Fuel storage device, an aircraft, and a method
AssigneeAirbus Helicopters
InventorsRoland Meillat, Stephane Mougin
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A fuel storage device (10) having at least one tank (15), the tank (15) having a casing (20) extending upwards from a bottom (21) to a top wall (22). The storage device (10) is provided with at least one inflatable bag (25) arranged inside said casing, said device including inflation/deflation means (35) for inflating each inflatable bag (25) at least in part so as to reach an inflated volume prior to filling the tank, and for deflating said inflatable bag after filling in order to guarantee the presence of an expansion volume inside said tank.
Claims16
A storage device for storing fuel, the device having at least one tank, the tank having a casing extending upwards from a bottom to a top wall, wherein the storage device is provided with at least one inflatable bag arranged inside the casing, the storage device including inflation/deflation means inflating each inflatable bag at least in part so as to reach an inflated volume prior to filling the tank, and for deflating the inflatable bag after filling in order to guarantee an expansion volume inside the tank, wherein the at least one inflatable bag is fastened to the bottom of the casing in order to provide the expansion volume and also to provide at least one slope having a variable angle of inclination to direct the fuel towards a predetermined zone of the tank by gravity, wherein the at least one inflatable bag is compartmentalized so as to present a first compartment for inflating/deflating the expansion volume, and a second compartment in order to provide the at least one slope.
A method of storing fuel in a storage device, the storage device having at least one tank, the tank having a casing extending upwards from a bottom to a top wall, wherein the storage device is provided with at least one inflatable bag arranged inside the casing, the storage device including inflation/deflation means inflating each inflatable bag at least in part so as to reach an inflated volume prior to filling the tank, and for deflating the inflatable bag after filling in order to guarantee an expansion volume inside the tank, the method comprising inflating the at least one inflatable bag to a predetermined volume in order to provide an expansion volume in the tank prior to filling the tank with fuel, filling the tank with fuel while the at least one inflatable bag is at the predetermined volume, and then deflating the at least one inflatable bag after filling the tank with fuel.
A method of storing fuel in a storage device in an aircraft, the method comprising:
- providing an aircraft having a fuel tank and an inflatable bag disposed within, and connected to, the fuel tank, the inflatable bag communicating with an inflation source to be inflatable between an inflated state, wherein the inflatable bag is inflated to a predetermined volume, and a deflated state, wherein the inflatable bag is deflated;
- inflating the inflatable bag to the predetermined volume;
- filling the fuel tank with fuel while the inflatable bag is inflated to the predetermined volume;
- and
- after filling the fuel tank with fuel, deflating the inflatable bag from the predetermined volume to the deflated state to provide a free volume inside the fuel tank to provide an expansion volume for the fuel in the fuel tank.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.