Rotorcraft Fuel Architecture Merging Pumps
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional fuel feeding architectures for rotorcraft with multiple engines, particularly category A rotorcraft, are complex and redundant, failing to simplify the fuel supply system without compromising safety requirements for continued flight in case of engine failure.
Innovation Solution
A simplified fuel feeding architecture where a common fuel tank serves both engines, with individual safe tanks and shared feed and transfer circuits, reducing the number of pumps and maintaining safety by ensuring each engine can operate independently for a predetermined duration.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If separate fuel feed assemblies with dedicated fuel tanks and pumps are provided for each engine, then reliability is improved by ensuring independent fuel supply capability, but device complexity increases due to redundancy of multiple pumps and circuits
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges the fuel tank structure into a single common tank that serves both engines, eliminating the need for separate fuel tanks and associated pumps for each engine. This consolidation reduces the number of components while maintaining the ability to supply fuel to either engine independently through shared feed circuits with selective valve control.
Solution Approach 2:
The common fuel tank and feed circuits are designed to serve multiple functions - they can supply fuel to either engine independently, and the system includes selective valves that enable the same infrastructure to support different operational modes (single-engine or dual-engine operation). This multi-functionality reduces overall system complexity while preserving reliability.
2Reliability
If redundant pump systems are installed in each fuel feed assembly, then reliability is improved by ensuring continuous fuel supply during pump failure, but device complexity and weight increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines the pump functions into a single common pump system that serves both engines, eliminating redundant pump installations. The shared pump infrastructure reduces component count while maintaining reliability through proper control valve management that ensures continuous fuel supply capability.
Solution Approach 2:
Selective valves are introduced as intermediary components that control the distribution of fuel from the common pump system to each engine. These valves enable the single pump system to reliably supply fuel to either engine independently, providing the functionality of redundant pumps without the physical redundancy.
3Reliability
If individual safe tanks with excess fuel devices are provided for each engine, then reliability is improved by ensuring minimum fuel duration capability, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges the safe tank configuration into a single common safe tank that serves both engines, eliminating the need for separate safe tanks and excess fuel devices for each engine. The unified safe tank maintains the required minimum fuel duration capability through proper control mechanisms while reducing overall system complexity.
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 architecture allows for safe and efficient fuel distribution to each engine, reducing redundancy and complexity while maintaining compliance with safety regulations for overflying sensitive territories, enabling continued flight in case of engine failure.
Implementation Method 1
The feed circuit includes at least one feed pump that causes fuel to flow within the feed circuit
Implementation Method 2
at least one ejector that captures and delivers fuel from the common fuel tank to the safe tanks
Implementation Method 3
Such free fluid-flow communication naturally achieves spontaneous balancing due to gravity one with the other of the compartments
Data Source
AI summary
An architecture for feeding fuel to a power plant (1) of a rotorcraft, which power plant comprises a plurality of engines (2, 3) individually fed with fuel by respective assemblies (4, 5). Each assembly (4, 5) comprises a fuel feed circuit (9, 10) for feeding a safe tank (6, 7) from a fuel tank (8) that is common to the assemblies (4, 5). Together the feed circuits (9, 10) form a circuit for forced both-way transfer of fuel from either one of the assemblies to the other via the common tank (8) and an intercommunication (21) interposed between the safe tanks (6, 7), which safe tanks are fitted with respective spillage devices (17, 18, 19, 20) for transferring excess fuel to the common tank (8).