Aircraft Engine Oil De-Priming for Fire-Resistant Components
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Solution Overview
Problem
Aircraft engine components that are fire resistant but not fireproof incur increased cost, size, and complexity when made to meet fireproof requirements, necessitating a method to allow fire resistant components to comply with fireproof standards during a fire event without these additional costs.
Innovation Solution
An aircraft engine system with a de-priming port and valve configuration that drains excess fluid from components during a fire event, using a fluid source at sufficient pressure to reduce the fluid volume below hazardous levels, controlled by a controller and sensors to activate the valve in response to fire detection.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a component is made fireproof to comply with safety regulations, then fire safety is improved, but cost, size, weight, and complexity increase
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs preliminary action by draining excess flammable fluid from the component before a fire event occurs. The de-priming valve is pre-configured to remove fluid when pressure conditions indicate a fire hazard, ensuring the component meets fireproof requirements without requiring expensive fireproof construction. This preliminary fluid removal prevents the need for over-engineered fireproof components.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention changes the physical parameter of fluid volume within the component dynamically. By controlling the de-priming valve to drain fluid based on pressure conditions, the system adjusts the volume of flammable material in real-time. This parameter change allows the component to transition from a state requiring fireproof construction to one that can be satisfied with fire resistant materials, reducing complexity and cost.
2Reliability
If a component is made fireproof to comply with safety regulations, then fire safety is improved, but cost increases
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs preliminary action by draining excess flammable fluid from the component before a fire event occurs. The de-priming valve is pre-configured to remove fluid when pressure conditions indicate a fire hazard, ensuring the component meets fireproof requirements without requiring expensive fireproof construction. This preliminary fluid removal prevents the need for over-engineered fireproof components.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention uses a simple, inexpensive de-priming valve mechanism rather than expensive fireproof construction. The valve is a relatively simple pressure-actuated device that can be manufactured at low cost, replacing the need for costly fireproof materials and complex sealing systems. This approach trades a simple, replaceable valve mechanism for expensive permanent fireproof construction.
3Reliability
If a component is made fireproof to comply with safety regulations, then fire safety is improved, but size increases
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs preliminary action by draining excess flammable fluid from the component before a fire event occurs. The de-priming valve is pre-configured to remove fluid when pressure conditions indicate a fire hazard, ensuring the component meets fireproof requirements without requiring expensive fireproof construction. This preliminary fluid removal prevents the need for over-engineered fireproof components.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention changes the physical parameter of fluid volume within the component dynamically. By controlling the de-priming valve to drain fluid based on pressure conditions, the system adjusts the volume of flammable material in real-time. This parameter change allows the component to transition from a state requiring fireproof construction to one that can be satisfied with fire resistant materials, reducing complexity and cost.
4Reliability
If a component is made fireproof to comply with safety regulations, then fire safety is improved, but weight increases
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs preliminary action by draining excess flammable fluid from the component before a fire event occurs. The de-priming valve is pre-configured to remove fluid when pressure conditions indicate a fire hazard, ensuring the component meets fireproof requirements without requiring expensive fireproof construction. This preliminary fluid removal prevents the need for over-engineered fireproof components.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention changes the physical parameter of fluid volume within the component dynamically. By controlling the de-priming valve to drain fluid based on pressure conditions, the system adjusts the volume of flammable material in real-time. This parameter change allows the component to transition from a state requiring fireproof construction to one that can be satisfied with fire resistant materials, reducing complexity and cost.
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
Enables fire resistant components to meet fireproof requirements by reducing fluid volume, thus avoiding the need for costly fireproof components, while ensuring compliance with safety regulations.
Implementation Method 1
the fluid source being at a pressure sufficient to overcome a pressure drop through the component to drain the component to a volume of oil less than the maximum volume of the oil
Data Source
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AI summary
An aircraft engine (10), has: an oil system (30), a component containing a baseline volume of oil during normal operation greater than a maximum volume of the oil for compliance with fire resistance requirements, the oil system (30) having: an oil circuit (33), a de-priming port (36) fluidly connected to a fluid source (37) at a pressure sufficient to overcome a pressure drop through the component to drain the component to a volume of oil less than the maximum volume of the oil for compliance with the fire resistance requirements, and a valve (38) connected to the de-priming port (36), the valve (38) having a closed configuration preventing the fluid from entering the oil circuit (33) and an open configuration permitting the fluid to enter the oil circuit (33) via the de-priming port (36) and through the valve (38), the valve (38) movable from the closed configuration to the open configuration in response to the component being subjected to a fire event.