UAV fuel and lubrication system

• Main Authors: Tubb, John Howard, Cathcart, Geoffrey Paul, Railton, Donald Andrew, Muscat, Mario Charles, Karay, Stephen John, Coplin, Nicholas, Bleechmore, Callan Murray
• Format: Patent
• Language: English
• Published: 21.07.2020
• Subjects: AEROPLANES; AIRCRAFT; ARRANGEMENT OR MOUNTING OF PLURAL DIVERSE PRIME-MOVERS INVEHICLES; ARRANGEMENT OR MOUNTING OF PROPULSION UNITS OR OFTRANSMISSIONS IN VEHICLES; ARRANGEMENTS IN CONNECTION WITH COOLING, AIR INTAKE, GASEXHAUST OR FUEL SUPPLY OF PROPULSION UNITS, IN VEHICLES; ARRANGEMENTS OR MOUNTING OF POWER PLANTS OR PROPULSIONTRANSMISSIONS IN AIRCRAFT; AUXILIARY DRIVES FOR VEHICLES; AVIATION; BLASTING; COMBUSTION ENGINES; COSMONAUTICS; CRANKCASE VENTILATING; ENGINE PLANTS IN GENERAL; EQUIPMENT FOR FITTING IN OR TO AIRCRAFT; FLYING SUITS; HEATING; HELICOPTERS; HOT-GAS OR COMBUSTION-PRODUCT ENGINE PLANTS; INSTRUMENTATION OR DASHBOARDS FOR VEHICLES; LIGHTING; LUBRICATING INTERNAL COMBUSTION ENGINES; LUBRICATING OF MACHINES OR ENGINES IN GENERAL; MACHINES OR ENGINES IN GENERAL; MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; PARACHUTES; PERFORMING OPERATIONS; POSITIVE DISPLACEMENT MACHINES FOR LIQUIDS; PUMPS; PUMPS FOR LIQUIDS OR ELASTIC FLUIDS; STEAM ENGINES; SUPPLYING COMBUSTION ENGINES IN GENERAL, WITH COMBUSTIBLEMIXTURES OR CONSTITUENTS THEREOF; TRANSPORTING; VEHICLES IN GENERAL; WEAPONS

An unmanned aerial vehicle has an internal combustion engine, and a fuel and lubrication system comprising a fuelling system for fuelling the engine and a lubrication system for delivering lubricating oil to the engine. The fuelling system comprises a fuel reservoir from which fuel can be delivered to the engine. The fuel reservoir comprises a main tank and a header tank. The lubrication system comprises an oil tank. The oil tank is accommodated internally within the main tank to provide an integrated assembly. The arrangement provides for warming of lubrication oil for the UAV engine using several available heat sources. Further, the arrangement facilitates a configuration and layout intended to minimise or negate any undesirable moments of inertia for the UAV during flight as fuel and oil is consumed.