FUEL SYSTEM

by
MRs.S.Uthira (AP)
Apollo engineering college
FUEL TANKS
 Aircraft fuel tanks come in a
variety of types and sizes.
 It Can be located almost anywhere
in the aircraft (wings, fuselage,
tail).
 Managing fuel distribution
between tanks on large aircraft can
be very involved.
 TYPES OF FUEL
There are two types of petroleum based fuel
currently used in aviation:
• AVGAS (Aviation Gasoline)
Conventional piston engines with
ignition systems
SG of 0.74 at 15 °C
• Avtur (Aviation Kerosene)-high flash point
Gas-turbine engine and new diesel
engines
SG (Specific Gravity) range 0.75-0.84
AVGAS GRADES
 AVGAS is classifed accoding to grades (octane
ratind i.e. resistance to detonation)
 80 Grade
Red coloured
 100 Grade
Green coloured
 100LL Grade
Low Lead
Blue coloured
C-152 & C-172
Conventionally used
Basic Properties Of Fuels
 Volatile – Tendency to change from liquid to vapour
 Vapour Pressure – Pressure at which fuel vaporises
 Flash Point – Lowest temperature at which there is
sufficient vapours above the liquid to ignite without
sustaining a flame
 Fire Point – Lowest temperature at which the fuel
can sustain combustion through vaporisation
 Auto-Ignition Temperature – Temperature at which
fuel spontaneously ignites without the presence of
the source
 Freezing Point- Point at which ice crystals
disappears when it warms up
TYPES OF FUEL TANK
Internal tank
 Integraltanks (wet wing)
 Bladder tanks
 Rigid removable tanks
 External wing tanks (tip tanks)
External tank
 Conformal fuel tank
 Drop fuel tank
INTEGRAL TANKS/WET WING
 Wet wing-wing structure is sealed
and used as a fuel tank
 Integral tanks are made by sealing off
compartments inside the wings.
 They have the advantage of utilizing
existing aircraft structure to contain
fuel, which reduces weight.
 Commonly found in large aircraft.
INTEGRAL TANKS
BLADDER TANKS
 Bladder tanks, bag tanks or fuel cells, are
reinforced rubberised bags installed in a
section of aircraft structure designed to
accommodate fuel.
 The bladder is rolled up and installed into the
compartment through the fuel filler neck or
access panel, and is secured by means of snap
fasteners or cord and loops inside the
compartment.
 Many high-performance light
aircraft, helicopters and some
smaller turboprop aircraft use bladder tanks
RIGID REMOVABLE TANKS

 Welded aluminum tanks inserted into

the aircraft.
 Usually fuselage tanks.
 A disadvantage of this type of tank is
added weight.
 •An advantage is the ability to
remove and repair.
External tank-conformal fuel tank
 Conformal fuel tanks (CFTs) are
additional fuel tanks fitted closely to
the profile of an aircraft that extend
either the range or "time on station" of
the aircraft.
Drop fuel tank
 Drop tanks, external tanks, wing tanks, pylon
tanks or belly tanks are all terms used to
describe auxiliary externally mounted fuel
tanks.
 Drop tanks are generally expendable and
often jettisonable. External tanks are
commonplace on modern military
aircraft and occasionally found
in civilian ones, although the latter are less
likely to be discarded except in the event of
emergency
 THE FUEL SYSTEM
 The purpose of the fuel system is to provide reliably the proper amount
of clean fuel at the right pressure to the engines during all phases of
flight and during all maneuvers.
 The fuel system includes
• Fuel storage (tanks, components for tank ventilation, over-wing
filler necks and caps)
• Fuel distribution (all components from the filler to the tank and
from the tank to the engine quick disconnect: plumbing, pumps, valves,
and controls)
• Fuel dump (all components used to dump fuel overboard during
flight)
• Indicating (all components used to indicate the quantity,
temperature, and pressure of the fuel)
Types:
1. Aircraft fuel system
2. Engine fuel system

Aircraft fuel system:

Begins with the fuel

tank and ends at the engine fuel
system.

Engine fuel system:

Includes engine driven

pumps and the fuel metering
devices.
 Fuel systems can be classified in two
broad categories:
◦ Gravity-Feed Systems
◦ Pressure-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  Fuel Drains
 Tanks  Heaters
 Lines
 Valves
 Fuel Flow-meters
 Filters and Strainers
 Quantity Indicators
 Warning Components
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 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
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
• Removes moisture and other
sediments that might be in the
system
 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
Fuel system of MULTI ENGINE
aircraft components
Fuel pump
 Delivers a continues supply of fuel
at proper pressure at all times of
operation
 Contact displacement
 Variable displacement
FUEL HEATER

 Fuel are susceptible for formation of ice

in the fuel filters when the fuel is up to
32”F or less than that
 The main function of the fuel heater is
to protect the engine fuel system from
ice formation
FUEL FILTER
 Placed between fuel tank and engine fuel
system
 Protects the engine driven pump and various
control devices
 Mainly from contaminations
Types are
Micron
Wafer
Plain screen mesh filter
DRAIN VALVES
 Used to drain the fuel from various
components of the engine where
accumulated fuel is most likely to
present operation problems
 In some instance the fuel manifold
are drained by an individual unit
known as drip/Dump valve
FUEL QUANTITY INDICATOR
 Fuel pressure Gauge
 Fuel temperature Gauge
 Fuel flow meter
 Fuel selector valve/control
valve/shut of valve