Aircraft Fuel Systems Vocab

Question 2

Bladder-type Fuel Cell

Answer 2

A plastic-impregnated fabric bag supported in a portion of an aircraft structure so that it forms a cell in which fuel is carried

Question 3

Boost Pump

Answer 3

An electrically driven centrifugal pump mounted in the bottom of the fuel tanks in large aircraft. Provides a + flow of fuel under pressure to the engine for starting and serves as an emergency backup in the event an engine driven pump should fail.

Question 4

Bypass

Answer 4

A channel carrying a fluid around a part and back to the main stream.

Question 5

Compensated Fuel Pump

Answer 5

A vane-type, engine-driven fuel pump that has a diaphragm connected to the pressure regulating valve.

Question 6

Capacitance-type Fuel Quantity Measuring System

Answer 6

A popular type of electronic fuel quantity indicating system that has no moving parts in the fuel tank. A servo-type instrument driven by amplified output of a capacitance bridge.

Question 7

Constant Displacement Pump

Answer 7

A fluid pump that moves a specific volume of fluid each time it rotates; the faster the pump turns, the more fluid it moves.

Question 8

Contamination

Answer 8

Fuel that becomes contaminated or tainted with incompatible fuel, water, rust, sediment and organic matter that collects toward the bottom of fuel tanks found at service stations

Question 9

Cross-Feed Valve

Answer 9

A valve in a fuel system that allows any of the engines of a multi-engine aircraft to draw fuel from any fuel tank, Maintains a balanced fuel condition.

Question 10

Detent

Answer 10

A spring-loaded pin or tab that enters a hole or groove when the device to which it is attached is in a certain position. Used on a fuel valve to provide a positive means of identifying the fully on and fully off position of the valve.

Question 11

Drip Stick

Answer 11

A fuel quantity indicator used to measure the fuel level in the tank when the aircraft is on the ground

Question 12

Fuel Jettison System

Answer 12

A system installed in most large aircraft allows the flight crew to dump fuel to lower the gross weight of the aircraft to its allowable landing weight

Question 12

Ejector

Answer 12

Ensures that liquid fuel is always at the inlet of the pump using a venturi to draw fuel into the boost pump sump area of the fuel tank

Question 13

Flowmeter

Answer 13

Indicates an engine’s fuel use in real time to ascertain engine performance and plan flight calculations

Question 14

Fuel Totalizer

Answer 14

Adds the quantities of fuel in all of the tanks

Question 15

Gascolator

Answer 15

Primarily acts as a fuel drain for water and small particles of sediment and is usually found at the lowest point of an aircraft fuel system.

Question 16

Heat Exchanger

Answer 16

A device used to exchange heat from one medium to another. Ex: Radiators, condensers, evaporators

Question 17

Integral Fuel Tank

Answer 17

Fuel tanks inside the wings, “Wet Wings”

Question 18

Manifold Cross-Feed System

Answer 18

A pressure gauge that measures the absolute pressure inside the induction system of a reciprocating engine.

Question 19

Micron

Answer 19

A unit of linear measurement equal to one millionth (Micrometer)

Question 20

Sump

Answer 20

A low point in an aircraft fuel tank in which water and contaminants collect and are held until drained

Question 20

Scupper

Answer 20

A recess around the filler neck of an aircraft fuel tank where fuel spillage when being serviced collects int he scupper and drains to the ground drain line

Question 21

Strainer

Answer 21

A fuel drain for water and small particles of sediment and is usually found at the lowest point of an aircraft’s fuel system

Question 21

Shear Section

Answer 21

A necked-down section of the drive shaft of a constant displacement engine-driven fluid pump. Breaks and prevents pump from being destroyed/ engine being damaged.

Question 22

Variable-Displacement Pump

Answer 22

A fluid pump thats output is controlled by the demands of the system, built-in system pressure regulator