Abstract: A cyclonic ice separator (72) is provided for removing ice from low temperature aviation fuels. The temperature of the fuel is lowered beneath the freezing point of water, such that significant amounts of dissolved water leaves solution and becomes free water, and the free water freezes and becomes filterable. The fuel is then passed through the cyclonic separator (72), which spins the fuel in an intense cyclonic spiral path 121 to create centrifugal forces which separate the ice from the fuel. Heating elements (110, 128) are provided within the cyclonic separator (72) to prevent blockage of ice and water discharge ports (118, 78). A mixture of fuel, ice and water is passed from the cyclonic separator (72) and into a reclamation unit (80), in which gravity separates a reclaimed portion of the fuel from the ice and water. The fuel is then passed through conventional aircraft filtration equipment (130).

Abstract: Inert loading jet fuel (302) is a provided by directly injecting an inerting agent (316) directly into jet fuel (308) while it is being loaded onboard an aircraft (13) to ultimately make aircraft fuel tanks (17) safe from ignition and explosions. The inerting agent (316) is preferably gaseous nitrogen (N2) which is directly injected into the fuel flow (346) during refueling of the aircraft (13), and travels to the fuel tanks (17) and then separates from the fuel (302) within the fuel tank (17) to substantially fill the ullage of the fuel tank (17) with a non-explosive atmosphere. The inerting agent (316) may also be injected in to aircraft fuels (8) which are cooled to reduced temperatures such that the volume of the fuel (8) is reduced, thereby allowing more fuel (8) to be held in the storage (17). The inerting agent may further be injected into aircraft fuels which are heated and then stored in fuel storage (17) of the aircraft (13) to de-ice the wings (15) of the aircraft (13).

Abstract: A method of fueling an engine (92) of a vehicle having a fuel storage tank (70) is accomplished by providing a liquid fuel for fueling the engine (92). The fuel is cooled to reduced temperatures substantially less than ambient temperature so that the volume of the fuel is reduced. The fuel is stored in the storage tank (70) while the fuel is at the reduced temperatures, with the reduced volume of the fuel thereby allowing more fuel to be held in the storage tank (70) and/or increasing the energy value of the fuel per unit volume. The fuel may be transferred from the storage tank (70) to the engine (92) while the fuel is at the reduced temperatures. The fuel may be cooled using either liquid nitrogen (76), or conventional mechanical refrigeration equipment (150).