Patent Application
20140305135
1. Technical Field
The present disclosure relates to a fuel drain valve for a turbine engine.
2. Description of Related Art
A turbine engine can require the draining of excess fuel that would otherwise accumulate in the fuel manifold unit during the shutdown of the turbine engine. In one conventional system, the excess fuel drains into a bottle which must be emptied by maintenance personnel. The bottle and associated plumbing adds weight and consumes valuable space in the engine compartment. In another conventional system, the excess fuel is drained onto the ground instead of into a bottle; however, draining excess fuel onto the ground is a non-environmental practice that is not always permitted.
Hence, there is a need for an improved apparatus for dealing with excess fuel that may otherwise accumulate in the fuel manifold during the shutdown of a turbine engine.
The novel features believed characteristic of the apparatus of the present disclosure are set forth in the appended claims. However, the apparatus itself, as well as a preferred mode of use, and further objectives and advantages thereof, will best be understood by reference to the following detailed description when read in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, wherein:
Illustrative embodiments of the apparatus of the present disclosure are described below. In the interest of clarity, all features of an actual implementation may not be described in this specification. It will of course be appreciated that in the development of any such actual embodiment, numerous implementation-specific decisions must be made to achieve the developer's specific goals, such as compliance with system-related and business-related constraints, which will vary from one implementation to another. Moreover, it will be appreciated that such a development effort might be complex and time-consuming but would nevertheless be a routine undertaking for those of ordinary skill in the art having the benefit of this disclosure.
In the specification, reference may be made to the spatial relationships between various components and to the spatial orientation of various aspects of components as the devices are depicted in the attached drawings. However, as will be recognized by those skilled in the art after a complete reading of the present disclosure, the devices, members, apparatuses, etc. described herein may be positioned in any desired orientation. Thus, the use of terms such as “above,” “below,” “upper,” “lower,” or other like terms to describe a spatial relationship between various components or to describe the spatial orientation of aspects of such components should be understood to describe a relative relationship between the components or a spatial orientation of aspects of such components, respectively, as the device described herein may be oriented in any desired direction.
Referring now to
Rotorcraft 101 is merely illustrative of the wide variety of aircraft, vehicles, and other objects that are particularly well suited to take advantage of the apparatus of the present disclosure. It should be appreciated that any object having a turbine engine can utilize the apparatus of the present disclosure.
Referring now also to
In one example embodiment, water wash connection 209 includes an opening that forms a port to a fluid line 211 that is fluid communication with a water wash system (such as water wash nozzles) within engine 113. An engine drain line 203 is configured to drain fluids from within engine 113. The exact location of the location of the engine side portion of drain line 203 is implementation specific. Further, engine drain line 203 can include a plurality of drain lines that drain from a plurality of locations within engine 113.
Still referring also to
Disposal line 213 is configured as a fluid passageway for disposal fluids, as such; disposal line 213 is plumbed so that disposal fluids flow downstream from valve assembly 201 to a desired disposal area. In one example embodiment, disposal line 213 is plumbed to an engine deck where a scupper collects the disposal fluid and drains the disposal fluid out of the aircraft. In another embodiment, disposal line 213 is configured so that an external collection device can be connected thereto for collecting the disposal fluid.
Fuel line 205 is configured as a fluid passageway for engine fuel, as such; fuel line 205 is plumbed so that excess fuel from an engine shutdown flows to a fuel tank. As discussed further herein, excess fuel can be product of an engine shutdown; therefore, drain line 203 is plumbed to drain the excess fuel from engine 113 toward valve assembly 201 with fuel line 205 being downstream from valve assembly 201.
Referring now also to
Referring now to
It should be appreciated that valve 201 can take on a wide variety of configurations. Further, it should be appreciated that the exact configuration of handle 207 is implementation specific. For example, handle 207 can be configured such that handle 207 must be rotated fully into the water wash service setting before water wash connection 209 is sufficiently exposed for a connection to an external fluid source.
The apparatus disclosed herein include one or more of the following advantages. The valve handle of the valve assembly is configured to prevent inadvertent contamination of the aircraft fuel system by not allowing an external fluid source to be connected while the valve passageway is oriented to provide fluid communication between the drain line and the fuel line. Further, the valve assembly allows for excess fluid generated from an engine shutdown to be drained to the aircraft fuel system, thereby preventing the need for a bottle or other fuel catching device. Further, the valve assembly eliminates any service action associated with emptying a fuel catching device. Further, the valve assembly prevents the draining of excess fuel onto a ground surface.
The particular embodiments disclosed herein are illustrative only, as the apparatus may be modified and practiced in different but equivalent manners apparent to those skilled in the art having the benefit of the teachings herein. Modifications, additions, or omissions may be made to the apparatus described herein without departing from the scope of the invention. The components of the apparatus may be integrated or separated. Moreover, the operations of the apparatus may be performed by more, fewer, or other components.
Furthermore, no limitations are intended to the details of construction or design herein shown, other than as described in the claims below. It is therefore evident that the particular embodiments disclosed above may be altered or modified and all such variations are considered within the scope and spirit of the disclosure. Accordingly, the protection sought herein is as set forth in the claims below.
To aid the Patent Office, and any readers of any patent issued on this application in interpreting the claims appended hereto, applicants wish to note that they do not intend any of the appended claims to invoke paragraph 6 of 35 U.S.C. §112 as it exists on the date of filing hereof unless the words “means for” or “step for” are explicitly used in the particular claim.
