Since the British Airways Boeing 777-200ER crash-landing at London Heathrow in January 2008, which was caused by ice in the fuel feed system, the industry has been looking for ways of ensuring that such an event does not recur. Parker Aerospace has one solution for separating water from fuel at the refuelling stage, which it demonstrated at the Paris air show
The UK Air Accidents Investigation Branch interim factual statement about the BA event says that ice in the engine fuel lines restricted the flow, causing engine power loss. The aircraft was written off in the accident, but there were no fatalities an most people on board were uninjured.
Parker has now designed a "fuel filtration and water coalescing system" to remove water from fuel as it is uploaded into aircraft fuel tanks. The system causes water in the fuel to coalesce, then separates and removes it.
Source: Flight International
