Hybrid water storage system for aircraft
AssigneeGoodrich Corporation
InventorsKevin Edward Roach, Donald Gregory Roulett, Martin Lei
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A hybrid water storage system for an aircraft includes separate variable volumes for respectively storing/holding potable water and gray water occupying a common container. The hybrid water storage system is generally configured to draw potable water from a first variable volume in order to provide fresh water to one or more aircraft appliances (e.g., sinks, showers, ice-makers, etc.), and the used potable water (i.e., the potable water that is collected in drains from the aircraft appliances), referred to herein as gray water, is routed to a second variable volume that occupies the same container as the first variable volume.
Claims10
A hybrid water storage system for an aircraft, the hybrid water storage system comprising:
- a container defining a chamber;
- a first variable volume fluid vessel disposed in the chamber, wherein the first variable volume fluid vessel is configured to store potable water;
- a second variable volume fluid vessel also disposed in the chamber, wherein the second variable volume fluid vessel is configured to store gray water, the second variable volume fluid vessel being defined between an external surface of the first variable volume fluid vessel and an internal surface of the container, wherein the second variable volume fluid vessel is configured to store gray water;
- a water-use assembly extending between and fluidly interconnecting the first variable volume fluid vessel and the second variable volume fluid vessel, wherein potable water is supplied to the first variable volume fluid vessel via a fill port and is directed to the water-use assembly via a deliver port, and wherein gray water is returned to the second variable volume fluid vessel via a return port and is discharged from the second variable volume fluid vessel via a discharge port;
- wherein the water-use assembly comprises a gray water sump and a gray water pump, wherein the gray water sump is configured to receive the gray water from an aircraft appliance and the gray water pump is configured to pump the gray water from the gray water sump to the second variable volume fluid vessel;
- a controller configured to actively control a water transfer between the first variable volume fluid vessel and the second variable volume fluid vessel via the water-use assembly;
- and
- a gray water overflow container coupled in overflow receiving communication with the second variable volume fluid vessel and configured to receive the gray water from the second variable volume fluid vessel in response to the second variable volume fluid vessel having an insufficient volume to store the gray water.
A hybrid water storage system for an aircraft, the hybrid water storage system comprising:
- a container defining a chamber;
- a bladder disposed in the chamber, wherein the bladder defines a first variable volume and the bladder is configured to store potable water;
- a water-use assembly extending between and fluidly interconnecting the bladder and a second variable volume, wherein the second variable volume is defined between external surfaces of the bladder and internal surfaces of the container, wherein the second variable volume is configured to store gray water, wherein the potable water is supplied to the bladder via a fill port and is directed to the water-use assembly via a delivery port, and wherein gray water is returned to the second variable volume via a return port and is discharged from the second variable volume via a discharge port;
- wherein the water-use assembly comprises a gray water sump and a gray water pump, wherein the gray water sump is configured to receive the gray water from an aircraft appliance and the gray water pump is configured to pump the gray water from the gray water sump to the second variable volume;
- a controller configured to actively control a water transfer between the first variable volume and the second variable volume via the water-use assembly;
- and
- a gray water overflow container coupled in overflow receiving communication with the second variable volume and configured to receive the gray water from the second variable volume in response to the second variable volume having an insufficient volume to store the gray water.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.