Patent ID: 7955424
Filing Date: 2011-06-07
Classification: B64D

Abstract:
1. A fuel tank safety system comprising: an ullage cooling assembly coupled in flow communication with a vehicle fuel tank, the fuel tank comprising a fuel region including a quantity of fuel, and an ullage region including a quantity of ullage gas, said ullage cooling assembly comprising: a compressor configured to extract a quantity of ullage gas from the vehicle fuel tank; a heat exchanger coupled in flow communication downstream of said compressor, said heat exchanger configured to receive the quantity of ullage gas from the compressor and reduce a temperature of the ullage gas; a turbine coupled in flow communication downstream of said heat exchanger, said turbine configured to further reduce the temperature of the ullage gas and facilitate channeling the ullage gas to the fuel tank; a system controller operatively coupled to said ullage cooling assembly, said system controller configured to transmit to said ullage cooling assembly one of a start signal to activate ullage cooling assembly or a stop signal to deactivate ullage cooling assembly.