Adjustable Aircraft Engine Wash Water Collection System
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Existing systems for collecting and treating waste water from aircraft engine washing operations are not effective for engines with exhausts located in difficult-to-reach positions, such as non-perpendicular or centrally positioned exhausts, leading to inefficient waste liquid collection and potential environmental hazards due to hazardous contaminants like cadmium.
Innovation Solution
A mobile cart-based system with a versatile liquid separation device and drip pan arrangement, featuring adjustable and tiltable droplet separator frames, and extendable arms to position the collection system accurately around various engine types, including helicopters and turboprop aircraft, allowing for effective collection and treatment of waste water from aircraft turbine engines with non-standard exhaust orientations.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If a fixed collection system is used for waste water from engine washing, then the system structure is simple, but it cannot adapt to engines with non-standard exhaust orientations
Solution Approach 1:
The collection system employs movable and adjustable components including an extendable arm with telescopic sections, a pivotable support arm, and a tiltable separator frame. These dynamic elements allow the system to adapt its geometry to match various exhaust positions (perpendicular, angled, central) while maintaining a relatively simple base structure that can be configured as needed.
Solution Approach 2:
The collection system is designed as a universal apparatus capable of serving multiple engine types and exhaust configurations. The combination of extendable arms, pivotable support structures, and tiltable separator frames enables a single system design to handle perpendicular exhausts, angled exhausts, and centrally positioned exhausts, eliminating the need for multiple specialized collection systems.
2Object-affected harmful factors
If the liquid separation device is positioned far from the exhaust, then the system has easier access, but waste liquid spreads over larger area
Solution Approach 1:
The system uses an extendable arm with telescopic sections that can be adjusted to achieve the optimal distance between the liquid separation device and the exhaust outlet. This dynamic positioning capability allows the operator to minimize waste liquid spread by placing the separator as close as necessary while maintaining ease of operation through simple extension and retraction mechanisms.
Solution Approach 2:
The support arm is designed to be pivotable, allowing the liquid separation device to be positioned not only at varying distances from the exhaust but also at different angular orientations. This adds a rotational dimension to the positioning capability, enabling the system to adapt to exhausts at various angles while maintaining close proximity for effective waste liquid collection.
3Volume of moving object
If the collection system is made compact, then the device size is reduced, but the range of adjustable positions is limited
Solution Approach 1:
The extendable arm is divided into multiple telescopic sections that can be independently extended or retracted. This segmentation allows the system to maintain a compact storage size when not in use, while providing a large adjustment range when deployed. Each section can be adjusted to achieve the required length and position without requiring the entire system to be oversized.
Solution Approach 2:
The telescopic arm sections are nested within each other in a concentric arrangement, allowing the compact storage configuration where the extended portions are retracted into the inner sections. This nesting principle enables the system to achieve both compact size for transport and storage, and extended reach for positioning the liquid separation device at various distances from different exhaust configurations.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The system enables efficient collection and treatment of waste water from aircraft engines with challenging exhaust positions, reducing environmental impact by containing hazardous materials and improving operational efficiency by minimizing waste liquid spread and facilitating flexible treatment based on varying wash liquid compositions.
Implementation Method 1
the liquid separation device causes the liquid to condense in the drip pan
Implementation Method 2
the liquid separation device causes the liquid to condense in the drip pan
Data Source
Figure 1
Figure 2
Figure 3a
AI summary
The invention relates to an apparatus for collecting waste water from cleaning operations performed on aircraft turbine engines. It comprises a frame structure (41). On the frame a support arm (44) is pivotally mounted. An actuator arm (46) is arranged to raise and lower the support arm between an essentially horizontal transport position to an operative position forming an angle in the range of more than 0° to 90° or less with respect to the horizontal. There is further a liquid separation device (47) pivotally attached to the support arm so as to be movable around both a horizontal and a vertical axis.