Simulation of fuel behaviour during aircraft in-flight refueling

doi:10.1108/00022660910941785

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Aircraft Engineering and Aerospace Technology

ISSN: 0002-2667

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Simulation of fuel behaviour during aircraft in-flight refueling

Document Information:
Title:	Simulation of fuel behaviour during aircraft in-flight refueling
Author(s):	H.W. Ng, (School of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore), F.L. Tan, (School of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore)
Citation:	H.W. Ng, F.L. Tan, (2009) "Simulation of fuel behaviour during aircraft in-flight refueling", Aircraft Engineering and Aerospace Technology, Vol. 81 Iss: 2, pp.99 - 105
Keywords:	Aviation fuels, Computer software, Flight operations, Fluid dynamics, Military aircraft
Article type:	Research paper
DOI:	10.1108/00022660910941785 (Permanent URL)
Publisher:	Emerald Group Publishing Limited
Acknowledgements:	The authors would like to gratefully acknowledge the work of Nanyang Technological University undergraduate student, T.Y. Ng, for his contribution on the simulation of the in-flight refueling.
Abstract:	Purpose – In-flight refueling is one of the most important technologies developed in military aviation. The purpose of this paper is to analyze the dynamic behaviour of fuel during a refuel process by means of an internal flow analysis software program. Design/methodology/approach – The dynamic behaviour of fuel during a refuel process is analyzed by means of an internal flow analysis software program called Flowmaster. The refueling system is analyzed by representing physical components as flow resistances and control volumes and calculating the flow rates and pressures along the system. Both steady and transient state analyses are performed to identify the locations where high-pressure surges are likely. The peak pressures are compared to allowable proof pressures of system components to ensure that they are not exceeded. Findings – It was found that a transient analysis of the fuel behaviour in the refuel pod system for a complete refueling process can be completed successfully with Flowmaster software. Originality/value – The paper models a complete refueling process with the sequence of trail, fuel transfer and rewind phase in order to analyse the fuel-transient behaviour, in particular near to the times where the valves are activated.