US 12,030,667 B2
Aircraft refueling system with flow booster and method of using same
Bernhard Hans Maedler, Hamburg (DE); and Griffin Michael Valentich, Houston, TX (US)
Assigned to SHELL USA, INC., Houston, TX (US)
Appl. No. 16/961,444
Filed by SHELL OIL COMPANY, Houston, TX (US)
PCT Filed Jan. 8, 2019, PCT No. PCT/EP2019/050349
§ 371(c)(1), (2) Date Jul. 10, 2020,
PCT Pub. No. WO2019/137919, PCT Pub. Date Jul. 18, 2019.
Claims priority of provisional application 62/615,458, filed on Jan. 10, 2018.
Prior Publication US 2021/0078728 A1, Mar. 18, 2021
Int. Cl. B64F 1/28 (2006.01); B64D 39/00 (2006.01); B67D 7/32 (2010.01); B67D 7/36 (2010.01)
CPC B64F 1/28 (2013.01) [B64D 39/00 (2013.01); B67D 7/3245 (2013.01); B67D 7/36 (2013.01)] 11 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A flow booster for optimizing flow of a fuel passing into an aircraft via a refueling unit, the refueling unit comprising a fuel circuit, the flow booster comprising:
a fuel intake fluidly coupled to the fuel circuit, the fuel intake comprising a housing having a fluid chamber and a fuel chamber, and a piston, the piston comprising a piston rod connecting a piston head in the fluid chamber to a piston tail in fuel chamber, the piston slidably movable in the housing to define a variable fuel inlet to receive the fuel therethrough and into the fuel circuit, wherein the fuel chamber is in fluid communication with the fuel and the fluid chamber is in fluid communication with a pressurized fluid source, so that a fuel pressure of the fuel has a fuel force applied to the piston tail in the fuel chamber;
an intake tuner operatively connected to the fuel intake, the intake tuner having a tuning force applied by a fluid pressure of the pressurized fluid source to the piston head in the fluid chamber against the fuel force;
a trigger coupled to the intake tuner to selectively vary the tuning force applied by the intake tuner; and
a flow regulator coupled to sensors positioned about the refueling unit to receive fuel measurements therefrom, the flow regulator operatively connected to the trigger to selectively activate the trigger in response to the fuel measurements whereby the flow of the fuel into the aircraft is continuously adjustable during refueling.