section 17 Fuel

System

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 The material covered in this document is based off information obtained from
the original manufacturers’ Pilot and Maintenance manuals. It is to be used
for simulation purposes only.

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Table of Contents Table of Illustrations
System Overview 3 Figure 17-1. 737NG Fuel Tanks 4
Fuel Indicators 7 Figure 17-2. Unstressed and stressed wings respectively 5
Fuel Types 11 Figure 17-3. Fuel LOW Indication 7
Fuel Pumps 13 Figure 17-4. Fuel IMBAL Indication 8
Fuel valves 17 Figure 17-5. Fuel CONFIG Indication 9
System Redundancy 21 Figure 17-6. Hydrocarbon Chains 11
Figure 17-7. 737NG Fuel Pumps 16
Figure 17-8. 737NG Fuel Valves 20

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System Overview
So, what is a fuel system and what are the nuances and The five fuel tanks (Figure 17-1) in the 737NG are:
specifications of the 737NG’s fuel system? Its maximum ●● Main tank (1)
capacity is quoted by Boeing as 46,063lbs, but the ●● Center tank
aircraft can in fact carry 470lbs more than this.
●● Main tank (2)
As well as its obvious purpose of containing and ●● Left surge tank
distributing fuel though, the system also has the auxiliary ●● Right surge tank
purpose of cooling hydraulic fluid. Each main fuel tank
contains a heat exchanger, and both units are identical. Main tanks (1) and (2) are located in the wing boxes, with
Although this arrangement is very effective for cooling main tank (1) on the left and main tank (2) on the right, also
hydraulic fluid, the fluid does not carry the sufficient thermal corresponding to the way both engines are numbered.
energy to heat the fuel in any significant manner, so it is They each contain up to 8,630lbs of fuel. The center tank
important to emphasize that the fuel system does not heat is located largely in the fuselage, but does extend into
the fuel. Conversely, the engine fuel feed system features the wing root, and it carries 28,803lbs of fuel, but is only
heat exchangers to cool oil from the Integrated Drive filled after the two main tanks, and when filled, it must be
Generators. These however intentionally heat fuel. consumed first in flight.

Fuel is typically stored in either two or three tanks, however, The primary reason for this is to reduce airframe stress
contrary to popular belief, the 737NG is actually fitted with (Figure 17-2); fuel in the main tanks provides ballast for the
five tanks! Each tank is integral to the airframe, thus is made wings, holding them in position when the great stress of the
of exactly the same aluminum alloys as parts of the aircraft aircraft’s mass is placed upon them shortly after take-off,
surrounding it: preventing a large change to the wing dihedral angle.
●● QUICK TIP: Each fuel tank is made up of alloys of This effect is so great on the Boeing 747, that if only the
aluminium, zinc, copper and magnesium, in different fuselage tanks were to be filled leaving the wing tanks
proportions. empty for a high gross weight take off, they would simply

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 Centre Tank
28,803lbs
Main Tank 1 Main Tank 2
8,630lbs 8,630lbs

Left Surge Tank Right Surge Tank

235lbs 235lbs

Figure 17-1. 737NG Fuel Tanks

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 Figure 17-2. Unstressed and stressed wings respectively

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System Overview (Cont.)
snap. Notes

The two surge tanks are located directly outboard of the

main tanks, containing up to 235lbs of fuel each. They are
not counted towards the total fuel capacity of the aircraft,
but instead provide a precaution in case any form of tank
overfilling was to occur.

As well as the fuel tanks themselves, the 737NG fuel system

has three other primary elements:
●● Fuel Pumps
●● Fuel Valves
●● And fuel quantity indicators

To interact with the fuel system, the pilot uses the following
panels in the flight deck:
●● The fuel system panel on the overhead panel
●● The overheat/fire protection panel
●● And the control stand, specifically the engine start levers

Each will be discussed in significant detail as we move

along in this lesson. Let’s talk a bit about the fuel quantity
indicating system.

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Fuel Indicators
This section of the lesson is about all aspects of the
aircraft’s fuel system, which display and monitor its
parameters, based on the FQIS, or fuel quantity indicating
system, as well as the fuel temperature indicating system.

