Can anyone provide a photograph of the fuel cooled oil cooler pipe matrix? because I am having difficulty visualizing the following scenario:
Aircraft takes off with 5 litres of water in tanks (AAIB) IF none passes through engines in normal manner & IF it evenly distributes itself evenly between engines, it means that a maximum of 2.5 litres of frozen water managed to block both oil coolers within seconds of each other (with a bit of uneven distribution, less than 2.5 litres would have caused blockage).
If as has been stated in a previous post, the primary purpose is to cool oil & any fuel heating is a secondary uncontrolled effect, one would have thought that a some sort of fuel bypass woud have been designed in to counter any possibility of ice blockage.
I have no experience of modern airliners but I have 35 years experience on the engineering side of older military aircraft. I am desperately trying to visualize how such a small quantity of water could cause such problems, in fact to tell the truth, I don't believe it.
Regards Flight_Idle
Last edited by Flight_Idle; 7th November 2008 at 17:52.
Reason: Replaced oil heater to cooler!