VTOL Aircraft Fuel Tank Balancing Across Vertical and Horizontal Flight
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Solution Overview
Problem
Traditional fuel systems for fixed-wing aircraft struggle to meet the demands of vertical take-off and land (VTOL) aircraft, as they require fuel supply and pressure regulation across a larger pitch range due to perpendicular orientations during operation.
Innovation Solution
The aircraft is equipped with a first nacelle fuel tank, a fuselage fuel tank, and a control system that redistributes fuel between these tanks based on fuel levels and orientation, using valves and venting mechanisms to balance fuel supply and pressure across different orientations.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If traditional fuel systems designed for fixed-wing aircraft are used in VTOL aircraft, then the system structure remains simple and familiar, but the fuel supply reliability deteriorates due to inability to maintain adequate fuel supply across large pitch ranges from vertical to horizontal orientations
Solution Approach 1:
The fuel system is divided into multiple fuel tanks (fuselage fuel tank and nacelle fuel tanks) with separate fuel level measurement systems for each tank. This segmentation allows independent monitoring and management of fuel in different orientations, ensuring reliable fuel supply to engines whether the aircraft is vertical or horizontal.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent implements dynamic fuel level determination that adapts to changing aircraft orientation. The system automatically selects appropriate fuel level measurements from different tanks based on current pitch angle, transitioning from fuselage tank measurements during horizontal flight to nacelle tank measurements during vertical operation, maintaining fuel supply reliability across the full pitch range.
2Measurement precision
If fuel level is measured using traditional single-orientation sensors, then the measurement system remains simple, but the measurement precision deteriorates due to inability to accurately determine fuel level across perpendicular orientations
Solution Approach 1:
The fuel level measurement system is designed to serve multiple orientations universally. By installing fuel level sensors in both the fuselage fuel tank and nacelle fuel tanks, and implementing orientation-aware selection logic, the system can accurately measure fuel levels whether the aircraft is horizontal, vertical, or at any intermediate pitch angle, eliminating the need for separate measurement systems for different orientations.
3Ease of operation
If fuel tanks are positioned for optimal horizontal flight, then the fuel system works well during horizontal operation, but the aircraft stability deteriorates during vertical take-off and landing due to improper fuel distribution
Solution Approach 1:
The system dynamically determines which fuel tank(s) to use based on real-time aircraft pitch angle. During horizontal flight, the fuselage fuel tank is utilized for optimal performance. During vertical or near-vertical operations, the system switches to using the nacelle fuel tanks, which are positioned to maintain proper fuel supply and aircraft balance in the vertical orientation, thereby maintaining stability across all flight regimes.
Data Source
AI summary
The present application discloses an aircraft configured for vertical take-off and landing and horizontal flight. The aircraft includes one or more processors configured to control distribution of fuel among a plurality of aircraft fuel tanks. Controlling the distribution of fuel includes: (a) determining a first fuel level in a first nacelle fuel tank, wherein the first nacelle fuel tank is configured to provide a supply of fuel to a first engine during both (i) a vertical take-off and land operation, and (ii) a horizontal flight operation, (b) determining a fuselage fuel level in a fuselage fuel tank, and (c) determining whether to redistribute fuel across at least the first nacelle fuel tank and the fuselage fuel tank based at least in part on the first fuel level and the fuselage fuel level.