FLEET TEAM DIGEST

777-FTD-28-09001
Issue Title : Center Fuel Tank Scavenge System Unusable Fuel Qty

Airplane Model ATA Minor Model(s)

777 2822-12 -300,-200ER,-300ER,-200LR,-F,

Other Model(s) ECCN

9E991

Originated Date Last Revised Date Created On

03/10/2009 10/29/2019 10/17/2019

Estimated Completion Date Next Update Date

Revision Description
The article is updated to incorporate newly released FAA Airworthiness Advisory, AD 2019-16-13 for ELMS
1 aircraft. The article has been closed. Note that additional updates on the scavenge will be provided in 777-
FTD-28-16005.

Applicability
All 777s except the 777-200 model.

Description
Some operators have advised Boeing that as much as 2,600 lbs (1,180 kgs) of fuel has remained in the center
fuel tank after some flights.

Background
Free water and water dissolved in fuel in the center tank can be ingested in the fuel scavenge system. This
water can subsequently freeze and impede fuel scavenge. Locations where water is susceptible to freezing
are the scavenge jet pump, on the wing rear spar, and the fuel motive inlet and discharge plumbing, inside the
main fuel tank.

Status
The following corrective actions were incorporated at production line number 1099 to address the fuel scavenge
problem. The changes were based on significant system level testing.

- Fuel scavenge jet pump relocated from the exposed/cold wing rear spar to inside the warmer center fuel tank

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- Fuel scavenge jet pump motive flow now provided by the larger main tank jettison pumps rather than the
smaller boost pumps. This increases system performance and reduces sensitivity to ice
- Revised ELMS software to operate the jettison pumps for fuel scavenge (see below*)
- Removed the discharge float valve in the main fuel tank
- Removed the inlet float valve in the center tank
- Increased the diameter and shortened the discharge fuel line in the main tank
- Added a check valve to the induced line to prevent fuel transfer from the main tank to the center tank when
fuel scavenge is not active
*The jettison pumps go ON for 4 hours in flight after the center pumps have been OFF for 45 minutes,
independent of center tank fuel and regardless if the airplane was dispatched with center tank fuel to ensure no
accumulation of liquid in tank

After incorporating the aforementioned changes, operators have noted that center tank fuel is consistently
scavenged on all flights. Boeing considers this corrective action a success in addressing the subject.

Operators with the new fuel scavenge system change have reported main tank jettison pump messages on
EICAS during flights less than 4 hours in length. Since the main tank jettison pumps operate for 4 hours on all
flights, regardless if fuel is in the center tank or not, the main tank jettison pump inlets can come uncovered
when there is approximately 15,000 lbs of fuel in the main tanks. The pump low pressure signal will be
generated when the jettison pump inlets uncover, activating the main tank jettison pump auto-shutoff SFAR 88
feature. This condition then will result in annunciation of the FUEL JETT PUMP L/R status messages.

Interim Action
Operators should be aware that as much as 2,600 lbs (1,180 kgs) of fuel may not be accessible in the center
fuel tank on airplane line numbers prior to 1099. Furthermore, there will be no flight crew annunciation of this
condition before, during, or after the condition occurs, unless the fuel quantity display is accessed and it shows
fuel still remaining in the center tank after scavenge should have completed.

Boeing introduced a new EICAS message for AIMS-1 and AIMS-2 airplanes for the subject condition: Advisory
message FUEL SCAVENGE SYS. The logic of the message is as follows:

Left or right main tank fuel quantity is less than 14,000 lbs/6350 kgs (777-200ER/-300) or 18,000 lbs/8165 kgs
(777-300ER/-200LR/-F) and center fuel tank quantity is greater than 500 lbs/227 kgs for 15 minutes. The FUEL
SCAVENGE SYS message will be inhibited by the FUEL PRESS ENG L/R or FUEL IN CENTER messages.

The new EICAS message has been incorporated at line number 718, 732, 752, and 760 and on, per the AIMS
Blockpoint Version 14 (V14) update to AIMS-2. SB 777-31A0150 released 4 September 2009 to retrofit this
change on AIMS-2 airplanes, and SB 777-31A0179 was released 15 September 2010 to retrofit this change on
AIMS-1 airplanes.

Flight crew action in response to the FUEL SCAVENGE SYS Advisory message per the Non-Normal Checklist
has recently been revised. The procedure adds fuel to the available fuel reserves and verifies the fuel in the
main tanks is sufficient to complete the flight, with any remaining center tank fuel considered unusable.

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For the condition described above that began occurring on line number 1099 with the corrective action change,
Boeing released 777 MT 28-029 to clear the FUEL JETT PUMP L/R messages that might display on flights of
4 hours or less.

Final Action
To prevent the main jettison pump inlets from uncovering and generating the FUEL JETT PUMP L/R
messages, an ELMS software change was made to shut off the main tank jettison pumps when the fuel
quantity is 17,000 lbs or less in both main tanks. In addition, the pumps will only turn on in flight based on
computed airspeed to prevent the fuel scavenge system from commanding the jettison pumps on during
maintenance. This change is incorporated in production at line number 1209, 1216, 1224, 1231, 1240, and
1246 and on and released to in-service airplanes as SB 777-28-0083.

