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Old 15th Aug 2009, 09:50
  #2562 (permalink)  
cockney steve
 
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As many Japanese car owners will have noted, there is a relatively cheap and simple way to eliminate atmospheric pollution.

Automotive Brake Fluid is extremely hygroscopic, a feature which dramatically lowers it's boiling -point and helps the system rust from the inside.

The wiley orientals put an inverted soft rubber "top-hat" under the filler-cap....as the fluid level drops, so does the membrane (retaining -cap is vented, as normal.

Now, Concorde's tanks were lined with a flexible-rubber in it's latter days , so it's not an insurmountable problem materials-wise.

I appreciate there are srructural members, baffles and the like to contend with which may necessitate separate "compartment" bags which could be pinked by a standardised coupling. A metal outer-tank would still be required for mechanical strength and containment of the "bladders".....as fuel is removed, the bladder collapses...any water condensatewould collect on the OUTSIDE of the fuel-bladder and inside the structural retaining tank which would need draining, of course.

This doesn't come without a weight penalty, but IMHO there's a major safety benefit (as anyone who'se experienced brake-failure will testify )



Going back to the fuel spill-return /heat-exchanger idea,- coaxial pipework with the warmed return on the outside would also insulate the supply from ambient temperature. any failure of the inner-pipe would merely "short-circuit" the rerturn /flow path A leak in the return would be no different to what would obtain in the present layout. again, a safety benefit at minimal penalty.

Appreciated that I may well be talking poppycock,but just sometimes, the bystander sees something the participants miss.
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