compartment, or the belly pod compartment.
[0014] In the aforementioned controllable aircraft drainage system, a drainage pump is installed on the drainage pipe, and the drainage pump is electrically connected to the drainage pump controller.
[0015] The advantages of this utility model are:
[0016] (1) Compared with the traditional method of relying on the machine's drainage hole for natural water leakage, the proposed drainage system uses power pumping, which is more efficient.
[0017] (2) The drainage system of this utility model can accept manual instructions to pump water, and the timing of pumping water is controllable;
[0018] (3) The drainage system of this utility model collects the water accumulated in each compartment and can discharge it out of the aircraft at an appropriate time;
[0019] (4) This utility model can pump water separately for compartments with water pressure exceeding the expected level, so as to deal with different water storage levels in different compartments and make it more flexible to use.
[0020] (5) The water pump of this utility model can accept the ram air from the aircraft engine as power, saving the electrical energy on the aircraft. Attached Figure Description
[0021] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of this utility model;
[0022] Figure 2 This is a schematic diagram of the control process of this utility model.
[0023] 1-Drainage compartment, 2-Lowest point of compartment, 3-Shut-off valve, 4-Check valve, 5-Water suction pipe, 6-Water pump, 7-Pressure reducing shut-off valve, 8-Engine bleed air line, 9-Engine, 10-Water pump controller, 11-Water storage tank, 12-Drain pipe, 13-Drain pump, 14-Drain pump controller. Detailed Implementation
[0024] The present invention will be further described below with reference to the accompanying drawings and embodiments, but this should not be construed as limiting the present invention.
[0025] Example 1. A controllable aircraft drainage system, the main principle of which is: using water pumps to pump water from various compartments of the aircraft to a storage tank, the storage tank collects all the water on board and discharges it from the aircraft body at an appropriate time. The system is structured as follows: Figures 1-2As shown, it includes 4 subsystems:
[0026] (1) Pumping system, used to pump out water from each compartment of the aircraft. It mainly includes: pumping pump, pumping pump controller, pumping pipes for each compartment, and shut-off valves and check valves on the pumping pipes.
[0027] (2) Water storage system, used to collect water collected from various compartments of the aircraft. It mainly includes: water storage tank, water storage tank drain pipe, drain pump and drain pump controller.
[0028] (3) Engine bleed air system, mainly including: engine bleed air pipeline and pressure reducing shut-off valve.
[0029] (4) The sensing and measurement system mainly includes: water pressure sensors in each compartment and full water level signal in the water storage tank.
[0030] The specific structure is as follows:
[0031] It includes a water pumping pipe 5 connected to the lowest point 2 of each of the aircraft's drainage compartments 1. The water pumping pipe 5 is equipped with a shut-off valve 3. The water pumping pipes 5 are connected in parallel and then connected to a water pump 6. The water pump 6 is connected to a water storage tank 11. The water storage tank 11 is connected to a drain pipe 12. The water pump 6 is electrically connected to a water pump controller 10.
[0032] The aforementioned water pump 6 is also connected to the engine 9 via the engine bleed air line 8, and the engine bleed air line 8 is equipped with a pressure reducing shut-off valve 7.
[0033] The aforementioned water pumping pipe 5 is also equipped with a one-way valve 4.
[0034] Water pressure sensors are installed at the lowest point of each of the aforementioned drainage compartments 1.
[0035] The aforementioned drainage system coexists with the aircraft's conventional drainage holes.
[0036] The aforementioned water storage tank 11 is equipped with an overflow component on its top.
[0037] The aforementioned water pipe 5 is also equipped with a heating element.
[0038] The aforementioned water tank 11 is installed near the longitudinal center of gravity of the aircraft.
[0039] Optionally, the aforementioned water tank 11 is installed in the belly of the aircraft, including in the equipment compartment, the main landing gear compartment, or the belly pod compartment.
[0040] A drain pump 13 is installed on the aforementioned drain pipe 12, and the drain pump 13 is electrically connected to the drain pump controller 14.
[0041] Aircraft engine bleed air logic:
[0042] like Figure 1 As shown in Figure 2,
[0043] (1) When the aircraft is on the ground (wheel load is on the ground), the aircraft electromechanical management computer sends a signal to close the pressure reduction shut-off valve.
[0044] (2) When the engine is in a non-bleeding state (the electromechanical management computer receives engine parameters from the power unit controller and makes a judgment based on the preset on / off logic), the aircraft electromechanical management computer sends a signal to close the pressure reduction shut-off valve.
[0045] (3) When a manual shutdown command is received (on a UAV, the command is generally transmitted via a remote control link to the aircraft management computer and then forwarded to the electromechanical management computer; on a manned aircraft, the command is generally transmitted via a cockpit command to the aircraft management computer and then forwarded to the electromechanical management computer), the aircraft electromechanical management computer sends a signal to close the pressure relief shut-off valve.
[0046] (4) In other cases, the engine bleed air system is in an “available” state, and the pressure relief shut-off valve is activated when the aircraft electromechanical management computer issues a “pump” command.
