Valve Apparatus for Indirect Water Drainage in Aircraft Fuel Tanks
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Solution Overview
Problem
Aircraft fuel tanks face challenges in efficiently draining water due to structural limitations and material difficulties in machining, requiring the use of different types of water drain valves and posing issues with fluid pressure and rotation prevention.
Innovation Solution
A valve apparatus that converts a direct water drain valve into an indirect one by creating a fluid-tight passageway between a fluid transfer aperture and a drain conduit, allowing for fluid to be drawn or forced through, and includes a connector for securing the valve to the tank, a seal to prevent external fluid entry, and orientation means to limit rotation.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If a direct water drain valve is used, then water drainage is simple and efficient, but the valve cannot be placed at the lowest area when structural limitations exist
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces a tube as an intermediary element that connects the indirect drain valve to the lowest area of the fuel tank. This tube acts as a mediator, allowing the valve to be positioned in accessible locations while still draining water from the lowest point, thus resolving the contradiction between ease of operation and adaptability.
Solution Approach 2:
The drainage system is segmented into two functional parts: the valve mechanism itself and the drainage pathway (tube). This segmentation allows the valve to be positioned independently from the drainage point, enabling placement flexibility while maintaining drainage efficiency.
2Adaptability or versatility
If an indirect water drain valve is used, then the valve can be placed in accessible locations, but fluid pressure requirements increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent positions the fluid transfer aperture at substantially the same level as the lowest point of the fuel tank. This equipotential positioning eliminates the need for additional pressure to overcome elevation differences, allowing indirect drainage without increased pressure requirements.
3Stability of the object's composition
If a hole is drilled in a recessed part for receiving a projection, then rotation of the valve is prevented, but machining is difficult when the fuel tank is made of carbon composite
Solution Approach 1:
The patent removes the projection feature from the valve design, extracting the rotation prevention function from the valve itself. Instead, rotation prevention is achieved through the recess geometry in the fuel tank, which eliminates the need to machine holes in composite materials.
Solution Approach 2:
Instead of adding a projection to the valve to prevent rotation, the patent inverts the approach by creating a shaped recess in the fuel tank that passively prevents rotation. This reverses the traditional design paradigm and avoids difficult machining operations on composite materials.
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 efficient water drainage from fuel tanks with reduced pressure requirements and improved structural integration, allowing for water removal with less fuel in the tank compared to prior art indirect drain valves, and facilitates easier installation on composite materials.
Implementation Method 1
any fluid entering the inner volume of the first element through the fluid transfer aperture can be drawn or forced to exit the valve through the drain conduit
Data Source
AI summary
Valve apparatus for converting a direct water drain valve into an indirect water drain valve, the direct water drain valve having at least one drain conduit, the apparatus including: a part having an inner volume and a fluid transfer aperture for fluid to enter the inner volume, the part being arranged to be connected, directly or indirectly, to the direct water drain valve so as to convert at least some of the inner volume into a substantially fluid-tight passageway between the fluid transfer aperture and the at least one drain conduit of the direct water drain valve.