To address FAA concerns regarding a potential latent failure in the main tank jettison pump automatic shut off
circuit a BITE check of the pump auto-shutoff time delay relay will be included. The pump pressure switch and
time delay relay will be checked every flight 10 minutes after takeoff. In addition to new ELMS software, this
change adds one wire in the P210 & P110 ELMS panels and replaces another wire outside the ELMS panels.

In addition to the STATUS message displaying when the pump generates low pressure when the pump is
commanded ON, the message will also be displayed if the pump generates high pressure when the pump is
commanded OFF.

The FAA issued AD 2016-11-03 with an effective date 6-July-2016. The compliance time is within 60 months
after the effective date. Additionally, the FAA has issued AD 2019-16-13 with an effective date 14-November
2019, with compliance time of within 36 months after the effective date. Boeing submitted an AMOC request to
the FAA to allow an option for carrying extra fuel as an alternative to incorporating the new scavenge system.
Global AMOC 140S-17-48 was issued by the FAA for an operational limitation to carry additional reserve fuel
on flights that require center tank fuel rather than modifying the scavenge system per SB 777-28-0078 as
required by AD 2016-11-03.

Additional reports of messages associated with the main tank fuel jettison pumps and occasional occurrences
of FUEL SCAVENGE SYS EICAS message will be described in FTD article 777-FTD-28-16005.

Milestones
Accepted: 01-Mar-09 (complete)
Icing Root Cause Analysis: 01-Sep-09 (complete)
Revised Solution Selection: 01-Sep-13 (complete)
Production Incorporation: 15-OCT-14 (complete)
Service Bulletin Available: 4 and 8 September 2014 (ELMS2) (completed), and 26-MAY-16 (ELMS1) (complete)
Service Bulletin Validation: Sep-2014 (completed)
AD 2016-11-03 Compliance Date: 6-Jul-2021
AD 2019-16-13 Compliance Date: 14-Nov-2022
Retrofit Hardware Available: ELMS1 and ELMS2 (complete)
Retrofit Software Available: ELMS1 and ELMS2 (complete)

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Affected Documents
Service bulletin 777-28-0078, released 4 September 2014 for validation, incorporates fuel scavenge system
changes (hardware and ELMS2 software) on 777-200ER/300/-300ER/-200LR/F airplane line numbers 423,
429, and 454 thru 1098; except 777-200LRs with auxiliary fuel tanks. The change also includes minor ELMS
panel and airplane wiring changes. The validation of service bulletin 777-28-0078 uncovered opportunities
for improvement, and was modified to incorporate the necessary changes as well as the FAA adopting
Airworthiness Directive (AD) 2016-11-03. Revision 2 of SB 777-28-0078 was released 5-October-2016.

For line numbers 1099 thru 1245 (except line numbers 1209, 1216, 1224, 1231, and 1240), service bulletin
777-28-0083, released 8 September 2014, incorporates additional changes depending on the airplane line
number. For line numbers 1099-1205, the change consists of new ELMS2 software and minor ELMS panel
and airplane wiring changes. Line numbers 1206-1245 (except line numbers 1209, 1216, 1224, 1231, and
1240) only incorporate new ELMS2 software.

GE Aviation advises that normally a software generation tool is used to be able to quickly create different
operator's ELMS software in support of the 777-28-0083 service bulletin. This tool enables ELMS software
to be quickly created for production and retrofit needs. However, this automated tool for the latest software
change is in the process of being certified soon, and therefore a manual procedure taking much longer is
required to create each operator's version of their software. In the interim GE's maximum software creation
capability currently can only support production and limited number for retrofit. Where an operator has an
airplane in production and that software is created, it can then be also used for that operator's retrofit program.
A retrofit software release schedule for other operators without airplanes in production is currently in work
pending certification of the automated software creation tool.

Service bulletin 777-28-0082, issued 26-May-2016, incorporates the complete fuel scavenge system change
(hardware and ELMS1 software) on 777-200ER/300 airplane line numbers 1 thru 453, except ELMS2 line
numbers 423 and 429.

References
Reference Type Reference Number Revision Number Reference Actions
Date
Service Bulletin (SB) 777-28-0082 1 05/01/2017
Maintenance Tip (MT) 777 MT 28-029 1
Multi-Operator Message (MOM) MOM-MOM- 08/07/2013
13-0629-01B
Service Related Problem (SRP) 777-SRP-28-0125 12/04/2008
Maintenance Planni Section 1, Part B, I
ng Document (MPD) tem 8, Page 1.0-2.
Minimum Equipment List (MEL) 28-22-4 (4)
Service Letter (SL) 777-SL-31-027
Production Revision Record (PRR) 62777-79S
Service Bulletin (SB) 777-31A0150 2 07/27/2011
Service Bulletin (SB) 777-31A0179 1 10/13/2011

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Reference Type Reference Number Revision Number Reference Actions

Date
Service Bulletin (SB) SB 777-28-0078 2 10/05/2016
Service Bulletin (SB) 777-28-0083 2 02/29/2016
Fleet Team Digest Article (FTD) 777-FTD-28-16005
Airworthiness Directive (AD) AD 2016-11-03 07/06/2016
Airworthiness Directive (AD) AD 2019-16-13 10/10/2019

Related Categories
• In Service Occurrences
• SRPs - Safety - Service Related Problems in work by Boeing that have an airplane or personal safety
impact

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