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US 2019/0162640 A1Published application
Jet Fuel Thermal Oxidation Test Equipment
AssigneeAD Systems S.A.S.
InventorsMartial Lépinay, Jean Christien, Florentin Lecornu
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AssigneeAD Systems S.A.S.
InventorsMartial Lépinay, Jean Christien, Florentin Lecornu
Estimating the term…
Jet fuels' thermal oxidation characteristics are evaluated via the Standard Test Method for Thermal Stability of Aviation Turbine Fuels. This test method mimics the thermal stress conditions encountered by jet fuel in operation and is often carried out by laboratory devices, known as rigs. The rigs include a test section having a sleeve and a heater tube arranged therein. A pair of bus bars secure the test section to the rig and apply a current to the heater tube. The applied current heats the heater tube and subjects the sample jet fuels that are flowing in the volume between the sleeve and heater tube to high temperatures, which may produce thermal oxidation deposits on the heater tube. Heater tubes are difficult to install, however, and a gauge may be used to ensure accurate placement of the heater tube within the sleeve. In addition, the fuel sample must be prepared via an aeration process, and systems are disclosed for automating the aeration process such that the sample is prepared precisely according to the test standard. Moreover, the rig includes a pump system that moves the fuel sample through the test section, and a pump system is provided in a double syringe arrangement that optimizes fuel flow through the test section without fluctuation. Finally, the rigs include cooling systems for cooling the bus bars and maintaining an appropriate thermal profile within the heater tube, and cooling systems may be provided that independently control the temperature of each bus bar.
A gauge for positioning a heater tube within a sleeve, the gauge comprising a body having a first and a second end and a bore that extends from the first end into the body for a length, wherein the bore has a diameter that is sized to receive an open end of the sleeve, wherein the heater tube includes a pair of shoulders interposed by a thin portion and the shoulders extend away from the thin portion from a lip, and wherein one of the shoulders extends through the sleeve and into the length of the bore such that lip is positioned proximate to an outlet of the sleeve.
A system for automatically aerating a fuel sample, the system comprising:
A pump system for moving a fuel sample through a thermal oxidation rig, the pump system comprising:
A temperature system for independently controlling a temperature of a bus bar to improve a thermal profile of a heater tube in a thermal oxidation rig, the temperature system comprising:
A clamping system for securing a heater tube to a bus bar of a thermal oxidation rig, the clamping system comprising:
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.