Fuel tank inerting system and method
AssigneeHs Marston Aerospace Limited
InventorsPaul Phillips, Berwyn Pollard
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A fuel tank inerting system for an aircraft, the system comprises a catalytic heat exchanger comprising a first flow path and a second flow path for heat exchange with the first flow path. The system further comprises a first inlet arranged upstream of the first flow path of the catalytic heat exchanger for providing a mixture of fuel vapour and oxygen to the first flow path for sustaining a catalysed reaction, and a second inlet arranged upstream of the second flow path for providing a flow of fuel to the second flow path of the catalytic heat exchanger for exchanging heat with the first flow path.
Claims10
A method of inerting a fuel tank comprising:
- using a catalytic heat exchanger to perform a catalysed reaction of fuel from the fuel tank and oxygen to create a supply of water and carbon dioxide;
- controlling the temperature of the catalytic reaction by heat exchange with temperature controlled fuel in the catalytic heat exchanger;
- and
- providing the supply of water and carbon dioxide to the fuel tank.
A method of inerting a fuel tank in a system that includes a catalytic heat exchanger comprising a first flow path and a second flow path for heat exchange with the first flow path, a first inlet arranged upstream of the first flow path of the catalytic heat exchanger for providing a mixture of fuel vapour and oxygen to the first flow path for sustaining a catalysed reaction, a second inlet arranged upstream of the second flow path for providing a flow of fuel to the second flow path of the catalytic heat exchanger for exchanging heat with the first flow path, the method comprising:
- using the catalytic heat exchanger to perform a catalysed reaction of fuel from the fuel tank and oxygen to create a supply of water and carbon dioxide;
- controlling the temperature of the catalytic reaction by heat exchange with temperature controlled fuel in the catalytic heat exchanger;
- and
- providing the supply of water and carbon dioxide to the fuel tank.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.