Accuracy in Fuel Level Sensing
Absent the aircraft substantiation that is protected intellectual property at the present time, it is hard to demonstrate what this system does for the average pilot.
This fuel system component will generate considerable interest, but fuel level senders of the past have been, an ineffective tool for pilots to utilize.
We can all point to or tell stories of classic flying films where the lead has - tapped the fuel gauge to see if it was reporting correctly.
A technological advancement in this field may not just improve an existing fuel quantity indication system - but may become a new component with the potential to be disruptive to aviation safety.
Why?
In earlier dialogs we discussed the digital aspect of the fuel level sensor output - but what does that mean.
In the diagram above illustrates a distinct position output of the float arm as represented as a ray on the hemisphere.
The middle point being represented by the binary 10000000 - the next ray above is 01111111 the next ray above by the binary 01111110. Each of these is different.
What this provides is a positive address for the float position for every ray shown on the diagram.
By combining a digital address to a non contact level system. We allow free motion of the float - no discernible wear - no wear that would affect this digital output.
A measuring system with many discrete addresses over the rise and fall of the float makes it is easier to carefully describe the tank volume into usable information for the pilot.
More information allows complex tank shapes and configurations commonly found in aircraft to be described in more controlled and accurate manner.
The non-contact part of the sensor takes the fuel contents of the tank and it's varying electrical and physical properties out of the equation.
The controlled float finds the fuel / air boundary in all flight conditions.
Legacy Systems
Resistive Systems
So lets compare to a resistive based float system with the resistance trace in the tank - most general aviation aircraft in the field use this or some variation.
So the manufacturer of the fuel sender will talk about how this resistor card is laser trimmed and it has 50 or 60 precision resistive steps from empty to full when the unit is brand new.
So that appears to be similar to the example above - yes the digital example has more steps but it is more expensive - yes.
What is not revealed is that the resistive steps in output are not distinct or different - but rather a subtle step increase or decrease in the electrical property when new - after use or wear the subtleties are easily blurred or worn away. So we in actual practice have a system that now may incur discontinuities in the stepwise output - and provide a less than adequate reading or even deceptive reading for fuel level .
When we talk about modern general aviation aircraft and the resistance traces become much smaller as shown on the right. The need for intrinsic safety - explosion proof requirement brought about some subtle changes in aviation fuel systems. It was no longer acceptable to have wires or traces in the fuel tank proper. The general aviation industry turned to propane gauges that had the wiper driven by a magnetic couple to an external wiper system enclosed in plastic.
Capacitive Systems
Capacitive Systems - this is the domain of larger aircraft and some small aircraft. It is the defacto system for aviation. The designs have no moving parts and are reliable in principle.
Again we are not dealing with distinct positions but an electrical subtlety between one level and another. So while the fluid provides a good dielectric - the qualities of the fuel become a critical component in how the system works. Therefore what you add to the tank is a measurable component for the fuel gauge system and is known as the k factor in a capacitance equation.
So what you add - Fuel - Quality, Temperature, Composition, Entrained Air, Water and Temperature have a direct bearing on the output of the gauge.
Components of a good Capacitive level systems contain the following:
- Probe Compensators - measure permittivity of the fuel - ability to carry a charge
- Densitometers to determine the specific gravity of the fuel
- Temperature compensation - direct though linear effect on k
- Compensation of tube diameters to provide a linearized output
If your capacitive level system does not have compensation, it has limited value in aircraft applications.
Capacitance probes while highly developed and may utilize segregated DC or AC power, can meet requirements for intrinsic safety. Capacitive systems however will never overcome the fact that we have separated metal tubes connected to external wiring in the aircraft.
Capacitive systems have difficulty with
- Fuel Stratfication - hot fuel added over cold soaked fuel
- Contamination
- Corrosion
- Indifferent fuel quality or in non aviation applications alcohol percentages
Capacitance systems in transport aircraft are redundent in that there are two systems for each tank to insure dispatch reliability for transport aircraft.
The cost to retrofit CiES senders to a pre-74 B55 is around $3200 (plus installation). That may seem "outrageous" but it's only about 50% more than what it costs to have the eight (2 per tank * 4 tanks) senders "overhauled" and my experience with overhauled senders is not very good. At best the OH senders will perform as good as when new for a few years which is to say they're accurate to within about +/- 5 gallons.
And one additional point about CIES senders. I have absolutely no doubt if any question or issue came up, Scott would be on the phone within the hour. (More likely in minutes.) Every interaction I have had with him and interactions I have seen others have with him have been very positive. 
+1 on the CiES/ Scott Philiben Phan club. There's no better customer service than that provided by Scott. anywhere.
