Fuel Tank Vent Valve Using Flow Impingement Against Reverse Slosh
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing fuel tank inerting systems are prone to failure due to moving parts in check valves, which are difficult to maintain and can be damaged by fuel sloshing, leading to potential explosions and safety concerns.
Innovation Solution
The implementation of a flow impingement valve system within fuel tanks that allows uninhibited flow in one direction while preventing reverse flow, using nitrogen-enriched air to inhibit combustion, and featuring no moving parts for increased durability and ease of maintenance.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If flapper seal type check valves are used in the inerting system, then the system can prevent reverse flow, but the moving parts are susceptible to fuel sloshing damage and require maintenance
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces the mechanical flapper seal check valve system with a flow impingement valve that uses fluid dynamics principles. The valve body with strategically positioned inlet and outlet openings creates a flow path where fluid momentum prevents reverse flow without requiring moving parts. This substitution eliminates the mechanical components that were susceptible to fuel sloshing damage and maintenance issues.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention extracts and removes the moving parts (flapper and seal) from the check valve system, retaining only the essential function of preventing reverse flow. The valve body becomes a static structure with optimized flow paths that achieve the same protective function without the problematic moving components that required maintenance.
2Reliability
If check valves with moving parts are installed in fuel tanks, then reverse flow can be prevented, but the valves are difficult to access for maintenance
Solution Approach 1:
By replacing the mechanical flapper seal system with a static flow impingement valve, the patent eliminates components that would require disassembly and maintenance. The entire valve becomes a simple static structure that can be inspected and serviced as a single unit, dramatically improving accessibility and ease of maintenance while maintaining reverse flow prevention capability.
3Object-affected harmful factors
If nitrogen systems are implemented for fuel tank inerting, then combustion risk is reduced, but system complexity and cost increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent simplifies the nitrogen delivery system by replacing complex mechanical check valves with static flow impingement valves. This reduction in mechanical complexity lowers system cost and improves reliability while maintaining the critical safety function of preventing fuel vapor combustion through nitrogen inerting.
Solution Approach 2:
The flow impingement valve design uses simple, inexpensive static components rather than complex mechanical assemblies. This approach reduces the cost of the inerting system while maintaining effectiveness, making nitrogen inerting more economically viable for fuel tank protection.
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 flow impingement valve system effectively resists reverse fluid flow due to sloshing or other dynamics, enhancing the reliability and cost-effectiveness of fuel tank inerting systems, reducing the risk of explosions and facilitating easier maintenance without susceptibility to damage.
Implementation Method 1
The flow impingement valve resists reverse flow of fluid out of a fuel tank vent due to sloshing or other flow dynamics
Implementation Method 2
An inerting system decreases the probability of combustion by replacing the air with an inert gas such as nitrogen or air of sufficiently reduced oxygen content resulting in nitrogen enriched air which cannot support combustion
Data Source
AI summary
An inerting fuel tank system comprising a closed tank and any number of flow impingement valves. The flow impingement valve allows uninhibited flow in one direction. In the reverse direction, the fluid flows back into the input flow stream thereby slowing / preventing the fluid flow outward. The flow impingement valve resists reverse flow of fluid out of a fuel tank vent due to sloshing or other flow dynamics.