Fuel system

For Piston and Jet engines

UNIT III
 Introduction

• The aircraft fuel system is used to deliver the fuel to the engines safely
under a wide range of operational conditions.
The system should:
 Hold the fuel,
 Allow filling and draining of the tanks,
 Prevent unwanted pressure buildups ,
 Protect the system from contamination ,
 Assure steady supply of fuel to the engine and
 Provide means of monitoring the quantity of the fuel during flight with
other parameters like fuel pressure, temperature and flow rates.
 Requirement for fuel system

• The purpose is to deliver clean uniform flow of fuel under constant

pressure to the carburetor or other control unit.
• The supply of fuel must be adequate to meet all engines demands at
various altitudes and attitudes.
• i.e., When aircraft is at steepest climb or turn or banking, the fuel
supply should be uniform.
Classification of fuel system(General)
• Engine Fuel system and
• Aircraft Fuel system.
 Basic components of a Fuel system

• Fuel tank
• Fuel pump
• Filters
• On/off cocks to isolate the fuel system when it is
not required.
 Component description

• Fuel Tanks – Used to store the fuel until the engines uses it.
• Fuel tank requirement - Fuel tanks for the aircraft may be
constructed with Aluminium alloy, fuel resistant synthetic rubber,
composite rubber or stainless steel.
[Fuel tank material are selected based on the type of aircraft.
Also, the material should not be chemically reacting with the fuel
inside the tank]
• Fuel tank types – Based on the shape and size the fuel tanks are
broadly classified into three types: Integral type, Rigid removal
type and Bladder type.
• Fuel Pump – Fuel pumps are used to move fuel from the tanks to
the engines when the gravity flow is not sufficient.
• Fuel pump requirement – Fuel system for Reciprocating engines
and turbine engines need main pumps and emergency pumps.
Reciprocating pumps that are not gravity feed need at least one
main pump for each engine.
• Types of fuel pumps:
 Vane – type fuel pump,
 Variable – volume pumps,
 Centrifugal pump and
 Ejector pump.
• Fuel strainers and filters: Because of ever present possibility of
contamination of the fuel, Filters and strainers are added in the aircraft
fuel system. It is present in between the outlet of the fuel tanks and
the engine or the fuel metering unit.

Classification of fuel system for piston engines

• All the fuel system could be classified into the one of the two following
categories:
I. Gravity feed – fuel system and
II. Pressure feed – fuel system.
 Gravity feed – fuel system

• The gravity feed system uses the force of gravity to make the fuel flow
from the tanks to the engine fuel control mechanism.
• For this to occur, the fuel tanks should be kept at an higher level than
the engines. Like in the high wing configuration, the fuel tanks will be
higher than the engines (Cessna 150, that is available in our systems
lab)
• The fuel flows from the tanks by gravity to the selector valve through
fuel lines.
• After passing through the selector valve, it flows to the fuel strainer
and then to the carburetor.
• The top space of both the tanks are connected to each other to avoid
siphoning
Fig: Gravity feed system for exam
 Pressure feed – fuel system.

• A pressure feed fuel system uses a pump to move the fuel from the
tank to the engine fuel control component.
• This arrangement is required becoz the fuel tanks might be located too
low from the engine or because the tanks might be at a distance from
the engines.
• The operation of this system is same as the other system, however the
source of power used here is pumps rather than the force of gravity.
• During high altitude operation, take –off and landing, the boost pump
is operated to ensure adequate fuel supply.
• Most large aircrafts use, pressure feed system, since high volume of
fuel cannot be displaced at high speeds just with the gravity feed
system.
Fuel system for Gas turbine Engine
 Information to be known

Rule of Thumb for max. fuel volume: 85% for

wing tanks and 92% for fuselage tanks,
measured to the external skin surface.
 Fuel Dumping Systems

• Needed to meet landing weight limits of landing

gear or runway length
• System of fuel pumps and valves
• Usually ejected from wingtips
• Sometimes from aft-most point of fuselage
• Usually designed to allow the plane to go from max
take-off weight to max landing weight in 15 minutes
or less.
Fuel Dumping Systems
 In-Flight Refueling

• Original motivation: endurance records

• Currently used only in the military sector
• Two main types:
– Boom and Receptacle
– Probe and Drogue
 Types of Aviation Fuel

• Each aircraft engine is designed to burn a certain

fuel.
• Use only the fuel specified by the manufacturer.
Mixing fuels is not permitted.
• There are two basic types of fuel used in aircraft:
- Reciprocating-engine fuel (also known as
gasoline or AVGAS) and
- Turbine-engine fuel (also known as jet fuel or
kerosene).
Aviation gasoline is different from the fuel refined
for use in turbine-powered aircraft.
• AVGAS is very volatile and extremely flammable,
with a low flash point.
• Turbine fuel is a kerosene-type fuel with a much
higher flash point so it is less flammable.
THE END