4 ms·
The rate at which fuel can be pumped from the center tank to the wing tanks does exceed the rate at which the engines consume fuel, so fuel transfer can occur c
by readyplayernull 3y ago
The rate at which fuel can be pumped from the center tank to the wing tanks does exceed the rate at which the engines consume fuel, so fuel transfer can occur continuously throughout the flight.
The actual rate of fuel transfer and the frequency of transfers will vary depending on the specific flight conditions, such as the weight of the airplane, the distance of the flight, and the amount of fuel remaining in the tanks. The fuel management system on the 747 is designed to optimize fuel usage and ensure that the airplane remains balanced throughout the flight.
- sokoloff 3y agoThere are two possible interpretations of GP's question. I took the opposite one of the one you did. "Can the fuel be transferred more quickly than engines consume it, such that there is a risk of the wing tanks becoming overfilled from the center tank?" is the one I took. You took "Can the fuel be transferred fast enough such that there is no risk of engine fuel starvation?" which is also valid.
- kayodelycaon 3y agoFuel tanks have vents to prevent overfilling from damaging them. From one of the Boeing documents I found, the 767-400ER will vent tanks into the fuel dumping system, passively pushing the excess overboard.