The Boeing Company

Daniel E Hedges

Michael E Rorabaugh

Jere S Meserole, Jr

Bruce W McCaul

Eric K Thorson

Jennifer D Klemisch

Thomas Mac Winsemius

Mark J Holland

Jessica C Pavia

Michael D Bentz

Thomas Michael Henry

Scott S Rhodes

Clay J Anderson

An oxygen analysis system (OAS) for measuring, monitoring and recording oxygen concentration in aircraft fuel tanks. The OAS has a rack support structure installed in an aircraft cabin with a plurality of oxygen analyzer devices mounted in the rack support structure. Each oxygen analyzer device has an oxygen sensor to measure oxygen concentration in gas samples continuously drawn from sample locations in aircraft fuel tanks and at an aircraft NGS ASM exit. The OAS further has a plurality of valves, a supply of calibration gases, a supply of purge and operating gases, and a power distribution assembly, all coupled to the rack support structure. The OAS further has a transport tubing assembly, a plurality of fuel tank gas sampling ports, an NGS ASM exit gas sampling port, a drain manifold assembly, and a data acquisition and recording system having a user interface software to monitor and control the OAS.

Oxygen analysis system and method for measuring, monitoring and recording oxygen concentration in aircraft fuel tanks

A method for determining liquid quantity in a tank holding liquid and a plurality of vapor bubbles in a microgravity environment includes a jet inducer and a sensor for providing a signal proportional to the volume of liquid in the tank. The jet inducer, comprising of a pump and a nozzle, induces a recirculating jet in the tank. The liquid jet merges the plurality of vapor bubbles into a single, nearly spherical vapor bubble and holds the single vapor bubble in a stable location at one end of the container. One or more ultrasonic sensors, at the other end of the tank, measure the distance from the single vapor bubble to the sensor or sensors and generates a signal proportional to the distance measured. A CPU receives and adjusts the signal or signals and generates a readout indicating the volume of the liquid in the container.

Method for determining liquid quantity in microgravity using fluid dynamic positioning

Carbon-carbon grids for ion optics sets are thermomechanically stable under the extreme temperature changes that are experienced in ion thrusters. Screen, accelerator and decelerator grids are thermomechanically stable, lightweight, and resistant to erosion from ion sputtering and have extended lifetimes over conventional molybdenum grids.

Method for making an ion thruster grid

Carbon-carbon grid elements for ion thruster ion optics

Carbon-carbon elements for ion optics sets are thermomechanically stable under the extreme temperature changes that are experienced in ion thrusters. The elements described include screen and accelerator grids and methods of producing such grids. The described elements are thermomechanically stable, lightweight, and resistant to sputtering.

Ion thruster with ion optics having carbon-carbon composite elements

Growing community of inventors

Seattle, WA, United States of America

Daniel E Hedges