The Boeing Company

Porogen Corporation

Donald Ray Snow, Jr

Ivana Jojic

Benjamin Bikson

James Ping Huang

Michael J Robinson

Alan Grim

Brent Kenneth Theodore

David Michael Smith

Colin W Hart

Royal E Boggs

Rodney N Graham

David A Adkins

Greg A Haack

Anthony J Banker

Bradford L Moravec

A system and method for storing nitrogen-enriched air (NEA) comprising an air separation device (ASM) and producing NEA in the ASM. One example implementation may include bleed air being supplied to a pressure intensifier. The pressure intensifier is powered by NEA compressed by a first compressor, and the pressure of the bleed air is increased by the pressure intensifier and supplied to an ASM. In another example implementation, a turbine may be drivingly connected to a second compressor and the bleed air supplied to the second compressor. The NEA compressed by the first compressor is supplied to and drives the turbine, which drives the second compressor, and the air compressed by the second compressor is supplied to the ASM. In another example implementation, a turbine may drive an electric generator, which in turn may power an electric motor that drives the second compressor.

Stored gas pressure recovery system

A fluid separation assembly and method are provided. The assembly has a hollow fiber bundle with a plurality of hollow fiber membranes. The assembly further has a pair of tubesheets, each encapsulating respective ends of the hollow fiber bundle. The assembly further has a plurality of radial through openings formed along a circumference of one or both of the tubesheets and radially through a body portion in one or both of the tubesheets. The radial through openings include center connected radial through openings and partial radial through openings, and intersect each, or substantially each, of the hollow fiber membranes. The assembly further has a housing surrounding the hollow fiber bundle and the tubesheets. The housing has a feed inlet port, a permeate outlet port, and a non-permeate outlet port. The feed inlet port and the non-permeate outlet port are in parallel alignment with a longitudinal central axis of the housing.

Fluid separation assembly and method

An aircraft fuel tank flammability reduction method includes feeding pressurized air into an air separation module containing an oxygen separation membrane. The method includes contacting the separation membrane with the air feed, permeating oxygen from the air feed through the separation membrane, and producing nitrogen-enriched air from the air separation module as a result of removing oxygen from the air feed. The NEA from the air separation module is substantially cooled in a NEA flow heat exchanger and the substantially cooled, nitrogen-enriched air is fed into the fuel tank on board the aircraft. An aircraft fuel tank flammability reduction system includes a NEA flow heat exchanger configured to cool substantially the nitrogen-enriched air from the air separation module and a fuel tank on board the aircraft configured to receive the cooled nitrogen-enriched air.

Aircraft fuel tank flammability reduction methods and systems

In an embodiment there is provided a fluid separation assembly. The assembly has a hollow fiber bundle with a plurality of hollow fiber membranes. The assembly further has a first tubesheet and a second tubesheet encapsulating respective ends of the hollow fiber bundle, wherein one of the tubesheets has a plurality of radial through openings formed in the tubesheet. The assembly further has a housing surrounding the hollow fiber bundle and the first and second tubesheets, the housing having a feed inlet port, a permeate outlet port, and a non-permeate outlet port. The feed gas, permeate gas, or non-permeate gas are introduced into or removed from the hollow fiber membranes via the plurality of radial through openings formed in the tubesheet, such that the radial through openings of the tubesheet intersect each or substantially each of the hollow fiber membranes.

A method and apparatus for processing air. The apparatus comprises an air separation module, a first input, a first output, a second output, and a flow control system. The air separation module is configured to generate an inert gas. The first input for the air separation module is configured to receive first air. The first output for the air separation module is configured to output the inert gas from the air separation module. The second output for the air separation module is configured to output separated air from the air separation module. The flow control system is configured to control a flow of air in the air separation module that increases a rate at which the air separation module reaches a desired operating temperature for generating the inert gas using a number of ports in the flow control module.

Method for processing air

A method and apparatus for controlling inert gas generation. An apparatus comprises an air separation module and an air flow control system. The air separation module is configured to separate an inert gas from air input into the air separation module. The air flow control system is configured to control the flow of the air into the air separation module.

Fuel saving inert gas generation system

Warming system for air separation modules

An inert gas generating system for generating inert gas on a vehicle having a fuel tank and a fuel tank vent. The system includes an inlet for receiving a flow of gas having a nitrogen component and an oxygen component from a gas source, a heat exchanger downstream from the inlet and in fluid communication with the inlet for cooling gas received from the inlet, and a gas separation module downstream from the heat exchanger and in fluid communication with the heat exchanger for separating gas received from the heat exchanger into a nitrogen-enriched gas flow and an oxygen-enriched gas flow. The gas separation module is adapted to deliver nitrogen-enriched gas from the nitrogen-enriched gas flow to the fuel tank without delivering the nitrogen-enriched gas through the fuel tank vent. The gas separation module is also adapted to deliver nitrogen-enriched gas from the nitrogen-enriched gas flow to the fuel tank vent.

Method and apparatus for generating an inert gas on a vehicle

An inerting system () for an aircraft () includes one or more fuel tank circuits () associated with fuel tanks (). An air source () supplies pressurized air. A heat exchanger () cools the pressurized air. An air separation module () is in fluid communication with the heat exchanger () and separates inerting gas from the pressurized air. A controller () controls flow of the inerting gas from the air separation module () to the fuel tanks ().

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Fountain Valley, CA, United States of America

Donald Ray Snow, Jr