Planar membrane deoxygenator
AssigneeUnited Technologies Corporation
InventorsLouis J. Spadaccini, Steven Lozyniak, He Huang
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A fuel deoxygenator includes a plurality of fuel plates defining fuel passages through a housing. A permeable membrane supported by a porous substrate is in contact with fuel flowing through the fuel passages. A vacuum in communication with the porous substrate creates a differential pressure between oxygen within the fuel and the porous membrane. The oxygen partial pressure differential causes oxygen dissolved within the fuel to migrate from the fuel through the permeable membrane away from the fuel. Fuel exiting the outlet includes a substantially reduced amount of dissolved oxygen.
Claims23
A fuel deoxygenator assembly comprising:
- a housing comprising a fuel inlet and a fuel outlet;
- fuel plate defining fuel passages through said housing between said inlet and outlet;
- a permeable membrane supported by a porous substrate on a non-fuel side, said permeable membrane in contact with fuel flowing through said fuel passages on a fuel side;
- at least one opening within said housing in communication with said porous substrate for creating an oxygen partial pressure differential between said fuel side and said non-fuel side of said permeable membrane to draw dissolved oxygen out of fuel within said fuel passages.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.