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INTRODUCTION TO AIRCRAFT
FUEL SYSTEM
Copyright 2009 Tata Technologies. All rights reserved. All other trademarks are trademarks of their respective owners.
Introduction
All powered aircraft require fuel on board to operate the engine(s). The
fuel must be available to the engine under all conditions of engine
power, altitude, attitude, and during all approved flight maneuvers.

An aircraft fuel system allows the crew to pump, manage, and deliver
fuel to the propulsion system of an aircraft. Fuel systems differ greatly
from aircraft to aircraft due to the relative size and complexity of the
aircraft in which they are installed. They are designed to provide an
uninterrupted flow of clean fuel from the fuel tanks to the engine.

The problem of safely storing and delivering fuel to an aircraft's hungry
power plant has been an issue for airplane designers since the first
flights at Kitty Hawk.
Glossary

Abbr. Full form
AAR Air to Air Refuelling
CT Centre Tank
FVV Float Vent Valves
MSLW Maximum Structural Landing Weight
MTOW Maximum Take-Off Weight
NACA National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics
NRV Non Return Valve
ST Wing Surge Tank
WT Wing Tank
WW World War
The Fuel System Design Rules

There are some golden rules which needs to be followed for
designing a safe and efficient fuel system:

The design of the Gauging System should be independent of the
Transfer Control System.
The means used to call attention to a fault with the Transfer
Control System shall be independent of the Transfer Control
System.
The means used to call attention to a fault with the Gauging
System should be independent of the Gauging System.
The means used to call attention to a fault with the Transfer
Control System should be independent of the means used to call
attention to a fault with the Gauging System.

The Fuel System Parts

Fuel Tanks (Wing Tanks, Centre Tank, Trim Tank etc)
Venting System
Refuel, Defuel and Ground Transfer System
Engine Feed System
Fuel Transfer System
Fuel Scavenge System
Water Scavenge System
Jettison (as a Customer option)
Fuel Tanks
The fuel tanks are designed to maximize fuel availability and to
minimize heat loss from the fuel.
The fuel stored in the wing tanks provides wing bending moment
relief, thus optimizing aircraft structural weight.

Generally, Fuel is stored in
two types of tanks: CT
and WT, which are
located as shown.
Aircrafts also have Surge
tanks to help in venting.
Sometimes, airplanes also
have trim tanks which
help to adjust the centre
of gravity.
Venting System
The vent system maintains the tank pressures within the structural limits
during normal ground operation, refuel overflow, and any flight
maneuver. It also avoids fuel spillage during refuel and throughout the
operational attitude/acceleration envelope.

To allow proper fuel flow, each fuel tank must be vented from the top
part of the expansion space. Vent outlets must be located and
constructed in a manner that minimizes the possibility of being
obstructed by ice or other foreign matter. There must be no point in
any vent line where moisture can accumulate either on the ground or
during level flight.

Fuel tank vents may not terminate at a point where the discharge of fuel
from the vent outlet constitutes a fire hazard or from which fumes may
enter personnel compartments
Valves Used In Venting
Float vent valves (FVV) are float operated valves which allow air to flow
between the tanks and the vent pipes and prevent fuel entering the
vent pipes. A rising fuel level raises the float and closes the orifice
thus preventing movement of fuel into the vent pipe. These valves
require no external power. These valves are located in the tanks to
ensure that they are in the air bubble (ullage) over a range of aircraft
attitudes. Multiple Float Vent Valves are used, where necessary, to
cover the appropriate aircraft attitude range.

Vent line fuel drain valves are breather valves which allow fuel to pass
from the vent pipe into the tank but prevent flow of air or fuel in the
other direction (part of vent line assembly). The sphincter valve is a
self sealing rubber boot that is operated by fuel pressure. The
breather valve requires no external power source.
Wing Surge Tank (ST)
If a refuel overflow occurs, the FVV closes and fuel passes through the
main vent pipe into the ST. If the overflow continues, the fuel fills the
ST and overflows out of the aircraft via the NACA duct / flame arrestor
assembly.
At low fuel quantities air is vented from the tank via both the bifurcated
inlet in the WT & the FVV, into the ST and out of the aircraft through
the NACA duct / flame arrestor assembly which if blocked, the
overpressure protector relieves pressure preventing the tank from
becoming over-pressurised.

