RCU Forums - View Single Post - A safety matter!
View Single Post
Old 02-16-2006 | 02:36 PM
  #1  
Falcon 64's Avatar
Falcon 64
Senior Member
 
Joined: Jan 2003
Posts: 1,172
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts
Default A safety matter!

Reading the very interesting article about fuel pumps in the latest RC Jet International, made me aware of this "NOTAM".
Feb/march 06 page 60.

Quoting:
"During our visit Peter brought to my attention a courious matter. While testing pumps at night Peter discovered a surprising phenomenon.
He noticed sparks jumping from the fuel lines.
He also found that the plastic fuel lines would move when a powerful magnet was brought near them.
This points to some electromagnetic activity arising from the flow of fuel in the fuel lines.
Convinced that this could be the cause of spurious radio "gltching" when flying his Panther.
Peter has screened all his fuel lines and bonded the screening to the tailpipe, engine case and ECU power supply"

Scary stuff
For your information, JET A1 contains additives to reduce this as much as possible, but safety routins such as earthing the aircraft before fueling, never can be left out, because this still is a significant precaution.

But sparks on the fuel lines was really hair-rising[X(]
This must be several thousand volts!
Not strange a glitch can occour now and then....
Think about those jets without a inlet duct, as the friction between the elements and the fuel lines causes the static electrisity, so even the air will add some to it.. (!)
It`s not without a reason most fullsize jets has static dischargers on the trailing edge and fin..

I`ll definately copy Peter Hausl`s screening of all the fuel lines.