[0047] Pumping system logic:
[0048] like Figure 1 As shown in Figure 2,
[0049] (1) The aircraft electromechanical management computer receives water pressure sensor data from each compartment of the aircraft. When the water pressure in a compartment exceeds a preset limit, the aircraft electromechanical management computer sends a signal to open the shut-off valve on the water pump pipe of that compartment (the pipeline is connected), or when the aircraft electromechanical management computer receives a manual instruction to open the shut-off valve on the water pump pipe of that compartment, the aircraft electromechanical management computer sends a signal to open the shut-off valve on the water pump pipe of that compartment. In other cases, the shut-off valve is in the closed state (the pipeline is not connected).
[0050] (2) When the aircraft electromechanical management computer issues a "pump water" command, the pump controller controls the pump to run. At this time, the pipeline with the shut-off valve in the open state will pump out the water in the corresponding compartment and collect it in the water storage tank along the pump pipe. The one-way valve on the pump pipe can prevent the water from flowing back.
[0051] (3) The water pump controller can control the water pump to operate at a predetermined speed and pressure. When the pressure reducing shut-off valve is closed, the water pump only receives power from the aircraft. When the pressure reducing shut-off valve is open, the water pump receives high-pressure ram gas from the engine and converts the gas ram power into the pump's shaft power, reducing the aircraft's power consumption. The pressure reducing shut-off valve 7 can control the engine's high-temperature and high-pressure bleed gas within a certain temperature and pressure range.
[0052] (4) In step (2), the “pump” command issued by the aircraft electromechanical management computer can come from manual control commands or automatic control commands. The automatic control logic can be: when the water pressure of more than t (t is specified in the system logic) compartments exceeds the limit, or when the water pressure of a certain specified compartment exceeds the limit, the aircraft electromechanical management computer issues a “pump” command.
[0053] Drainage system logic:
[0054] like Figure 1 As shown in Figure 2,
[0055] (1) When the aircraft electromechanical management computer receives the full water level signal from the full water level signaler of the water tank, the aircraft electromechanical management computer issues a "drain" command, the drain pump controller turns on the drain pump, and the water in the water tank is discharged out of the aircraft along the drain pipe.
[0056] When the aircraft's electromechanical management computer receives a drainage control command issued manually, the computer issues a "drain" command, and the drainage pump controller activates the drainage pump to discharge the water in the storage tank out of the aircraft along the drainage pipe.
[0057] The water pumping lines in each compartment are generally connected in parallel, and they converge into a main water pumping line before being connected to the water pump.
[0058] The drainage system of this invention can coexist with conventional drainage holes. When the pipeline loses pressure or the drainage system malfunctions, the accumulated water can slowly flow out through the conventional drainage holes.
[0059] Water overflow is permitted at the top of the storage tank. In the event of a malfunction of the drain pump controller or the drain pump, water exceeding the storage tank's capacity will automatically overflow.
[0060] The water tank should be installed as close as possible to the longitudinal center of gravity of the aircraft to prevent the center of gravity of the entire aircraft from shifting significantly after water accumulates.
[0061] Water storage tanks should be installed in the belly of the aircraft whenever possible, such as in the equipment compartment, main landing gear compartment, or belly pod compartment.
[0062] Heating devices can be installed on the drainage pipes to prevent them from freezing.
[0063] Water pressure sensors in each compartment Figure 1 If not marked, it should be placed at the lowest point of the waterlogged area.
Claims
1. A controllable aircraft drainage system, characterized in that, It includes a water pump (5) connected to the lowest point (2) of each of the aircraft's drainage compartments (1). The water pump (5) is equipped with a shut-off valve (3). The water pump (5) is connected in parallel to a water pump (6). The water pump (6) is connected to a water storage tank (11). The water storage tank (11) is connected to a drain pipe (12). The water pump (6) is electrically connected to a water pump controller (10).
2. The controllable aircraft drainage system according to claim 1, characterized in that, The water pump (6) is also connected to the engine (9) via the engine bleed air pipeline (8), and the engine bleed air pipeline (8) is equipped with a pressure reducing shut-off valve (7).
3. The controllable aircraft drainage system according to claim 1, characterized in that, The pumping pipe (5) is also equipped with a one-way valve (4).
4. The controllable aircraft drainage system according to claim 1, characterized in that, A water pressure sensor is installed at the lowest point of each drainage compartment (1).
5. The controllable aircraft drainage system according to claim 1, characterized in that, This drainage system coexists with the aircraft's conventional drainage holes.
6. The controllable aircraft drainage system according to claim 1, characterized in that, The top of the water storage tank (11) is equipped with an overflow component.
7. The controllable aircraft drainage system according to claim 1, characterized in that, A heating element is also provided on the water pump pipe (5).
8. The controllable aircraft drainage system according to claim 1, characterized in that, The water tank (11) is installed near the longitudinal center of gravity of the aircraft.
9. The controllable aircraft drainage system according to claim 1, characterized in that, Water tanks (11) are installed in the belly of the aircraft, including in the equipment compartment, main landing gear compartment, or belly pod compartment.
10. The controllable aircraft drainage system according to claim 1, characterized in that, A drain pump (13) is installed on the drain pipe (12), and the drain pump (13) is electrically connected to the drain pump controller (14).