Keywords
Citation
(2001), "Detecting airport fuel leaks", Aircraft Engineering and Aerospace Technology, Vol. 73 No. 1. https://doi.org/10.1108/aeat.2001.12773aab.010
Publisher
:Emerald Group Publishing Limited
Copyright © 2001, MCB UP Limited
Detecting airport fuel leaks
Detecting airport fuel leaks
Keywords: Vista Research, Fuel, Leakage
Improving the measurement of underground fuel leaks at airports was the aim of Vista Research Inc. in Mountain View, California, when it designed its leak detection system.
Many airports have pressure test systems to watch for fuel leaks, but the systems can be inaccurate because they do not account for changes in fuel volume caused by temperature variations. There are other methods, but they have disadvantages of their own. For instance, a system using fuel additives that can be detected by buried fuel sensors is expensive; tracer wires installed alongside pipelines in trenches require replacement wiring in three years. These tests can also be affected by soil conditions.
The Vista system measures the volume changes that occur at operating pressure, as well as the volume changes when pressure is dropped to atmospheric levels. The system automatically compensated for the thermal expansion and contraction of liquid in the line, to eliminate the major source of error in pressure-based testing.
The HT-100's programmable logic controller-based system calculated the fuel's expected changes in volume under the influence of outside ground and air temperatures. If the fuel volume does not match the anticipated changes, this indicates a leak in the system.
The Vista system is attached to the test pipeline by a flexible hose or steel pipe, so fuel will flow through the unit. Testing is typically conducted late at night and takes three hours. The Vista system is equipped with a computer-controlled pump and pressure relief valve to maintain constant pressure in the line.
The Vista lead detection system has been tested at airports in Boston, Dallas, Miami, Phoenix, Portland, San Francisco, and St Louis, where it demonstrated its ability to detect leaks as small as 0.004 per cent. The managers of Dorval and Mirabel airports in Montreal have purchased two of Vista's HT-100 systems. One unit has been permanently installed at Dorval's fuel storage area, where the fueling system contains about 350,000 gallons in its pipelines. The other HT-100 is installed on a truck that is used to test the entire hydrant fuel line system at nearby Mirabel and sections of the piping at Dorval.