Aircraft External Fuel Tanks

August 31, 2024 Post a Comment

Aircraft external fuel tanks

The External Tank includes a propellant feed system to duct the propellants to the Orbiter engines, a pressurization and vent system to regulate the tank pressure, an environmental conditioning system to regulate the temperature and render the atmosphere in the intertank area inert, and an electrical system to

What is a external fuel tank?

In aviation, a drop tank (external tank, wing tank or belly tank) is used to describe auxiliary fuel tanks externally carried by aircraft. A drop tank is expendable and often capable of being jettisoned.

What are the 3 basic types of aircraft fuel tanks?

Fuel tank construction can be divided into three basic types: integral, rigid removable, and bladder. An integral fuel tank, shown in Fig. 15-1, is a tank that is part of the basic structure of the aircraft. Integral fuel tanks have commonly been located in the wing or fuselage, as illustrated in Fig.

Do fighter jets have external fuel tanks?

The external fuel tanks range from 275 to 600 gallons and have been designed, qualified and manufactured for centerline or wing/pylon installation on fighter aircraft.

Why is the external fuel tank orange?

It gets its signature orange color from the foam insulation sprayed on the tank's aluminum structure. The insulation helps the tank act as a thermos bottle to keep the super cold propellants from evaporating too quickly.

How do aircraft drop tanks work?

These belly tanks, as they were commonly called, were carried under the airplane and were easily jettisoned once the fighting began. The belly tank was released from the airplane when the pilot flipped a switch inside the cockpit. The fuel tank dropped away from the plane, hence the name drop tank.

What happens to the external fuel tank after separation?

Disposable fuel tanks During launch, tank and boosters are jettisoned and fall back to Earth after a shuttle's initial push to the sky. Unlike the boosters, however, the external tank is not collected and reused. Instead, the tanks are discarded to burn up in Earth's atmosphere.

Does the military drop tanks from planes?

America's current tank, the M1 Abrams, weighs four times as much as the M551 Sheridan did and so isn't typically dropped out of planes. It's armored personnel carrier, the Stryker, is only a little heavier than the Sheridan was and is dropped from planes, typically in Alaska.

Where do fighter jets store fuel?

Unlike commercial airplanes, fighter jets store fuel in fuel tanks installed behind the pilot's seat. Some fighter jets may have extra fuel tanks, known as auxiliary fuel tanks, that are externally attached to the aircraft.

What are the types of aircraft fuel tank?

Aircraft typically use three types of fuel tanks: integral, rigid removable, and bladder.

What are the two types of fuel systems on an aircraft?

There are two main types of aviation fuel used in general aviation: jet fuel and AVGAS. Jet fuel is a refined kerosene-based, clear or straw-colored liquid that is primarily used to power turbine engines, such as turboprop and jet engines.

What are the 2 common types of fuel lines in aircraft?

There are three fuel systems present in single or multi-engine aircraft.

Gravity feed fuel system – It delivers fuel based on gravity.
Pump feed fuel system- It delivers fuel via electric and engine-driven pumps.
Fuel-injected aircraft fuel system- It delivers fuel by spraying method.

Does the F 35 have external fuel tanks?

Yes it can. The F-35 has six underwing hardpoints, I believe four of those are plumbed for external fuel tanks. There was talk of stealth ETs at one time, but the only ones now available are non-stealthy. The Israelis are developing conformal tanks (which would preserve stealth).

Do fighter jets dump fuel before landing?

Any of those aircraft needing to return to a takeoff airport above the maximum landing weight would jettison an amount of fuel sufficient to reduce the aircraft's weight below that maximum landing weight limit, and then land.

What happens to drop tanks after they are dropped?

They are called drop tanks. When a drop tank is jettisoned, very likely it is not retrieved and reused. This is also the case with (sadly, discontinued) Space Shuttle external tank. Those tanks were not reused either.

Where does NASA get liquid hydrogen?

The hydrogen used at KSC is produced from natural gas by a steam-reforming process in New Or- leans, La. It is shipped in 13,000-gallon mobile tankers. The shuttle uses two types of liquid oxygen.

Why is NASA rocket rusty?

Like the space shuttle's external fuel tank, the natural color of the SLS core stage insulation is light orange, which darkens to a rusty ochre after being exposed to sunlight.

Why did the shuttle fly upside down?

The reason we go in upside down is the payload bay doors. The insides of those are a giant freon-filled radiator and there is a lot of heat being generated inside the crew module.

Are drop tanks recovered?

The Allies also used drop tanks and they often were not recovered because the pilots would jettison them if and when attacked, or when they were empty, what ever came first. Most peacetime use of drop tanks isn't so wasteful, the tanks are not jettisoned unless there is an emergency.