Fuel Stabilization System with Accumulator for Oxygen Removal
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional fuel stabilization systems for aircraft face issues with heat-induced fuel varnish/coke deposits in fuel line components, leading to degraded performance and limited life, due to the combination of high temperatures and dissolved oxygen, which existing methods like inert gas sparging and fuel additives fail to address effectively in terms of size, maintenance, and complexity.
Innovation Solution
A fuel stabilization system that includes an accumulator along the fuel line with a heat source to increase fuel temperature, allowing carbonaceous deposits to form within the accumulator, and a regenerative heat exchanger to manage heat transfer, along with a removable accumulator for maintenance, effectively removing oxygen and preventing deposit buildup.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If heat is applied to fuel to remove dissolved oxygen, then oxygen removal effectiveness is improved, but carbonaceous deposit formation increases
Solution Approach 1:
The invention extracts the harmful carbonaceous deposits from the main fuel system by introducing a dedicated accumulator component. The accumulator is strategically placed in the fuel line to capture and concentrate deposits in a isolated location, preventing them from reaching and damaging critical fuel system components while allowing the fuel heating process to continue effectively removing oxygen.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention converts the harmful effect of carbonaceous deposit formation into a beneficial concentration mechanism. By providing an accumulator with sufficient volume and surface area, the system causes deposits to naturally concentrate in the accumulator rather than dispersing through the fuel system. This transforms the unwanted byproduct of heating into a localized accumulation that protects the broader system.
2Duration of action of stationary object
If an accumulator is added to capture deposits, then component life is prolonged, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The accumulator serves multiple functions within the fuel system: it acts as a deposit collection chamber, a thermal mass for heat retention, and a flow distribution element. By integrating these multiple functions into a single component, the system achieves extended component life without proportionally increasing overall system complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
The accumulator is designed to be self-cleaning through the natural flow of heated fuel. The continuous circulation of hot fuel through the accumulator helps prevent excessive deposit buildup by keeping deposits suspended or preventing them from adhering strongly to surfaces, reducing or eliminating the need for external cleaning mechanisms.
3Reliability
If fuel temperature is increased to stabilize fuel, then thermal control effectiveness is improved, but energy consumption increases
Solution Approach 1:
The system maintains continuous fuel circulation through the accumulator, ensuring that the thermal energy applied to the fuel is continuously utilized for oxygen removal. The accumulator's thermal mass helps maintain fuel temperature throughout the circulation loop, reducing the need for continuous high-energy heating inputs and improving overall thermal efficiency.
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 prolongs the life of fuel system components by strategically accumulating oxygen deposits in a known location, reducing varnish buildup in critical components, and allows for efficient thermal control with minimal heat input, ensuring long-term operation by monitoring and managing deposit formation.
Implementation Method 1
a heat source disposed in thermal communication with the fuel in or upstream of the fuel inlet of the accumulator to increase the temperature of the fuel within the accumulator
Implementation Method 2
a regenerative heat exchanger disposed in the fuel line such that it is both upstream and downstream of the accumulator such that the fuel upstream of the accumulator passes through the regenerative heat exchanger to receive heat from fuel downstream of the accumulator
Implementation Method 3
the fuel upstream of the accumulator passes through the regenerative heat exchanger to receive heat from fuel downstream of the accumulator
Data Source
Figure 1~2
Figure 3~4
AI summary
A fuel stabilization system for removing oxygen from fuel includes an accumulator (101) disposed along a fuel line (102), the accumulator includes a fuel inlet (103) and a fuel outlet (105) and a heat source disposed in thermal communication with the fuel in or upstream of the fuel inlet of the accumulator to increase the temperature of the fuel within the accumulator. The accumulator is configured to allow oxygen deposits to form therein as a result of the temperature increase of the fuel.