Aircraft Fuel Systems

By: Eric Spoor

•Information in this section was taken from:

Aircraft Maintenance and Repair p.467-504
Transport Category Aircraft Systems p.6-1 through 6-28
Aircraft Fuel
 Reciprocating engine fuels
 Turbine engine fuels
 Jet A – which is Kerosene
 Jet B – a blend of kerosene and
gasoline
 Jet A-1 – used for operation at
extremely low temperatures
• Jet A and Jet B are the most common
Fuel System Contamination
 The higher the viscosity of the fuel, the greater
it’s ability to hold contaminants in suspension
 This is why jet fuels, which have a higher
viscosity than av-gas, are also more susceptible
to contamination than av-gas
 The main contaminants that reduce the quality of
fuel are:
 Other petroleum products
 Water
 Rust
 Scale
 Dirt
Water Contamination
 Water contamination in fuel can be in two
forms:
 Dissolved in the fuel
 Entrained or suspended in the fuel
 Water in fuel can cause icing in the
aircraft fuel system, usually in:
 Boost pump screens
 Low pressure filters
 Large amounts of water can cause engine
stoppage
Microbial Growth
 Microbial Growth is produced by various
forms of micro-organisms that live and
multiply in water which is in jet fuel
 These micro-organisms form slime that
can be red, brown, green, or black
 The organisms feed on hydrocarbons in
the fuel but require water to multiply
 This buildup can:
 Interfere with fuel flow and quantity indications
 Start electrolytic corrosive action
Contamination Detection
 Coarse fuel contamination can be
detected visually
 Uncontaminated fuel should be:
 Clean
 Bright

 Contain no perceptible free water

Contamination Detection
(cont.)
 Clean means the absence of any readily
visible sediment or entrained water
 Bright refers to the shiny appearance of
clean, dry fuel
 Free water is indicated by a cloud, haze,
or water slug
 Water saturated in fuel is not always visible
 Perfectly clear water can contain as much as
three times the acceptable limit
Contamination Detection
(cont.)
 There is no accurate method of detecting
fuel entrained water when it is frozen
 For this reason, it is important that fuel is
checked when the water is in a liquid state
 This should not be done following a flight at
altitude when the fuel would be below 32
degrees F
 It is more effective to drain the fuel after the
fuel has set undisturbed for a period of time,
allowing the water to precipitate and settle to
the drain point
Fuel Systems
 The purpose of an aircraft fuel system is
to store and deliver the proper amount of
clean fuel at the correct pressure to the
engine
 Fuel systems should provide positive and
reliable fuel flow through all phases of
flight including:
 Changes in altitude
 Violent maneuvers
 Sudden acceleration and deceleration
Fuel Systems (cont.)
 Fuel systems should also
continuously monitor system
operation such as:
 Fuel pressure
 Fuel flow

 Warning signals

 Tank quantity
Types of Fuel Systems
 Fuel systems can be classified in two
broad categories:
 Gravity-Feed Systems
 Pressure-Feed Systems
Gravity-Feed Systems
 Gravity-Feed Systems use only the
force of gravity to push fuel to the
engine fuel-control mechanism
 The bottom of the fuel tank must be
high enough to provide adequate
pressure to the fuel-control
component
 This type of system is often used in
high-wing light aircraft
Pressure-Feed Systems
 Pressure-Feed Systems require the use of a fuel
pump to provide fuel-pressure to the engine’s
fuel-control component
 There are two main reasons these systems are
necessary:
 The fuel tanks are too low to provide enough pressure
from gravity
 The fuel tanks are a great distance from the engine
 Also, most large aircraft with higher powered
engines require a pressure system regardless of
the fuel tank location because of the large
volume of fuel used by the engines
Fuel System Components
 Pumps  Quantity Indicators
 Tanks  Warning
 Lines Components
 Valves  Fuel Drains
 Fuel Flow-meters  Heaters
 Filters and
Strainers
Fuel Pumps
 Fuel pumps are used to move fuel
through the system then gravity feed is
insufficient
 There are three main functions of fuel
pumps, they are to move fuel from:
 The tanks to the engines
 One tank to another
 The engine back to the tanks
Fuel-Pump Requirements
 Engine fuel systems require main
pumps and in some systems
emergency pumps
 These requirements depend on the
type of engines installed on the
aircraft
Reciprocating-Engine Fuel-
Pump Requirements
 Reciprocating-engines which are not
gravity-fed require:
 At least one main pump for each engine
 These pumps must be engine-driven

