AIRCRAFT FUEL SYSTEM WITH CYCLONIC SEPARATOR

• Main Authors: Lisle-Taylor, Stephen, Lam, Joseph K-W
• Format: Patent
• Language: English; French; German
• Published: 23.10.2019
• Subjects: AIRCRAFT; APPARATUS USING FREE VORTEX FLOW, e.g. CYCLONES; ARRANGEMENTS OR MOUNTING OF POWER PLANTS OR PROPULSIONTRANSMISSIONS IN AIRCRAFT; AVIATION; CENTRIFUGAL APPARATUS OR MACHINES FOR CARRYING-OUT PHYSICAL ORCHEMICAL PROCESSES; CHEMISTRY; COSMONAUTICS; CRACKING HYDROCARBON OILS; EQUIPMENT FOR FITTING IN OR TO AIRCRAFT; FLYING SUITS; FUELS; LUBRICANTS; METALLURGY; MINERAL WAXES; PARACHUTES; PEAT; PERFORMING OPERATIONS; PETROLEUM, GAS OR COKE INDUSTRIES; PHYSICAL OR CHEMICAL PROCESSES OR APPARATUS IN GENERAL; PRODUCTION OF LIQUID HYDROCARBON MIXTURES, e.g. BY DESTRUCTIVEHYDROGENATION, OLIGOMERISATION, POLYMERISATION; RECOVERY OF HYDROCARBON OILS FROM OIL-SHALE, OIL-SAND, ORGASES; REFINING MIXTURES MAINLY CONSISTING OF HYDROCARBONS; REFORMING OF NAPHTHA; SEPARATION; TECHNICAL GASES CONTAINING CARBON MONOXIDE; TRANSPORTING

An aircraft fuel system comprising: a fuel tank (20); and a cyclonic separator (1). The cyclonic separator comprises: a separation chamber; an inlet (2) in fluid communication with the fuel tank (20) and the separation chamber; a fuel outlet (4) in fluid communication with the separation chamber; and a water outlet (3). The cyclonic separator is adapted to discharge water from the water outlet (3) and relatively less dense liquid fuel from the fuel outlet (4), and wherein the cyclonic separator (1) further comprises a permeation member (22) formed from a water-permeable material which enables water in the separation chamber to flow through the water-permeable material and out of the water outlet (3), but substantially prevents liquid fuel in the separation chamber from doing so.