Technology update
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Fuel leak-detection system selected by Canadian airports
After experiencing some success with its new underground pipeline leak-detection systems at two airports in Montreal, Vista Research Inc. has installed the equipment at airports in five additional Canadian cities—Calgary, Edmonton, Halifax, Toronto, and Vancouver. The leak-detection system was first installed at Montreal's Dorval and Mirabel International Airports at the request of Air Canada three years ago as part of a test program.
The leak-detection system conducts fuel-line pressure tests and takes into account changes in fuel volume due to temperature variations. Alternative pressure-test systems require the fuel systems to be shut down for long periods, which can be impractical at major airports. Vista's equipment can be permanently installed and designed to test pipeline systems as often as daily, or a mobile version can be used for periodic testing.
Other leak-detection systems require airports to include fuel additives that can be detected by sensors in the ground, or to install tracer wires in trenches along pipelines. According to Vista, fuel additives can become expensive while tracer wires typically have a life expectancy of only two to three years. Results of these types of tests also can be affected by soil conditions.
The Vista system can detect leaks as small as 0.00214% of the pipeline volume within a 3-h test. The system works by calculating the expected change in volume as the outside ground and air conditions cause temperature changes in the fuel in the pipeline. If the fuel volume does not change in accordance with expectations, it is an indication of a leak in the system.
There are two versions of the Vista equipment—the HT-100, designed for underground pipelines containing more than 3000 gal, and the LT-100, designed for truck loading racks and medium-length lines containing up to 10,000 gal. Both systems feature automatic compensation for thermal expansion and contraction of liquid in the line, thus eliminating a major source of error in leak-detection tests based on fuel pressure.
At the Dorval Airport in Montreal, the HT-100 system was permanently installed at its fuel storage facility. Pipelines in this airport's fueling system contain about 300,000 gal. The other HT-100 system is installed in a truck and can be used in testing the entire hydrant system at Montreal's Mirabel airport as well as in testing sections of the Dorval pipeline.
In addition to the units in operation in Canada, Vista has provided testing services at many other major airports, including Boston, Dallas, Miami, New York, Phoenix, Portland, San Francisco, and St. Louis.
- Frank Bokulich
Lord selected as APU systems integrator for A340-500/-600
Airbus Industrie has selected Lord Corp. for the auxiliary power unit (APU) systems integration for the A340-500/-600 aircraft. "Lord provided Airbus with a complete APU suspension system while delivering overall systems analysis as well as creative methods to cut costs," said Diana Day, Program Manager for the project at Lord. In addition to cost savings, the company's analysis-driven system development resulted in a significant weight reduction for the APU isolation system, which consists of vibration isolators, brackets, cone bolts, and struts. The APU isolation system is now being implemented on Airbus' A340-500/-600 models.
- Frank Bokulich
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