Detailed simulations of an aircraft fuel system by means of Simulink

Abstract

The fuel system is one of the most important and complex parts of aircraft, being tasked with suppling the correct quantity of fuel to the aircraft engine during all operative conditions, from flight to ground operation. It must operate efficiently in any condition to guarantee safety and reliability. A fuel system for kerosene-based fuels (i.e., jet fuels) is a combination of hydraulic components, namely, tanks, pumps, bypass valves, safety valves, servovalves. The aim of this paper is to provide an accurate simulation model of an entire fuel system for gas turbine (turboprop and turbofan) engines, which can be used by manufacturers and researchers to evaluate the performance of the fuel system under different operating conditions for given components or to select the geometries of the components to obtain specific performance levels. The numerical code is developed in the Simulink environment, which is a software package widely used in industry. A detailed description of the model is provided in this paper, and results under specific operating conditions are shown and discussed. The power consumption of the system is assessed as well, with indication of the main sources of losses, which will be useful for current EU projects aimed at reducing the power consumption of aircraft.