Patent ID: 6604558
Filing Date: 2003-08-12
Classification: A62C,B64D,B64F,Y02T

Abstract:
A system for reducing a hazard of accidental explosion of aircraft fuel tanks comprising at least one of(A) a first supply of ultra high purity nitrogen gas comprising a means for removing water, carbon dioxide and airborne impurities from air thereby producing filtered air, a heat exchanger adapted to cool the filtered air and cryogenic distillation means for separating oxygen from the filtered air, B) a second supply of ultra high purity nitrogen comprising a tank containing pressurized, liquid nitrogen and a vaporizer means for vaporizing a stream of liquid nitrogen, (C) an aircraft fuel bulk storage tank fuel scrubbing subsystem comprising, an aircraft fuel bulk storage tank, a gas-liquid mixing means for intimately mixing a liquid aircraft fuel in turbulent flow with nitrogen gas from at least one of the first supply and the second supply of ultra high purity nitrogen, and a fuel circulation pump adapted to circulate the aircraft fuel in a flow loop through the bulk storage tank and the gas-liquid mixing means, (D) a gas cleaning means for removing a volatile organic compound from a gas mixture generated by the aircraft fuel bulk storage tank fuel scrubbing subsystem, the gas mixture comprising nitrogen gas and the volatile organic compound, (E) an aircraft fuel tank head spacing inerting subsystem comprising a membrane separation unit adapted to produce highly nitrogen enriched air from ambient air and a highly nitrogen enriched air distribution header operative to deliver the highly nitrogen enriched air to aircraft loading/boarding positions of a concourse of an airport, and (F) an aircraft fuel tank head space venting system comprising a vapor transfer line from the concourse of the airport to the gas cleaning means, and means for removably connecting the vapor transfer line to the aircraft fuel tank head space of aircraft at the aircraft loading/boarding positions.