Simulation of fuel behaviour during aircraft in‐flight refueling

Abstract

PurposeIn‐flight refueling is one of the most important technologies developed in military aviation. The purpose of this paper is to analyze the dynamic behaviour of fuel during a refuel process by means of an internal flow analysis software program.Design/methodology/approachThe dynamic behaviour of fuel during a refuel process is analyzed by means of an internal flow analysis software program called Flowmaster. The refueling system is analyzed by representing physical components as flow resistances and control volumes and calculating the flow rates and pressures along the system. Both steady and transient state analyses are performed to identify the locations where high‐pressure surges are likely. The peak pressures are compared to allowable proof pressures of system components to ensure that they are not exceeded.FindingsIt was found that a transient analysis of the fuel behaviour in the refuel pod system for a complete refueling process can be completed successfully with Flowmaster software.Originality/valueThe paper models a complete refueling process with the sequence of trail, fuel transfer and rewind phase in order to analyse the fuel‐transient behaviour, in particular near to the times where the valves are activated.