An animal so rare it may not exist . . .

On 27 Nov 2006 08:03:15 -0800, wrote:

Specifically I need a remotely mounted fuel cutoff valve, but it
is so remotely mounted that the standard valve-on-a-long-ujoint
solution is not going to work (too much stuff in the way, too many
corners, etc.).

Andy Phillips, proprietor of Andair, Ltd. in the UK exhibited a
prototype of a remote-mounted, electrically-operated fuel valve at
Oshkosh this year. You could contact him at and
see if it is ready for production. The web site is
http://www.andair.co.uk, if you're interested in looking at his line
of products.

From what I recall, it was operated by a DC motor, not a solenoid.

Rob-
__________________________________________________ _
Rob Cherney rcherney(at)comcast.net
Ellicott City, Maryland

wrote:
Folks:

I have a rather irritating fuel line situation that has several
possible solutions, each more complicated and / or expensive than the
last. Specifically I need a remotely mounted fuel cutoff valve, but it
is so remotely mounted that the standard valve-on-a-long-ujoint
solution is not going to work (too much stuff in the way, too many
corners, etc.).

How about cable and pulley system? };-)


...

However the local FAA guy told me that he has seen solenoid valves made
specifically for fuel applications that fail in place, i.e. if they
crap out the valve simply stays in it's last selected position.

I can't find one. Partly this is because I don't know what they might
be called, but I have tried everything I can think of, including
calling some of the larger solenoid valve manufacturers to see what
they might suggest. If anyone has any insight into this, it is most
appreciated.

If you find somebody who makes a lot of solenoid valves they should
have some like that. I don't remember who does offhand, if you can
find a Thomas Register, that should help.


Thank you for your assistance--

Steve.

PS: I have also seen electrically actuated rotary valves, which appear
to simply be a fairly traditional selector valve actuated by a stepper
motor. They fail in place, which is good. But in doing some research,
they appear to have a much lower MTBF than a solenoid.

Those would be heavier as well as more complicated.
We used them a lot in the nuclear industry, motor actuated
ball valves with UHMWPE seats.

The big advantage over solenoid valves were that they were
less resistant to flow and less prone to leakage.

--

FF