The FQIS measures the mass of fuel in each tank in either

pounds or kilograms and relays the information to the
common display system, which processes the information
and sends it to the flight deck display units (DU’s). As
well as the DU’s, this fuel mass information is also sent to
the fuelling panel, located on the right wing, several feet
outboard of the number 2 engine. The fuelling panel will
not be covered in this lesson because it has no incidence
in the PMDG 737NG. The flight management computer
(FMC) also receives this fuel information, not from the FQIS,
but instead directly from the data source via the fuel
quantity processor unit, or FQPU.
1 900 1 900
The FQPU is always connected to two DC power sources, LOW LOW

however, only one needs to be powered for the system to

be active. Despite being powered from up to two sources
though, it can draw current from three:
●● The 28v DC battery bus Figure 17-3. Fuel LOW Indication
●● The 28v DC hot battery bus

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Fuel Indicators (Cont.)
●● And the 28v DC bus no. 1

The FQPU calculates a mass figure for each tank by using

either two or three devices:
●● Fuel units
●● Compensators
●● And if purchased as a customer option, a densitometer

The fuel units measure fuel weight. The compensators

correct for differences in fuel properties and the
densitometers, as the name suggests, measure density. The
reason that the densitometers are a customer option, is
because the fuel system is still very accurate without them,
however, when fitted, FQIS accuracy is within 1%.

The common display system (CDS) has the fuel information

which is needed by flight crew most often, for example, what
is displayed on the upper DU. CDS is likely an unfamiliar 3 900
IMBAL

term, but a good one to get to grips with as it is to the DUs

and DEUs as what FMS is to the FMCs and MCDUs. The
CDS is capable of displaying several configuration errors,
should the fuel system be running abnormally.
Figure 17-4. Fuel IMBAL Indication
A LOW warning (Figure 17-3) will be displayed on either main

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Fuel Indicators (Cont.)
tank’s gauge when its quantity depletes to either 1,000
or 2,000lbs as selected by the customer, the tank must
however meet this condition for 30 seconds before the
warning is triggered. The warning will disappear when tank
contents rise to 2,500lbs if the 2,000lb trigger criterion has
been chosen or 1,250lbs if the 1,000lb condition is set up.

An IMBAL warning (Figure 17-4) will display to indicate an

imbalance between the main tanks, the quantity difference
required to trigger this is 1,000lbs. This difference must
remain for 60 seconds before the warning is triggered. To
get rid of the warning, the differential quantity must reduce
to 200lbs or less. The message will only be displayed when
airborne.

The final configuration message which can be displayed is 8 500

CONFIG

the CONFIG warning (Figure 17-5), which refers to the center

tank. This will display when all of the following conditions
are met:
●● There is more than 1600lbs of fuel in the center tank
●● Both boost pumps display low pressure warnings
●● One or more engines are running
Figure 17-5. Fuel CONFIG Indication
The CONFIG warning will disappear when one of these

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Fuel Indicators (Cont.)
conditions exists: different types of fuel have different freezing points.
●● Center tank quantity is 800lbs or less
●● Both engines are shut down
●● One of both boost pumps provides regular pressure

The fuel temperature indicating system is another important

indicator of fuel parameters. It is powered by 28v AC
transfer bus no. 2, which is in turn powered by the 115v
AC transfer bus no. 2, so the latter must be powered for it
to be functional. When depowered, the needle will go off
the scale on the negative side, thus will rotate fully anti-
clockwise.

The fuel temperature probe is located in main tank (1),

as it theoretically contained the coldest fuel, and yes,
contained was meant to be in the past tense. This is
for a reason which dates back to the 737NG’s great
grandfather, the 737-100/200 variants, which had a
slightly larger heat exchanger for hydraulic system B than
system A; the system B heat exchanger was and is located
in main tank no. 2 which thus had slightly warmer fuel. There
was no reason to change its position and so Boeing did
not. You may have noticed that there are no limitation
indications on the fuel temperature gauge; this is because

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Fuel Types
This is a short, but very important section and will teach you
a fundamental but simple rule for knowing the limitations
of your fuel. In civil aviation, only three forms of JET fuel are
used, each made to standard specifications across the
world.

These are the following:

●● Jet A
●● Jet A1
●● Jet B

Jet A and A1 are far more common types and they consist
of longer chain hydrocarbons than Jet B, between 8
and 16 carbon atoms long. Jet B on the other hand is
comprised of chains between 5 and 15 carbon atoms. Jet
A and A1 are known as kerosene type fuels, whereas Jet
B is a wide cut, naphtha type fuel, wide cut fuels are not
permitted for use in the 737NG, with potential results being
defined by Boeing as engine flameouts and significant
power loss.

