RV-10 Extra Fuel Tank

[thomasjorgensen]

I still like the idea of a fuselage tank, so long as its done properly, for my RV-10, as I will mainly be flying 1-2 pax onboard. Of course its only good for ballast provided you don't actually use any of the fuel! So it would be more of a reserve in reality i guess.

Good point about the bladder inside an aluminium tank. Do off-the-shelf race car fuel cells have this by chance? I know many of these are crash resistant, will have to look into that.

there are a lot of other aircraft with fuselage tanks, has anyone done one in an RV ?(yeah, rv-12, I know)

I just like the idea of extra fuel+better c.g without resorting to carrying around lead in the baggage compartment. I am willing to pay the small increase in empty weight as the tank would be used most of the time (only the pilot and copilot seats will be occupied 90% of the time)

[aerhed]

I keep thinkin' of a certain Petaluma RV builder who used to fly a pre-60 cessna all over the country with 5 gallon cans in the back (nordo always). Hey if your listenin'... Do you still have that 45-70 1886?

[RV10inOz]

Put the extra in the wings, either tips or built in. If in the tail was a good idea, plenty would be doing it.

CofG is almost not affected, and besides in the tail cone it gets busy when you have AP servo's and maybe a second battery.

If you do inspections or any other work back there once the plane is built it will be apparent to you why I say this now.

It looks like a huge waste of space when you are building it, but it cramps up pretty quick later

[David Shelton]

Originally Posted by thomasjorgensen

Good point about the bladder inside an aluminium tank. Do off-the-shelf race car fuel cells have this by chance?

Race car fuel tanks are typically constructed of a flexible fuel bladder inside of a rigid container. They are also commonly filled with articulated foam which helps prevent fuel from sloshing and also reduces certain types of fire risk.

[David Shelton]

One more quick point about aux fuel tanks... obviously, they come in handy on long legs and allow for certain flights (ocean crossings) that are not otherwise possible. On some occassions, the ability to stock up on cheap fuel can save money. However, there are some trade-offs if we routinely fly carry enormous fuel reserves.

Two of my neighbors fly identical airplanes. One likes to keep his tanks topped off, even for the shortest of flights. The extra fuel weight reduces aircraft performance and he must burn more gas just to haul it around. The other, a professional airline pilot, manages his fuel carefully and avoids carrying excess fuel. I once calculated a difference of $600/yr in fuel consumption between the two, soley due to their different fuel management styles. This adds up to $24,000 over a 40 year flying career.

[digidocs]

David,

Do you mean "reticulated foam"? Google comes up virtually silent on "articulated foam"...

[ppilotmike]

Originally Posted by David Shelton

A while back, we did some preliminary design for a 35 gallon fuel bladder in one of our RV-10 belly pods.... .....The fuel didn't take up very much room in the pod, leaving room for bicycles, skis and other lightweight items.
Good luck.

Dave!

That's great that you're looking into the fuel tank for your motopod. I especially like the idea that there si still room for gear. Keep at it and I'll be looking to get one when my build is done.

Mike

[David Shelton]

Originally Posted by digidocs

David,

Do you mean "reticulated foam"? Google comes up virtually silent on "articulated foam"...

Sorry about that. You are correct, it's "reticulated" foam.

It's a light plastic foam that's 98% void. It acts as a baffle to keep fuel from sloshing and it also helps suppress explosions. When fuel vapors ignite, the flame front travels faster and faster as it grows. When reticulated foam is present, it divides the fuel vapor into many tiny ignition spaces and causes the flame front and pressure wave to travel more slowly. As a result, fuel explosions and fires tend to be less severe.


Hi Mike, how is your build coming along? I imagine an RV-10 aux fuel cell will be in our future. We might be putting a fuel system into a surveillance pod for a Cirrus. After that, it should be very easy to adapt for the RV-10. I don't know about you, but that's got me thinking about an Earth Rounders trip.

[ppilotmike]

Originally Posted by David Shelton

Hi Mike, how is your build coming along? I imagine an RV-10 aux fuel cell will be in our future. We might be putting a fuel system into a surveillance pod for a Cirrus. After that, it should be very easy to adapt for the RV-10. I don't know about you, but that's got me thinking about an Earth Rounders trip.

Well the build is coming along slowly. I'm still working on the tail kit (HS now). I agree that extended range fuel tanks are definitely in my future. I'm just not sure yet how I want to proceed with that (i.e. wing tanks, fuse tanks or your belly tank). i love the idea of centerlining the extra weight, either in the fuse or on the belly, since that's where Vans intended the useful load to be carried. I really like the idea of the pod, because it frees up the interior of the fuse. However, I'm concerned about drag over the oceans. Headwinds are dangerous enough for fuel exhaustion. I need as large a safety margin as possible. However, for long distance travel for two, with stuff on board (i.e. bikes, tents, coolers, etc.) the belly tank mod makes a lot of sense. We'll be in touch.

[AMac]

I have a mate in Melbourne who has done the same thing, even had an engineer do the checks on the structure.

That would be me!

I'll put some piccies up when the built in tanks are done. I'll also get a calculation of how much they hold.

I actually have the the tip tanks that RV10inOz mentioned in a previous post (thanks DB!) they are for sale. I will be in the States (L.A. & San Fran) from 10th of December 2011 & L.A. Oshkosh and points in between from mid July 2012, this will save you a stack in postage if anyone's interested?

Regards all!