Flow control for on-board inert gas generation system
AssigneeHamilton Sundstrand Corporation
InventorEric Surawski
Life of this patent
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Abstract
An on-board inert gas generating system includes a flow control valve modulated according to changes in ambient conditions to minimize changes to oxygen content within a fuel tank. The quality of the nitrogen-enriched air stream that is provided by the air separation module varies in response to flow. Higher flow rates through the air separation module removes less oxygen relative to lower flow rates. The amount of flow through the air separation module that produces the least amount of oxygen within the fuel tank is determined for an ambient pressure and provided by modulating the flow control valve.
Claims17
An inert gas generating system comprising:
- an air separation module for receiving an oxygen containing air stream and exhausting a nitrogen-enriched air stream;
- a flow control valve to control a rate of flow of the nitrogen-enriched air stream exhausted from the air separation module;
- at least one sensor for measuring atmospheric pressure and temperature, the at least one sensor disposed for measuring the atmospheric pressure and temperature of the environment surrounding the inert gas generating system;
- and
- a controller for adjusting the flow control valve to provide a desired flow rate of the nitrogen-enriched air exhausted from the air separation module based on the measured values of atmospheric pressure and temperature from the at least one sensor.
A fuel tank inerting system comprising:
- an air separation module for producing a nitrogen-enriched air stream;
- at least one sensor for measuring atmospheric conditions of an environment surrounding the fuel tank;
- a control valve for controlling the nitrogen enriched air stream from the air separation module;
- and
- a controller for determining an oxygen concentration within the fuel tank for the measured atmospheric conditions and a quantity of the nitrogen enriched air stream required to provide a desired oxygen concentration within the fuel tank for the measured atmospheric conditions and actuating the control valve to provide the desired quantity of nitrogen enriched air.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.