Aircraft Fuel Cooling Plug Thermal Expansion
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Aircraft engine fuel components require fire resistance and efficient cooling to prevent failure and external leakage during engine fires, but existing cooling systems are inadequate in maintaining consistent fuel flow and heat management under high temperature conditions.
Innovation Solution
A cooling system with a housing and plug arrangement in an interference fit, where a biasing element moves the plug from a blocking position to a connecting position at a temperature differential, allowing fuel flow between passage portions to cool the housing and remove heat from the fuel system component.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a cooling flow orifice is used to maintain constant fuel flow, then the actuator can survive engine fire, but the system complexity increases and manufacturing precision requirements increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the cooling function from a separate cooling system and integrates it into the plug assembly itself. The plug contains internal passages that redirect fuel flow to cool critical areas, eliminating the need for external cooling flow orifices and reducing overall system complexity while maintaining fire resistance
Solution Approach 2:
The cooling passages are nested within the plug structure itself. The plug contains internal channels that guide fuel flow through critical thermal zones, embedding the cooling function within the existing plug component rather than adding separate cooling elements
2Reliability
If a cooling flow orifice is used to maintain constant fuel flow, then the actuator can survive engine fire, but manufacturing precision requirements increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent eliminates the separate cooling flow orifice component and its associated precision manufacturing requirements. Instead, cooling is achieved through passages integrated into the plug, which can be manufactured using standard casting or machining processes without requiring high-precision orifice drilling
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes the approach from controlling cooling through a precisely sized orifice to controlling cooling through the geometry of internal passages in the plug. This shifts the parameter control from a single critical orifice dimension to more forgiving passage dimensions that can be achieved with standard manufacturing tolerances
3Temperature
If fuel is used to cool the fuel component, then heat is removed from the system, but fuel flow consistency becomes difficult to maintain under high temperature conditions
Solution Approach 1:
The patent employs a thermal expansion mechanism where the plug material expands with temperature to automatically modulate the cooling passages. At normal temperatures, the plug maintains its original dimensions allowing controlled cooling flow. At high temperatures, thermal expansion reduces passage openings, automatically regulating fuel flow consistency without external control systems
Solution Approach 2:
The plug is designed with thermal expansion properties that cause it to expand when exposed to high temperatures. This expansion automatically reduces the effective opening of internal cooling passages, providing self-regulating fuel flow control that maintains consistency across varying temperature conditions while still removing heat when needed
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 effectively enhances fire resistance and heat management by allowing controlled fuel flow to dissipate heat from the fuel system component, preventing failure and external leakage during engine fires.
Implementation Method 1
A plug is arranged in the aperture in an interference fit in a first position at a first temperature condition to block the passage and fluidly separate the first and second passage portions
Implementation Method 2
A biasing element is arranged in the housing and is configured to move the plug from the first position to a second position at a second temperature condition
Implementation Method 3
Fuel flows from the first passage portion to the second passage portion to cool the housing
Implementation Method 4
Fuel flows from the first passage portion to the second passage portion to cool the housing and remove heat from the fuel system component
Data Source
AI summary
A cooling system includes a housing having an aperture intersecting a passage that includes first and second passage portions. A plug is arranged in the aperture in an interference fit in a first position at a first temperature condition to block the passage and fluidly separate the first and second passage portions. A biasing element is arranged in the housing and is configured to move the plug from the first position to a second position at a second temperature condition to fluidly connect the first and second passage portions.