IP Library › Granted Patent US 12,448,145
Granted Patent B2
US 12,448,145 · App. 18/059,515 · Granted Oct 21, 2025

Aircraft fuel system

Inventors: Michael Joseph Murray (Wyoming, OH); Victor Moreno Patan (Querétaro, MX)
Assignee: GENERAL ELECTRIC COMPANY
B64D37/34B64D37/32F02C7/22
View Patent ↗
Loading inventors, assignments & file history…
Monitor This Case
Get email alerts when status or documents change.
Order Certified Copies
Most orders are placed with the USPTO same day — all within 24 business hours.
Order via The Patent Place →
Pre-filled with this patent's details
Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 12,448,145
App. No.
18/059,515
Granted
Oct 21, 2025
Kind
B2
Abstract

An aircraft fuel system includes a first fuel storage tank arranged to store a first fuel, a fuel oxygen reduction unit arranged to generate a deoxygenated fuel from the first fuel, and a second fuel storage tank arranged to store the deoxygenated fuel generated by the fuel oxygen reduction unit, and being arranged to supply the deoxygenated fuel to an engine.

Claims (21)

1. An aircraft fuel system comprising:

a first fuel storage tank arranged to store a first fuel;

a fuel oxygen reduction unit configured to generate a deoxygenated fuel from the first fuel and configured to generate a deoxygenated gas from an oxygen rich gas; and

a second fuel storage tank arranged to store the deoxygenated fuel generated by the fuel oxygen reduction unit, and being arranged to supply the deoxygenated fuel to an engine;

a first fuel supply line providing fluid communication from the first fuel storage tank to the fuel oxygen reduction unit to provide the first fuel to the fuel oxygen reduction unit;

a second fuel supply line providing fluid communication from the fuel oxygen reduction unit to the second fuel storage tank to provide the deoxygenated fuel from the fuel oxygen reduction unit to the second fuel storage tank;

a first gas supply line providing airflow communication from an ullage of the first fuel storage tank to the fuel oxygen reduction unit to provide the oxygen rich gas from the ullage of the first fuel storage tank to the fuel oxygen reduction unit; and

a first gas return line providing airflow communication from the fuel oxygen reduction unit to the ullage of the first fuel storage tank and providing airflow communication from the fuel oxygen reduction unit to an ullage of the second fuel storage tank, the first gas return line providing the deoxygenated gas from the fuel oxygen reduction unit to the ullage of the first fuel storage tank and to the ullage of the second fuel storage tank.

2. The aircraft fuel system according to claim 1 , wherein the first fuel storage tank and the second fuel storage tank are separate portions of a same fuel tank.

3. The aircraft fuel system according to claim 1 , further comprising an overflow fuel supply line providing fluid communication from the second fuel storage tank to the first fuel storage tank, the overflow fuel supply line providing an overflow return of the deoxygenated fuel from the second fuel storage tank to the first fuel storage tank.

4. The aircraft fuel system according to claim 1 , further comprising a fault accommodation fuel supply line providing fluid communication from the first fuel storage tank to the engine, the fault accommodation fuel supply line providing the first fuel from the first fuel storage tank to the engine when a fault is detected in the aircraft fuel system.

5. An aircraft propulsion system comprising:

at least one engine; and

a fuel system including

(a) a first fuel storage tank arranged to store a first fuel,

(b) a fuel oxygen reduction unit configured to generate a deoxygenated fuel from the first fuel and configured to generate a deoxygenated gas from an oxygen rich gas,

(c) a second fuel storage tank arranged to store the deoxygenated fuel generated by the fuel oxygen reduction unit, and being arranged to supply the deoxygenated fuel to the at least one engine,

(d) a first fuel supply line providing fluid communication from the first fuel storage tank to the fuel oxygen reduction unit to provide the first fuel to the fuel oxygen reduction unit,

(e) a second fuel supply line providing fluid communication from the fuel oxygen reduction unit to the second fuel storage tank to provide the deoxygenated fuel from the fuel oxygen reduction unit to the second fuel storage tank,

(f) a first gas supply line providing airflow communication from an ullage of the first fuel storage tank to the fuel oxygen reduction unit to provide the oxygen rich gas from the ullage of the first fuel storage tank to the fuel oxygen reduction unit, and

(g) a first gas return line providing airflow communication from the fuel oxygen reduction unit to the ullage of the first fuel storage tank and providing airflow communication from the fuel oxygen reduction unit to an ullage of the second fuel storage tank, the first gas return line providing the deoxygenated gas from the fuel oxygen reduction unit to the ullage of the first fuel storage tank and to the ullage of the second fuel storage tank.

Assignments (1)
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Dec 8, 2022
From: MURRAY, MICHAEL JOSEPH; MORENO PATAN, VICTOR
To: GENERAL ELECTRIC COMPANY
Reel/Frame 062026/0126 →
Continuity (1)
Related Publication 20240174376A1 · May 30, 2024
References Cited (21)
US 2964916A · Keeping · 1960 [cited by applicant]
US 3590559A · Bragg et al. · 1971 [cited by applicant]
US 4625701A · Bartlett et al. · 1986 [cited by applicant]
US 7628965B2 · Johnson et al. · 2009 [cited by applicant]
US 7735670B2 · Zaki et al. · 2010 [cited by applicant]
US 7896292B2 · Limaye et al. · 2011 [cited by applicant]
US 9687773B2 · Johnson et al. · 2017 [cited by applicant]
US 10329027B2 · Rheaume et al. · 2019 [cited by applicant]
US 11148824B2 · Niergarth et al. · 2021 [cited by applicant]
US 11420763B2 · Niergarth et al. · 2022 [cited by applicant]
US 20170113807A1 · Burnell et al. · 2017 [cited by applicant]
US 20180118367A1 · Rheaume et al. · 2018 [cited by applicant]
US 20190389593A1 · Emerson · 2019 [cited by examiner]
US 20200269991A1 · Niergarth · 2020 [cited by examiner]
US 20220106053A1 · Snyder · 2022 [cited by examiner]
US 20220332431A1 · Niergarth · 2022 [cited by examiner]
FR 3127269A1 · 2023 [cited by applicant]
FR 3130896A1 · 2023 [cited by applicant]
FR 3130897A1 · 2023 [cited by applicant]
FR 3133367A1 · 2023 [cited by applicant]
FR 3133368A1 · 2023 [cited by applicant]