Conduit protection system and method
AssigneeAirbus Operations GmbH
InventorsFranklin Tichborne, Joseph K-W Lam, Simon Masters, David Parmenter
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A conduit protection system, comprising: a conduit for carrying a fluid; a sealed vessel surrounding the conduit along a protected zone of the conduit; and a valve moveable between a first position for obstructing fluid flow through the protected zone of the conduit and a second position for enabling fluid flow through the protected zone of the conduit, wherein the valve is biased to the first position, and wherein the valve is fluidically coupled to the sealed vessel such that a positive pressure within the sealed vessel is operable to move the valve to the second position against the bias. Also, a method for protecting a fluid carrying conduit.
Claims18
A conduit protection system, comprising:
- a conduit for carrying a fluid;
- a sealed vessel surrounding the conduit along a protected zone of the conduit;
- and
- a valve moveable between a first position for obstructing fluid flow through the protected zone of the conduit and a second position for enabling fluid flow through the protected zone of the conduit,
- wherein the valve is biased to the first position, and wherein the valve is fluidically coupled to the sealed vessel such that a positive pressure within the sealed vessel is operable to move the valve to the second position against the bias,
- wherein the valve includes a valve body moveable within a valve chamber, wherein a first portion of the valve chamber on one side of the valve body is fluidically coupled to the sealed vessel,
- wherein the valve body is biased to the first position by a spring,
- wherein the spring is housed within a second portion of the valve chamber on the opposite side of the valve body to the first portion, and
- wherein the conduit protection system further comprises a pressure relief channel through the valve body adapted to fluidically couple the second portion of the valve chamber to the conduit when the valve is in the first position and to not fluidically couple the second portion of the valve chamber to the conduit when the valve is in the second position.
An aircraft comprising a rotary engine and defining a rotor burst zone, and a conduit protection system according to any preceding claim, wherein the protected zone of the conduit passes through the rotor burst zone.
A method for protecting a fluid carrying conduit, comprising:
- providing a sealed vessel surrounding the conduit along a protected zone of the conduit;
- providing a valve moveable between a first position for obstructing fluid flow through the protected zone of the conduit and a second position for enabling fluid flow through the protected zone of the conduit;
- wherein the valve includes a valve body moveable within a valve chamber, wherein a first portion of the valve chamber on one side of the valve body is fluidically coupled to the seal vessel;
- providing a spring and biasing the valve to the first position by said spring;
- wherein the spring is housed within a second portion of the valve chamber on the opposite side of the valve body to the first portion,
- fluidically coupling the valve to the sealed vessel;
- providing a pressure relief channel through the valve body adapted to fluidically couple the second portion of the valve chamber to the conduit when the valve is in the first position and to not fluidically couple the second portion of the valve chamber to the conduit when the valve is in the second position, and
- applying a positive pressure within the sealed vessel to move the valve to the second position against the spring bias.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.