Aircraft fuel tank flammability reduction methods and systems
First Claim
1. An aircraft fuel tank flammability reduction method comprising:
- feeding pressurized air into an air separation module containing an oxygen separation membrane;
contacting the separation membrane with the air feed, permeating oxygen from the air feed through the separation membrane, and producing nitrogen-enriched air from the air separation module as a result of removing oxygen from the air feed;
substantially cooling the nitrogen-enriched air (NEA) from the air separation module in a NEA flow heat exchanger downstream of the air separation module; and
feeding the substantially cooled, nitrogen-enriched air into the fuel tank on board the aircraft.
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Abstract
An aircraft fuel tank flammability reduction method includes feeding pressurized air into an air separation module containing an oxygen separation membrane. The method includes contacting the separation membrane with the air feed, permeating oxygen from the air feed through the separation membrane, and producing nitrogen-enriched air from the air separation module as a result of removing oxygen from the air feed. The NEA from the air separation module is substantially cooled in a NEA flow heat exchanger and the substantially cooled, nitrogen-enriched air is fed into the fuel tank on board the aircraft. An aircraft fuel tank flammability reduction system includes a NEA flow heat exchanger configured to cool substantially the nitrogen-enriched air from the air separation module and a fuel tank on board the aircraft configured to receive the cooled nitrogen-enriched air.
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Citations
20 Claims
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1. An aircraft fuel tank flammability reduction method comprising:
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feeding pressurized air into an air separation module containing an oxygen separation membrane; contacting the separation membrane with the air feed, permeating oxygen from the air feed through the separation membrane, and producing nitrogen-enriched air from the air separation module as a result of removing oxygen from the air feed; substantially cooling the nitrogen-enriched air (NEA) from the air separation module in a NEA flow heat exchanger downstream of the air separation module; and feeding the substantially cooled, nitrogen-enriched air into the fuel tank on board the aircraft. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13)
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14. An aircraft fuel tank flammability reduction system comprising:
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a source configured to produce pressurized air; an air separation module configured to receive air feed from the pressurized air source; an oxygen separation membrane in the air separation module configured to permeate oxygen from the air feed through the separation membrane and to produce nitrogen-enriched air (NEA) from the air separation module as a result of removing oxygen from the air feed; a NEA flow heat exchanger downstream of the air separation module and configured to substantially cool the nitrogen-enriched air from the air separation module; and a fuel tank on board the aircraft configured to receive the cooled nitrogen-enriched air. - View Dependent Claims (15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20)
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Specification