Patent ID: 7806966

Claim:
A method of separating gas components of the Compressed air diverted from the Aircraft engine's compressed air line to the Air Conditioning System, for subsequent re-cycling of the inert, non-combustible nitrogen and argon gas components into its hydrocarbon fuel tank's “ullage”, thereby preventing Tank explosions generated by such installations; and diverting the remaining, separated combustible oxygen gas component into the airplane/rocket engine's combustion air for increasing fuel economy of the engine, said method comprising: effecting a first separation of the Air gas mixture into heavier, medium and lighter components, wherein the heavier and lighter components are primarily noncombustible, inert gases and the medium is combustible; effecting a second separation in which the heavier and medium components are separated into a first portion comprising substantially of medium, combustible oxygen gas for egress to the oxygen storage tank; and a second portion comprised substantially of the heavier, non combustible, inert argon gas for egress to the inert nitrogen/argon gas storage tank; providing means for periodical removal of the sedimentation collecting in chamber; and mixing said second portion of said second separation stage (argon) gas with the lighter component (nitrogen) gas effected in the first separation stage, to effect a non-combustible mixture for inerting the “ullage” space in the airplane's fuel tank.