Inert gas generating system
AssigneeHamilton Sundstrand Corporation
InventorsJonathan Rheaume, Haralambos Cordatos
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A gas inerting system employs a carbon dioxide separation unit to remove carbon dioxide and water from an oxygen depleted gas stream generated from a catalytic oxidation unit and subsequently provides a nitrogen rich inerting gas to a fuel tank and/or to a cargo hold. A method of producing an inert gas passes an oxygen depleted gas stream from a catalytic oxidation unit through a carbon dioxide separation unit and provides a nitrogen rich inerting gas for fuel tank inerting and/or cargo hold fire suppression.
Claims14
A gas inerting system for supplying an inerting gas stream to an inerting location of an aircraft, the gas inerting system comprising:
- a fuel tank;
- a fuel separation unit configured to receive fuel vapor and liquid fuel from the fuel tank and form a concentrated fuel vapor;
- a catalytic oxidation unit downstream of the fuel separation unit, configured to receive the concentrated fuel vapor from the fuel separation unit, combust the received concentrated fuel vapor to reduce an amount of oxygen, and form an oxygen depleted gas stream;
- a carbon dioxide separation unit comprising a membrane, the carbon dioxide separation unit located downstream of the catalytic oxidation unit and configured to receive the oxygen depleted gas stream from the catalytic oxidation unit, wherein the carbon dioxide separation unit increases an amount of nitrogen and reduces an amount of carbon dioxide and water in the oxygen depleted gas stream and forms the inerting gas stream;
- and
- a gas flow path for the inerting gas stream from the carbon dioxide separation unit to the inerting location.
A method for supplying an inerting gas stream to an inerting location of an aircraft, the method comprising:
- receiving a fuel vapor and liquid fuel from a fuel tank into a fuel separation unit and forming a concentrated fuel vapor;
- delivering the concentrated fuel vapor from the fuel separation unit to a catalytic oxidation unit and forming an oxygen depleted gas stream;
- receiving the oxygen depleted gas stream into a carbon dioxide separation unit comprising a membrane from the catalytic oxidation unit;
- decreasing an amount of carbon dioxide and water in the oxygen depleted gas stream by the membrane and forming the inerting gas stream, wherein the inerting gas stream is a nitrogen enriched inerting gas stream;
- and
- providing the inerting gas stream to the inerting location.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.