US 12,436,056 B2
Leakage detection for pressurized fuel tanks
Peter Linde, Buxtehude (DE); and Awista Nasiri, Glinde (DE)
Assigned to Airbus Operations GmbH, Hamburg (DE)
Filed by Airbus Operations GmbH, Hamburg (DE)
Filed on May 31, 2023, as Appl. No. 18/203,714.
Claims priority of application No. 22177031 (EP), filed on Jun. 2, 2022.
Prior Publication US 2023/0393014 A1, Dec. 7, 2023
Int. Cl. G01M 3/04 (2006.01); B64D 37/32 (2006.01); G01M 3/16 (2006.01); G01M 3/18 (2006.01); G01M 3/20 (2006.01); G01M 3/22 (2006.01); B64D 37/06 (2006.01)
CPC G01M 3/047 (2013.01) [B64D 37/32 (2013.01); G01M 3/226 (2013.01); B64D 37/06 (2013.01)] 18 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
18. A method for detecting leakage of a pressurized fuel tank, the method comprising:
providing the pressurized fuel tank, which comprises a tank enclosure that defines a tank volume, which comprises:
an inner pressure vessel that comprises at least one reinforced layer made from multiple plies of a carbon fiber reinforced polymer structure;
an insulation sheathing that covers an outer side of the inner pressure vessel and comprises at least two reflective layers and at least one spacer layer between the at least two reflective layers;
an outer shell that comprises a layer made from multiple plies of a carbon fiber reinforced polymer structure; and
at least one leakage detection device comprising a fuel-sensing tracer and a light-wave conducting component;
generating light by a light source;
transmitting the light into the light-wave conducting component;
altering optical properties of the fuel-sensing tracer in a presence of a predetermined fuel, which modifies the light transmitted into and travelling within the light-wave conducting component to produce a modified light;
transmitting the modified light through the light-wave conducting component towards a light detector; and
detecting the modified light to determine the presence of the predetermined fuel to indicate leakage of the predetermined fuel from the pressurized fuel tank.