Fuel safety management system for storing, transporting, or transferring hydrocarbon fuel

Abstract

A safety-enhancing management system for storing, transporting, or transferring hydrocarbon fuel whereby inert gas conveyance provides hydrocarbon fuel receptacles with a combustion suppressing volume of inert gas which displaces potentially combustible fuel vapor/air mixtures which can otherwise collect in the ullages of such receptacles. In one embodiment the inert gas is readily stored, transported, and conveyed in an inert gas-enriched fuel that degasses inert gas from the fuel within one or more receiving receptacles ullage(s). In a second embodiment, a separate controllable supply of inert gas, such as carbon dioxide, is storable in one or more gas receptacle(s), in a gaseous or liquefied state. The inert gas from one or more fuel receptacle(s) is conveyed via a controllable gas conveyance and wherein such conveyance may also be aided by such gas control as a computer controllable valve, and/or pump, or by the employment of a heat device to facilitate the change of state expansion of the inert gas that is stored in a liquid state. Excess inert gas liberated from within the gas-enriched fuel can optionally be captured and may be pumped back into various fuel receptacle(s), or can be re-stored in the gas receptacles in any state in these fuel systems and as also may be placed aboard aircraft.