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US 5,655,732 AGranted
Apparatus for draining waste water from aircraft
AssigneeDaimler-Benz Aerospace Airbus GmbH
InventorHelge Frank
Life of this patent
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AssigneeDaimler-Benz Aerospace Airbus GmbH
InventorHelge Frank
Estimating the term…
A waste water drain apparatus (1) is to be attached to the fuselage belly (2) of an aircraft. The apparatus (1) essentially includes a drain pipe (3), an aerodynamically shaped fairing (7) enclosing the drain pipe (3), an attachment flange (6) for connecting the apparatus to the aircraft, at least one temperature sensor (9), and either at least one heating element (8) or hot air inlet (13) for heating the drain pipe (3). An inlet end (4) of the drain pipe (3) is to be connected to a waste water system of the aircraft. An outlet end (5) of the drain pipe (3) exits rearward at the trailing edge of the fairing so that the lengthwise axis of the drain pipe outlet is substantially parallel with the air flow during flight. Either hot air is caused to flow along the drain pipe (3), or heating elements are arranged near or on the inner surface of the fairing (7) at least at the area where the drain pipe outlet end (5) passes through the fairing (7) and near or on the inner surface of the attachment flange (6) at the area where the drain pipe (3) passes through the flange (6). Freezing of the drain pipe is prevented and waste water can be drained at any time during flight.
An apparatus for draining waste water from an aircraft, comprising an aerodynamically shaped fairing, a drain pipe arranged within said fairing and having an inlet end adapted to be connected to a waste water system of the aircraft and having an outlet end that exits from said fairing and opens generally toward the rear of the aircraft, an attachment flange supporting said drain pipe and adapted to attach said drain pipe and said fairing to a fuselage of the aircraft, and at least one heating element arranged within said fairing at at least one area selected from a first area directly on an inner surface of said attachment flange where said drain pipe passes through said flange and a second area directly on an inner surface of said fairing where said drain pipe passes through said fairing.
An apparatus for draining waste water from an aircraft, comprising an aerodynamically shaped fairing, a drain pipe arranged within said fairing and having an inlet end adapted to be connected to a waste water system of the aircraft and having an outlet end that exits from said fairing and opens generally toward the rear of the aircraft, an attachment flange supporting said drain pipe and adapted to attach said drain pipe and said fairing to a fuselage of the aircraft, an insulating layer arranged within said fairing at at least one area selected from first area directly on an inner surface of said attachment flange where said drain pipe passes through said flange and a second area directly on an inner surface of said fairing where said drain pipe passes through said fairing, and at least one heating element arranged on an inner surface of said insulating layer and extending substantially parallel to said fairing at said first area or substantially parallel to said flange at said second area, with said insulating layer arranged between said at least one heating element and said inner surface of said attachment flange at said first area or said inner surface of said fairing at said second area.
An apparatus for draining waste water from an aircraft, comprising an aerodynamically shaped fairing, a drain pipe arranged within said fairing and having an inlet end adapted to be connected to a waste water system of the aircraft and having an outlet end that exits from said fairing and opens generally toward the rear of the aircraft, an attachment flange supporting said drain pipe and adapted to attach said drain pipe and said fairing to a fuselage of the aircraft, a hot air inlet opening into a hot air space within said fairing and adapted to be connected to a hot air source of the aircraft, and a hot air outlet passing from said hot air space out through said fairing proximate said outlet end of said drain pipe, wherein said hot air space within said fairing surrounds said drain pipe and provides a hot air environment outside and around said drain pipe to prevent freezing conditions therein.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.