Patent ID: 8122699

Claim:
An ecology valve (EV) fuel return system for use in conjunction with a fuel supply system and a gas turbine engine (GTE) including at least a first fuel manifold, the EV fuel return system comprising: a housing assembly; an ecology valve, comprising: an EV piston slidably disposed within the housing assembly for movement between a fuel storage position and a fuel return position; a fuel storage chamber defined by the EV piston and the housing assembly; and an EV control chamber defined by the EV piston and the housing assembly, the fuel within the EV control chamber acting on the EV piston in opposition to the fuel within the fuel storage chamber; and a fuel routing assembly fluidly coupled to the EV control chamber and to the fuel storage chamber, the fuel routing assembly routing fuel: (i) from the fuel storage chamber to the fuel supply system when the GTE is in a start-up mode, and (ii) from the first fuel manifold and from the EV control chamber to the fuel storage chamber when the GTE is in a shut-down mode.