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Old 2nd Aug 2009, 14:20
  #2515 (permalink)  
cockney steve
 
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I'd imagine it'd take a load of research and money thrown at it before they'd ever certify electrical heater tapes on a fuel system pipe.
Already well-proven in industrial apps. However, the current needed to pump that much heat into such an enormous flow-volume would require some seriously big alternators and cabling. HUGE power-loss!

mid-stage heat-exchange intercooling would appear to be the simplest solution,a portion of the surplus,returned, warmed fuel could recirculate through the wing/pylon-piping, whilst the rest returned to the tank.

although power-losses are involved, the thermodynamic gain would offset some or all of this, thus making a virtue from necessity.
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