Method and Device for Inerting a Fuel Tank

An inerting device for one or several aircraft fuel tanks, which device includes at the least:

• an inert gas generator supplied with purged air diverted from the engines and/or air drawn from the passenger compartment,
• means of determining the inert gas requirement of the aircraft tank or tanks in real time during the use of the aircraft,
• means of regulating the flow rates of the inert gas generator,
• means of controlled distribution of the inert gas to the various tanks and/or the various compartments of a tank and,
• a control unit, on the one hand, capable of determining in real time a flow setting for the inert gas generator according to the inert gas requirement of the tank or tanks transmitted by determining means, said setting of being transmitted in real time to the regulating means, and on the other hand, capable of determining the inert gas distribution control settings for the various tanks and/or the various compartments of a tank, with said settings being transmitted to the controlled distribution means in real time
• wherein these determination means include:
• a multitude of sensors capable of measuring in real time, in the tank or the tanks and/or the various compartments of a tank, the volume of fuel, and/or the quantity of oxygen, and/or the temperature,
• information processing means relative to the flight of the aircraft and,
• means of calculating the inert gas requirement as a function of measurements from the sensors, and information relative to the flight of the aircraft.