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US 12,179,934 B2Granted
Method and apparatus for auxiliary power unit installation
AssigneeThe Boeing Company
InventorsAlan J. Wong, Curtis John Call, Theodore Carl Arnold
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
An aircraft is disclosed, including a fuselage having a compartment configured to house refueling apparatus. An auxiliary power unit is mounted in the compartment.
Claims20
An aircraft, comprising:
- a fuselage including a pressurized internal volume and a refueling apparatus compartment,
- a tail-mounted first Auxiliary Power Unit (APU), and
- a second APU mounted in the refueling apparatus compartment,
- wherein:
- the refueling apparatus compartment is disposed in the pressurized internal volume and sealed off from the pressurized internal volume,
- the refueling apparatus compartment is disposed forward of the first APU,
- the refueling apparatus compartment includes:
- a main body portion having multiple walls reinforced with reinforcing ribs to improve structural strength needed to withstand expected pressure differentials between the pressurized internal volume and the atmosphere, the multiple reinforced walls being distinct from an aircraft skin, and
- an aft tapered portion connected to the main body portion and generally forming a hose trough that extends aft to an aperture in a skin of an underside of the fuselage, the aperture being disposed forward of the first APU, and
- an exhaust duct of the second APU extends through the hose trough to the aperture.
7 more elements
An aircraft, comprising:
- a pressurized fuselage,
- an un-pressurized internal compartment disposed in the fuselage, and
- an APU mounted in the compartment, wherein:
- the internal compartment is defined between a plurality of reinforced planar wall sections and a skin of the fuselage, and the reinforced planar wall sections include a plurality of reinforcing ribs to improve structural strength needed to withstand expected pressure differentials between the pressurized fuselage and the atmosphere, the plurality of reinforced planar wall sections being distinct from the skin of the fuselage, and
- the internal compartment includes a main body portion and an aft tapered portion.
2 more elements
An aircraft, comprising:
- a fuselage having a skin and an underside,
- a compartment in a pressurized internal volume of the fuselage, defined between a plurality of reinforced walls and the skin of the fuselage at the underside of the fuselage, the reinforced walls being reinforced with reinforcing ribs to maintain substantially the same pressure as the pressure external to the aircraft, the plurality of reinforced walls being distinct from the skin of the fuselage,
- a first aperture through the underside of the fuselage, into the compartment,
- a second aperture through the underside of the fuselage, into the compartment, the second aperture being aft of the first aperture, and
- an APU mounted in the compartment, having an air intake extending through the first aperture and an exhaust extending to the second aperture,
- wherein the first aperture and the second aperture are each forward of a tail cone of the aircraft.
3 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.