An ST Non Return Valve (NRV) is installed in each wing, and allows fuel
to drain inboard from the ST into the WT main cell but prevents flow
outboard. This valve ensures that any fuel that has spilt into the ST
via the vent system is recovered back into the WTs thus minimizing
unusable fuel and preventing cumulative build-up to the spill level. It
is a flap valve that requires no external power source.
Refuel
Refuel is the process of filling the aircraft with fuel. There are two types
of refueling processes as given below:

Over-the-wing refueling
Accomplished by opening the fuel
tank cap on the upper surface of the
wing or fuselage, if equipped with
fuselage tanks. The fueling nozzle is
carefully inserted into the fill opening
and fuel is pumped into the tank.
When finished, the cap is secured and
subsequent tanks are opened and
refilled until the aircraft has the
desired fuel load onboard.
Pressure refueling
It occurs at the bottom, front, or rear of the
fuel tank. A pressure refueling nozzle locks
onto the fueling port at the aircraft fueling
station. Fuel is pumped into the aircraft
through this secured and sealed connection.
Gauges are monitored to ascertain when the
tanks are properly loaded. An automatic
shutoff system may be part of the aircraft
system. It closes the fueling valve when the
tanks are full.
The Fuel System facilitates both manual and automatic refuels.

Automatic refuel distributes the uplifted fuel to a predetermined post
refuel distribution within the fuel tanks. This ensures a predictable
aircraft's centre of gravity.

Manual refuel allows fuel to be uplifted to any tank at the ground crew's
discretion, the amount of fuel added to each tank being covered by
aircraft procedures. Manual refuel provides an alternative to auto
refuel thereby mitigating any failures associated with auto refuel, and
can be useful when trouble shooting system problems.
Refuel ...
Defuel allows fuel to be removed from any or all of the fuel tanks. This
can be achieved using the aircraft fuel pumps and/or via suction
provided at the refuel coupling. Suction defuel being used when
electrical power is not available for the aircraft pumps or in
combination with the aircraft pumps to reduce defuel time. Suction
defuel is also known as Pressure defuel.

Ground transfer enables fuel to be moved from any tank to any other
tank.

Manual and automatic refuels, defuel and ground transfers between
tanks can be controlled from the external refuel panel. A customer
option to control the refuel automatically from the cockpit is also
available.
Defuel & Ground Transfer System
Fuel Valves
There are many types fuel valves used in an aircraft fuel system. They
are used to shut off fuel flow or to route the fuel to a desired location.

Light aircraft fuel systems may include only one valve, the selector valve.
It incorporates the shutoff and selection features into a single valve.

Large aircraft fuel systems have numerous valves. Most simply open and
close and are know by different names related to their location and
function in the fuel system (e.g., shutoff valve, transfer valve,
crossfeed valve). Fuel valves can be manually operated, solenoid
operated, or can be operated by electric motor. Ex: the refuel
coupling isolation valves are solenoid valves to ensure no fuel will be
spilled due to loss of power.
Engine Feed
The ability of the fuel system to provide fuel at a rate of flow and
pressure sufficient for proper engine operation is vital in aircraft.

Two common classifications apply to fuel systems in aircraft as shown:

Fuel-Pump Feed System
Aircraft with fuel-pump systems have two fuel
pumps in each wing. The main pump system is
engine driven with an electrically driven auxiliary
pump provided for use in engine starting and in
the event the engine pump fails. The auxiliary
pump, also known as a boost pump, provides
added reliability to the fuel system
Gravity-Feed System
The gravity-feed system utilizes the
force of gravity to transfer the fuel
from the tanks to the engine.
If the design of the aircraft is such
that gravity cannot be used to
transfer fuel, fuel pumps are
installed.
Fuel Transfers & Crossfeed
Crossfeed allows for fuel from one wing tank to be burned by the engine
installed on the opposite wing. In some cases, the fuel is routed directly
from the tank to the engine while in others, it is transferred from one wing
tank to the opposite wing tank before feeding it to the engine. The
crossfeed provision allows the pilot to use all of the fuel on board and to
maintain lateral balance limitations in the event of single engine
operations.

Fuel transfer from the wing tanks to the centre tank is required to mitigate
certain failure conditions and maximize fuel availability by providing an
alternative route from wing tank to engine. This transfer is achieved by
opening the tank inlet valves of the refuel gallery on one side of the
aircraft, which depending on fuel head differences will allow a gravity
transfer of fuel from the wing tank to the centre tank via the refuel gallery.
Control is independently provided to initiate gravity transfer from both wing
tanks.
Scavenge System
Fuel scavenge is provided to help satisfy the economic requirement to
minimize unusable fuel and operating weight empty. When the CT
becomes empty, the CT engine feed pumps are automatically
switched off and fuel is scavenged from the CT low points that occur
in cruise. Jet pumps are used to scavenge this fuel from the CT into
the WTs. The motive flow for these jet pumps are provided by the WT
main and standby engine feed pumps.

