Refuelling structure

Abstract

A structure for refuelling an aircraft with cryogenic fuel includes a walkway to allow personnel to access the aircraft and a pipework arrangement attached to the walkway. The pipework arrangement includes a feed line, a return line and a bypass valve between the feed line and the return line and fluidically connecting the inlet line to the return line. A first end of the feed line is configured to connect to a source of cryogenic fuel, and a second, opposite end of the feed line is configured to connect to the aircraft. The bypass valve is switchable between a refuelling configuration in which the bypass valve prevents fluid flow between the feed line and return line through the bypass valve, and a chill down configuration in which the bypass valve allows fluid flow between the feed line and the return line through the bypass valve.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.