Jet A fuel is used almost exclusively in the United States,

however is also used in Gander Airport, Canada, Jet A1 is
used throughout the rest of the world.
Figure 17-6. Jet A (Left) and B (Right) Hydrocarbon Chains

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Fuel Types (Cont.)
Here is a comparison between the two fuels: Here is the vital rule we promised earlier, you must follow this
●● The freezing point of Jet A1 is -47ºC, Jet A freezes at when calculating your minimum fuel safe temperature in the
-40ºC approved manner:
●● The flashpoints are 42ºC for Jet A1 and 51ºC for Jet A ●● You take the highest freezing temperature of the fuel used
●● Per pound of fuel, Jet A1 carries more energy, however, on the last three flights, thus, if having used Jet A, followed
as it is slightly less dense, by volume, Jet A carries more by Jet A1 twice, a freezing temperature of -40ºC is to be
energy assumed.
●● In this condition therefore, the minimum safe temperature
Jet A is therefore slightly safer to handle on the ground due in our 737NG is to be assumed to be -37ºC.
to its higher flashpoint, but for cold weather operations, Jet
A1 has the edge, of course, the differences are negligible These conditions may seem prohibitive, however, a good
and neither is really superior to the other. pilot should prioritize safety above all else.

The 737NG allows fuel temperature to fall to the higher of

the following figures:
●● 43ºC
●● Or 3ºC above the fuel’s freezing point

To summarize, when carrying Jet A1 fuel, you must descend

to a lower, thus warmer altitude when fuel temperature
reaches -43ºC at the latest, however, as a pre-caution,
you should pre-empt this and descend earlier. The same
applies to Jet A, however, here the magic number is -37ºC.

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Fuel Pumps
The 737NG is fitted with six primary AC electrical fuel ●● A vapour discharge check valve to prevent fuel from the
pumps plus, as a customer option, a DC powered fuel feed manifold flowing back through the pump
pump to supply the APU with positive fuel pressure for start- ●● A vapour discharge check valve prevents reverse flow
up when AC transfer busses are not available. This DC fuel from tank through the pump
pump and its utility is covered in more detail in the APU
lesson. Fuel pump control is located exclusively on the fuel system
panel, located on the overhead panel. Six switches, one
The primary fuel pumps are categorized as follows: per pump, on this panel, turn the fuel pumps on and off.
●● Main tank 1 forward pump When the switch is placed in the on position, a relay is
●● Main tank 1 aft pump energised, which, in turn powers the pump motor, provided
the pump is primed with fuel and operational and its
●● center tank left pump
corresponding AC transfer bus is powered, it can be
●● center tank right pump turned on. These pumps are all powered by the 115v AC
●● Main tank 2 forward pump Transfer busses.
●● Main tank 2 aft pump
AC Transfer Bus no. 1 powers:
It should be said at this point that there are another 4 ●● Center tank left pump
electrical fuel pumps in the 737NG, however these are ●● Main tank no. 1 forward pump
part of the engine fuel feed system and are covered in
●● Main tank no. 2 aft pump
the engines lesson. Each electrical pump is powered by
three stage 115v AC power. They are intelligently placed
Whilst AC Transfer bus no. 2 powers:
behind a check valve to allow removal for maintenance
without necessitating to defuel the respective tank, which ●● Center tank right pump
saves time and money should they develop a fault. Other ●● Main tank no.1 aft pump
check valves surrounding the pumps are: ●● Main tank no. 2 forward pump

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Fuel Pumps (Cont.)
The two center tank pumps are located on the rear spar Boost pumps in the main tanks are all interchangeable and
and accessed through the wheel well. The center tanks will supply the engine feed manifold from the main tanks. The
supply fuel at a rate of 20,000pph to the fuel manifold forward boost pumps are located on the front spar and
at a minimum pressure of 23 psi, this is intentionally 13 the aft boost pumps on the rear spar, forward pumps are
psi higher than main tank pump pressure to ensure fuel is accessed through the leading edge krueger flaps and aft
consumed from the center tank first. Should pressure fall pumps through the wheel well. They supply fuel at the same
to 22 psi or less, the low pressure light corresponding to rate as the center tank pumps, 20,000pph, but at a lower
the center tank fuel pump which meets this criterion will pressure of 10 psi. Like the center tank pumps, they are
illuminate, triggered by a pressure sensor located above fitted with a pressure switch in an equivalent location, which
the pump housing and adjacent to the discharge check will trigger a low pressure warning at 6 psi or less.
valve.
The low pressure light will also be illuminated should the fuel
After ten seconds of low pressure, the master caution pump switch be placed in the off position. If both forward
light will illuminate as well as the FUEL annunciator on and aft pumps for a main tank are to become defective
the captain’s side. Since our aircraft is representative of and display LOW PRESSURE warnings, a master caution,
one built after May 2004, should this occur for more than fuel alert will be triggered. This is the only main tank, low
15 seconds, the relay, and hence the pump, will be de- pressure scenario that will trigger the master caution, so if,
energised as a safety measure; this will be covered in for example, both main tank forward pumps were to fail, but
more depth in the safety features section of this lesson. the aft pumps remained operational, the master caution
Should the pump be shut off automatically however, the light would remain extinguished.
LOW PRESSURE light shall remain illuminated until the
pilot operated switch is set to off. If on the other hand, A pump not previously mentioned is the center tank fuel
the center tank’s pumps are set to off, neither a LOW scavenge pump. The center tank fuel scavenge pump is
PRESSURE light on the overhead, nor a master caution a solid state jet pump which uses pressure from main tank
shall be triggered. no. 1’s forward pump as motive flow. A jet pump works using