Similarly, water scavenge is provided to help satisfy the economic
requirement to minimize water drain operations. Jet pumps are used
to scavenge water from each tank to prevent significant quantities of
water collecting in the fuel tanks. The discharge of each jet pump is
directed toward the remote inlet of their respective engine feed
pump(s).

Fuel System Indicators
Aircraft fuel systems utilize various indicators. All systems are required to
have some sort of fuel quantity indicator. Fuel flow, pressure, and
temperature are monitored on many aircraft. Valve position indicators
and various warning lights and annunciations are also used.

Fuel Quantity Indicating Systems
All aircraft fuel systems must have
some form of fuel quantity indicator.
These devices vary widely
depending on the complexity of the
fuel system and the aircraft on
which they are installed.
Fuel Flowmeters
A fuel flowmeter indicates an engines fuel use in real
time. This can be useful to the pilot for ascertaining
engine performance and for flight planning
calculations. The types of fuel flow meter used on an
aircraft depends primarily on the power-plant being
used and the associated fuel system.
Fuel Temperature Gauges
Monitoring fuel temperature can inform the pilot when
fuel temperature approaches that which could cause
ice to form in the fuel system.
Fuel Pressure Gauges
Monitoring fuel pressure can give
the pilot early warning of a fuel
system related malfunction.
Jettison
The Fuel System facilitates both
manual and automatic refuels
As shown in the figure, fuel being
jettisoned free of the airframe on
a transport category aircraft. Fuel
jettison systems are also referred
to as Fuel Dump Systems.
Aircraft have two major types of weight limits: the MTOW and
the MSLW which is almost always being the lower of the two. This
allows an aircraft on a normal, routine flight to take off at the higher
weight, consume fuel en route, and arrive at a lower weight.
A situation could occur in which a landing is desired before sufficient
fuel has burned off to lighten the aircraft. Fuel jettison systems are
required on the aircraft so that fuel can be jettisoned in flight to avoid
structural damage cause by landing the aircraft when it is too heavy.
Military Aircraft Fuel Systems
Military aircraft fuel systems face the additional problems of avoiding
catastrophic results from hits to the fuel system by enemy fire.

Most propeller-driven aircraft of the World War era used piston engines that
burned an aviation-grade gasoline for fuel. Diesel engines were not unknown,
but were rarely used for any military aircraft outside of airships due to inferior
performance. Most fuel systems therefore used carburetors to introduce fuel
into the engine. Towards the end of WWI, the self-sealing fuel tanks began to
come into use to minimize damage from hits to the fuel tank.

Jet fighters came to military service at the very end of WWII. Jets are more fuel-
hungry than most propeller aircraft and require different fueling mechanisms
in the engine itself. Virtually all jet engines use injection fuel systems, and
many designs from the 1950s onward incorporate the ability to dump raw fuel
into the engine aft of the engine's compression chamber to improve thrust.
This procedure is known colloquially as afterburning. Fuel storage continues
to be based on self-sealing tanks, with improvements in materials as
technology evolves.
In addition to internal fuel storage, many military aircrafts have the ability
to use external fuel tanks to extend their range. These are known as
drop tanks, since many of them are jettisoned from the aircraft once
expended or if an emergency occurs.

Drop Tanks
Drop tanks are commonly used on bombers or attack aircraft. Escort
fighters may use such devices for long-range missions to preserve
their fuel stores for air combat maneuvering near the target. Use of
drop tanks in active military service dates back to at least the Spanish
Civil War in the 1930s, though experimental models may have been
tested before this time.
Air to Air Refuelling
A significant advance in military aircraft fuel systems was the
introduction of air-to-air refueling capability.

Using air-to-air refueling allows an airplane to take off with a significantly
higher weapons load or extend its range or loiter time over the
battlefield.

Experiments with air-to-air refueling began in the 1920s with individual
biplane fighters transferring fuel to one another. While many systems
developed since the 1950s use a large tanker aircraft to fuel other
aircraft, a recent trend towards the use of "buddy store" refueling
systems mounted on standard fighters has brought the concept of
aerial refueling back to its origins.
There are two types of AAR techniques:
I. Flying Boom
II. Probe & Drogue
Air to Air Refuelling ...
Flying Boom requires navigating a giant telescoping tube into a
receptacle located near the front of the receiver plane. After the boom
latches in, the tanker starts pumping fuel.
Probe & Drogue method uses a hose that drops into a basket and fuels.
www.wikipedia.org
http://military.answers.com
A350 Fuel SDD
Bibliography
NOTE: After going through this presentation, atleast one of the ATA
28 - System Design Document (SDD) should be referred for a
complete understanding of the aircraft Fuel System.

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INTRODUCTION TO AIRCRAFT

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