Cirrus Aircraft and CIES Inc made a joint presentation at the Sensors Expo Conference in Chicago the first week in June.
Topic of discussion was
- Applying our AMR Fuel Level Technology to an Application
- Fuel Level and Ice Protection Fluid Sender in an Aircraft Application
- Integration to Aircraft Avionics / Instrumentation
- Implications for reliable redundant fuel level - Fuel Qty and Fuel Flow
- Better Annunciation
- Fuel Imbalance Annunciation - proper left to right trim single engine aircraft
- Low Fuel or IFR Reserve Warning
- Automatic fuel management - switching between tanks
Discussed why a float based sensor is ideal for this application
- Shallow Tank
- Lots of fluid motion - constant motion
- Solid State Technology
- Intrinsically Safe - Explosion Proof
Illustrated the advantages of AMR for this application - with a video
- We hold the patent - so no licensing
- Tolerant of angular and displacement alignment - position immune
- No appreciable temperature effect - critical for aircraft
- No hysteresis effect
- Issues with existing systems
Illustrated the studies on the aircraft to achieve an accurate level for each aircraft produced
- Number of calibration points to reduce tank indication errors
- 5 was chosen -
- 0 Gallons - FAA regulations
- 5 Gallons - provide excellent accuracy at the bottom of the tank
- 30 Gallons - At the aircraft TABS - Internal tank visual reference
- 40 Gallons - reduce error at transition between inbd and outbd sensors
- 46 Gallons - Full
- The fuel quantity indication less than 1/2 gallon or 1% in potential error throughout the fuel level range.
In looking at this fuel level indication performance and evaluating the system in its application over time
- Improved annunciation
- Low Fuel Annunciation
- Low Fuel Caution
- Low Fuel Warning
- Fuel Imbalance Caution
- Fuel Level Sensor - Failure
- The fuel quantity indication can be compared to the fuel totalizer and if in agreement
- Automatic switching of fuel from left to right tank
- If not - revert to manual actuation .
