Detailed simulations of an aircraft fuel system by means of Simulink

Abstract

The fuel system is one of the most important and complex parts of aircraft, being tasked with suppling the correct quantity of fuel to the aircraft engine during all operative conditions, from flight to ground operation. It must operate efficiently in any condition to guarantee safety and reliability. A fuel system for kerosene-based fuels (i.e., jet fuels) is a combination of hydraulic components, namely, tanks, pumps, bypass valves, safety valves, servovalves. The aim of this paper is to provide an accurate simulation model of an entire fuel system for gas turbine (turboprop and turbofan) engines, which can be used by manufacturers and researchers to evaluate the performance of the fuel system under different operating conditions for given components or to select the geometries of the components to obtain specific performance levels. The numerical code is developed in the Simulink environment, which is a software package widely used in industry. A detailed description of the model is provided in this paper, and results under specific operating conditions are shown and discussed. The power consumption of the system is assessed as well, with indication of the main sources of losses, which will be useful for current EU projects aimed at reducing the power consumption of aircraft.

Aircraft Performance Simulation of 19-Passenger Commuter Aircraft: A Comparison between Normal and Amphibious Category

“…The fuel system plays a critical role in aircraft operations, as it is responsible for providing the appropriate amount of fuel to the aircraft engine in various operational scenarios, including both flight and ground operations. It is regarded as one of the essential and intricate components of an aircraft [24]. However, in the case of amphibious aircraft, both manual calculations (0.90093) and AEDsys software calculations (0.87836) show a greater reduction in the final weight fraction.…”

Comprehensive Numerical Analysis of a Four-Way Two-Position (4/2) High-Frequency Switching Digital Hydraulic Valve Driven by a Ring Stack Actuator

“…The operation of the proposed 4/2 HFSV architecture is illustrated in Figure 2. In this design, the valve remains closed thanks to contact between the poppets (2) and the valve seats (5). To initiate valve opening, a digital signal is transmitted to activate the ring stack actuator (1).…”

“…In conventional electro-hydraulic systems, analogue spool valves, including both proportional and servovalves, play a crucial role, as they act as the interface between electric signals and hydraulic power [1,2]. These valves, functioning as directional control valves, regulate the fluid flow directed towards hydraulic actuators in a wide range of applications, including robotics [3], flight simulations [4], gas turbine engines [5], and earthmoving equipment [6]. Despite their notable performance characteristics, such as excellent accuracy [7], precise controllability [8], and rapid response times [9], these valves have been criticized for their susceptibility to impurities and relatively high cost [10,11].…”

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“…Among the hydraulic components, the control-ones mainly impact the overall efficiency of the entire hydraulic system. In conventional hydraulic systems, high-bandwidth spool valves, including proportional and servovalves, are commonly employed to regulate the hydraulic power transmitted to actuators [5]- [7]. While these valves offer excellent accuracy, precise control, and fast response times, their spool design leads to significant energy losses.…”