Hermetic shear seal for piston displacement fuel tank
US5921167A · kind A · utility
Assignee
Inventors
Key dates
| Filing date | Aug 26, 1997 |
| Grant date | Jul 13, 1999 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Aug 26, 2017 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC F)Mechanical Engineering; Lighting; Heating
- CPC primaryF02K9/605
- WIPO fieldHandling
- WIPO sectorMechanical engineering
Abstract
In space exploration, an attitude control engine or a thruster may have an extended period, such as years, of inactivity prior to being required to complete a desired mission. The fuel for this mission is contained in a fuel tank for the same extended period of time and tends to corrode elastomeric components. To isolate the fuel from elastomeric components during the storage period, the fuel tank has a metallic shear seal. When actuated, a piston ruptures the shear seal and delivers the fuel to a power plant. A shear seal that is unitary with the inner walls of the fuel tank eliminates the need for an interfacial weld that may constitute a shear seal failure site.
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.