 The pump capacity must capable of

providing enough fuel flow for all
operations
Turbine-Engine Fuel-Pump
Requirements
 Turbine-Engines require:
 At least one main pump for each engine
 Main pump power supply must be
independent of all other main pump
power supplies
 Each positive-displacement main pump
must be able to be bypassed
Turbine-Engine Fuel-Pump
Requirements (cont.)
 Turbine-engines also require emergency
pumps
 The emergency pump must be immediately
available to supply fuel to the engine in the
event of a main pump failure
 Emergency pump power supplies must be
independent of that of the corresponding main
pump
 If both the emergency and main pumps operate
continuously, there must be some means of
alerting the flight crew of a failure of either
pump
Fuel Pump Classification
 One way to classify fuel pumps is
according to the pump’s function
 These classifications are:
 Boost Pump
 Scavenge Pump

 Cross-feed Pumps
Fuel Pump Classification
 Another way to classify fuel pumps
is by their method of operation
 These pumps are:
 Vane-type
• Variable-volume
 Centrifugal
 Ejector
Vane-Type Pumps
 Vane-type fuel pumps are the most
common
 They use a rotor which turns vanes
in a cylinder, the vanes act to push
the fuel through the system
 Vane-type pumps can have from two
to six vanes and they may be
variable volume also
Centrifugal Pumps
 Centrifugal pumps are used to move
fuel from one tank to another or
from the fuel tank to the engine
 They are electrically driven and
some may operate at different
speeds
Ejector Pumps
 An ejector pump is normally used to
scavenge fuel from remote areas
 These pumps have no moving parts
they rely on return fuel from the
engine to pump the fuel
 Ejector pumps work on the venturi
principle
Fuel Tanks
 Fuel systems on different aircraft
may use several types of fuel tanks
 The three basic types of fuel tanks
used on aircraft are:
 Integral
 Rigid Removable

 Bladder
Integral Fuel Tanks
 Integral Fuel Tanks are commonly located in the
aircraft’s wings or fuselage
 These tanks are ones that are built into the structure
of the aircraft and generally can not be removed
 Integral Fuel Tanks are formed by the actual
structure of the aircraft
 The seams are sealed, usually with synthetic rubber,
to produce an area inside the aircraft structure
which will contain the fuel
 This type of tank is used in some light high-
performance aircraft and turbine-powered transports
Rigid Removable Fuel Tanks
 Rigid removable fuel tanks are often made
of aluminum components that are welded
together
 These tanks are installed in compartments
specifically made for the tank
 The tanks may be held in place with
padded straps
 This type of tank is often found on more
expensive light aircraft and reciprocating-
engine-powered transports
Bladder Type Fuel Tanks
 Bladder type fuel tanks are basically a
reinforced rubberized bag
 These tanks are installed in
compartments which support the weight
of the fuel
 The tank is held in place with buttons or
snaps on the bottom and sides of the tank
 This type of tank is usually found on light
aircraft and some turboprop and turbine-
powered aircraft
Fuel Lines
 Fuel lines on aircraft are either made of
rigid metal tubing or flexible hose
 Most of the fuel lines are the rigid type
which are usually made of aluminum
alloys
 The flexible hose fuel lines are either
made of synthetic rubber or Teflon
 The diameter of tubing used is decided by
the engine’s fuel requirements
Valves
 Fuel selector valves are used in
aircraft fuel systems to:
 Shut off fuel flow
 Cross-feed

 Transfer fuel

 Selector valves may be operated

manually or electrically depending
on the installation
Filters and Strainers
 Fuel is usually strained at three points in
the system
 Through a finger or bootstrap strainer in
the bottom of the fuel tank
 Through a master strainer which is
usually located at the lowest point in the
system
 Through a third strainer near the fuel
control unit
Quantity Indicators
 Mechanical
 Inverted float gauge
 Rotating dial gauge

 Upright float gauge

 Sight-glass gauge

 Resistance
 Capacitance
Fuel Subsystems
Some aircraft fuel subsystems allow
for fuel:
 Jettison
 Heating
 Cross-Feeding
Fuel Jettison
 The fuel jettison system comprises a
combination of fuel lines, valves,
and pumps provided to dump fuel
overboard during an in-flight
emergency
 This will reduce the weight of the
aircraft so an emergency landing is
possible
Fuel Heating
 Fuel heating is necessary for turbine
engines to thaw ice particles in the
fuel that would otherwise clog the
filters
 Fuel is routed through a heat
exchanger that uses either engine
oil or compressor bleed air to bring
the fuel up to an acceptable
temperature
Cross Feeding
 Cross feed systems allow the flow of
fuel from any of the tanks to any of
the engines
 Some reasons that this system
might be used are:
 Engine failure
 Problem with one or more fuel tanks
 Redistribute fuel for weight and balance
purposes