Fuel delivery
AssigneeROLLS-ROYCE plc
InventorsCraig W Bemment, Benjamin J Keeler, Paul W Ferra, Alastair G Hobday, Kevin R McNally, Andrea Minelli, Martin K Yates
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
The present application discloses a method of determining one or more fuel characteristics of an aviation fuel suitable for powering a gas turbine engine of an aircraft, the method comprising: determining a mass of a fuel being loaded, or which has been loaded, onto the aircraft; determining a corresponding volume of the fuel; determining one or more fuel characteristics of the fuel based on the determined mass and volume. Also disclosed is a fuel characteristic determination system, a method of operating an aircraft, and an aircraft.
Claims19
A method of determining one or more fuel characteristics of an aviation fuel suitable for powering a gas turbine engine of an aircraft, the method comprising:
- determining a mass of a fuel being loaded, or which has been loaded, onto the aircraft;
- determining a corresponding volume of the fuel;
- and
- determining one or more fuel characteristics of the fuel based on the determined mass and volume, wherein
- the one or more fuel characteristics are determined by either or both of (i) comparing a value derived from the determined fuel mass and fuel volume to values in a lookup table and (ii) calculating a deviation of a value derived from the determined fuel mass and fuel volume from an expected value, and
- the one or more fuel characteristics determined include any one or more of:
- (i) a hydrocarbon distribution of the fuel;
- (ii) a percentage of sustainable aviation fuel in the fuel;
- and
- (iii) an aromatic hydrocarbon content of the fuel.
A fuel characteristic determination system for determining one or more fuel characteristic of an aviation fuel suitable for powering a gas turbine engine of an aircraft, the system comprising:
- a fuel characteristic determination module comprising a processor programmed to:
- receive a fuel mass signal indicative of a mass of the fuel being loaded, or which has been loaded, onto the aircraft;
- receive a fuel volume signal indicative of a volume of fuel being loaded, or which has been loaded, onto the aircraft;
- and
- determine one or more fuel characteristics of the fuel based on the fuel volume and fuel mass signals, wherein
- the one or more fuel characteristics are determined by either or both of (i) comparing a value derived from the indicated fuel mass and fuel volume to values in a lookup table and (ii) calculating a deviation of a value derived from the indicated fuel mass and fuel volume from an expected value, and
- the one or more fuel characteristics determined include any one or more of:
- (i) a hydrocarbon distribution of the fuel;
- (ii) a percentage of sustainable aviation fuel in the fuel;
- and
- (iii) an aromatic hydrocarbon content of the fuel.
A fuel characteristic determination system for determining one or more fuel characteristic of an aviation fuel suitable for powering a gas turbine engine of an aircraft, the system comprising:
- a fuel characteristic determination module comprising a processor programmed to:
- receive a fuel mass signal indicative of a mass of the fuel being loaded, or which has been loaded, onto the aircraft;
- receive a fuel volume signal indicative of a volume of fuel being loaded, or which has been loaded, onto the aircraft;
- and
- determine one or more fuel characteristics of the fuel based on the fuel volume and fuel mass signals, wherein
- the one or more fuel characteristics are determined by calculating a deviation of a value derived from the indicated fuel mass and fuel volume from an expected value.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.