Systems and methods for preventing fuel leakage in a gas turbine engine

A method of preventing fuel leakage in a gas turbine engine, said method comprising:

• controlling expansion of a fluid flowing in a fuel manifold passage using a control valve section fluidly coupled to the fuel manifold passage;
• receiving the fluid expanded in the fuel manifold passage via the control valve section at an accumulator valve section fluidly coupled to the control valve section via an accumulator passage, wherein said accumulator valve section defines an accumulator chamber and comprises an accumulator piston disposed within the accumulator chamber, wherein the accumulator piston is slideably coupled within the accumulator chamber by a seal;
• and
• slideably moving the accumulator piston based on a pressure of the fluid entering the accumulator chamber from the fuel manifold passage relative to an ambient pressure when pressure at a high pressure side of the accumulator chamber is equal to or less than pressure at a low pressure side of the accumulator chamber;
• and
• expanding fluid from the fuel manifold passage, wherein expanding the fluid from the fuel manifold passage moves the accumulator piston to an open position solely by exerting a force to overcome a minimal resistance between the accumulator piston and the seal.

A gas turbine engine comprising:

• a fuel split valve;
• and
• a fuel accumulation system coupled to said fuel split valve, said fuel accumulation system comprising:
• a control valve section fluidly coupled to a fuel manifold passage, wherein the control valve section controls expansion of a fluid flowing in the fuel manifold passage, wherein said control valve section defines a control valve chamber and comprises a control valve slideably coupled within the control valve chamber;
• and
• an accumulator valve section fluidly coupled to said control valve section via an accumulator passage, wherein the accumulator valve section comprises:
• an accumulator chamber to receive the fluid expanded in the fuel manifold passage via said control valve section and the accumulator passage, wherein the accumulator chamber defines a high pressure side receiving pressure from a high pressure fuel passage during operation of the engine, and further wherein the accumulator chamber defines a low pressure side in fluid communication with the accumulator passage;
• and
• an accumulator piston slideably coupled to the accumulation chamber by a seal, wherein the accumulator piston is slideably movable within the accumulator chamber based on a pressure of the fluid entering the accumulator chamber from the fuel manifold passage via said control valve section and the accumulator passage relative to an ambient pressure from an ambient air passage in fluid communication with the accumulator piston when pressure at the high pressure side of the accumulator chamber is equal to or less than pressure at the low pressure side of the accumulator chamber, wherein said accumulator valve section is fluidly coupled to said control valve section by the accumulator passage at the low pressure side and the ambient air passage at the high pressure side, and further wherein expanding fluid from the fuel manifold passage moves the accumulator piston to an open position solely by exerting a force to overcome a minimal resistance between the accumulator piston and the seal, and wherein the control valve provides fluid communication from the high pressure side of the accumulator piston to the control valve chamber and drain passage.