Originally Posted by
DaveReidUK
CCA;11006266]
"Anyone seen the design for the conformal tanks? I assume like others have said they will be part of the wing to body fairing. Similar to the F15/16 & 18"
No, that's not the case (and I don't think anyone here has said that it is).
"Conformal" here is being used in the sense that the RCT occupies the entire cross-section of the fuselage below the floor beams and so differs from a conventional rectangular-section centre wing tank.
Might not have been the best choice of adjective, feel free to suggest an alternative.
Just wanted to be clear as others had said that it’s not a tank that’s installed in the cargo areas.
The 747-400ER has a option for one or two additional tanks in the forward cargo and there’s very little dead space outside the cargo area. The water tanks used to be installed on the front of the CWT but were relocated to aft of aft cargo. How much space is available on a A321 outside the cargo area?
Boeing complaining means it must be fairly radical or something they can’t benefit from.
Quote from the article. “Into the fuselage” is a little generic not much space that isn’t already occupied by design.
To meet demand for longer routes, Airbus has already added optional extra fuel tanks inside the cargo bay of some A321s.
For the A321XLR, Airbus plans to eke out more space for fuel by moulding one tank directly into the fuselage, meaning its shape would follow the contours of the jet and carry more fuel.
The only other option is empty space that isn’t part of the cargo section forward of the CWT? Top of the CWT under the floor usually has space but has also historically been filled with air conditioning filters. (747)
pictures would be good 😃
Pictures and description from Boeing’s own magazine re cargo tanks for what it’s worth.
http://www.boeing.com/commercial/aeromagazine/aero_21/747E.pdf