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Fuel Pumps (Cont.)
the Venturi effect, inducing suction by increasing pressure Notes
in a fluid with a converging, then diverging tunnel. A float
valve seals this jet pump until main tank no. 1’s fuel quantity
depletes to 4,487lbs (although this can vary slightly with
aircraft attitude), at which point it transfers fuel at a minimum
rate of 220pph, this however can be as high as 450pph.
Operation of this jet pump requires main tank no. 1’s
forward fuel pump to be operating, but there is no way in
which the pilot can interact with its operation. Like the main
tank no. 1 forward pump, the jet pump is mounted on the
left, front spar.

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 Main Tank 1 Fore Pump Main Tank 2 Fore Pump

TO APU

Main Tank 1 Aft Pump Centre Tank Right Pump Main Tank 2 Aft Pump
Centre Tank Left Pump

Figure 17-7. 737NG Fuel Pumps

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Fuel valves
Along with the pumps, the fuel valves comprise the engine through a switch assembly to the actuator. The valve is
fuel feed system. The system incorporates five valves, the then moved to the appropriate position. When opening
engine fuel spar valves, engine fuel shutoff valves and the valve, the VALVE OPEN light located above the
the crossfeed valve. A third type of valve, of which there knob temporarily illuminates bright as the valve transitions,
are two, is also present, the bypass valve; this however indicating a switch position disagree. When opening of the
is part of the engine fuel feed system and so will only be valve completes, the light will dim, indicating that the valve
touched upon in said lesson. It should be said that both is fully open. Upon moving the knob from open to closed,
the operation and application of this valve is limited; it is the reverse occurs; the light goes from dim to bright as
automatic and used in abnormal situations only, however, the temporary position disagree situation is present, when
since its one cockpit indicator is located on the fuel panel, the valve is returned to the closed position, the light
we didn’t want to leave you wondering. extinguishes completely.

The crossfeed valve is a device which allows fuel flow To crossfeed fuel, the crossfeed valve is opened, and the
between the left and right engine fuel feed manifolds. fuel pumps for the main tank which contains inadequate
Comprising of a body, shaft and actuator, it is located on fuel are to be switched off. It should be reiterated here that
the right wing rear spar. The actuator is identical to and fuel is transferred to the engine feed manifold, not the tank,
thus interchangeable with the actuator of the engine fuel thus fuel quantity will never increase in the low content tank.
spar valve. Powered by 28v DC power from the battery Instead, the high quantity tank’s fuel will be consumed at
bus, the main difference between the actuator for the double the standard rate as it is now feeding two engines.
crossfeed valve and engine spar valve is that it is powered When the fuel quantities have been rebalanced, switch on
by the hot battery bus. the pumps for the tank which had the low quantity before
closing the crossfeed valve.
The valve is controlled by the crossfeed valve knob
located on the fuel system panel, when the switch is It is of paramount importance that both sides of the
rotated either open or closed, 28v DC power travels engine fuel feed manifold stay pressurised at all times, as it

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Fuel valves (Cont.)
would compromise safety by increasing the chance of an panel will first illuminate bright from dim as the temporary
engine surge. If an imbalance between main tanks requires lever and valve position disagree is present. When the
rectification before the center tank has been consumed, valve is fully open, the light will extinguish. When closing
the center tank pumps must be switched off before transfer the valve, the reverse will occur, with the light illuminating
is attempted. If this is not done, nothing will happen brightly, then going dim. This light pattern will be mirrored
because the higher pressure center tank pumps will be by the ENG VALVE CLOSED light when the same action
supplying both sides of the engine fuel feed manifold. is performed as the left start lever for example commands
both the left engine fuel spar valve and the left engine fuel
The engine fuel spar valves and engine fuel shutoff valves shutoff valve.
will be discussed simultaneously as their operation is
controlled by the same levers and handles, also, the two The engine fuel shutoff valve, or EFSOV is a solenoid
move in unison. controlled, fuel operated valve which is powered by a 28v
DC current from the battery bus. It is located so that it is
When operating under normal circumstances, the engine the final thing which fuel passes through before combustion,
start levers on the control stand are used to actuate the after the 2nd engine fuel pump, a system covered in more
valves, however, under abnormal conditions, the engine depth in the engine lesson. As an important safety measure,
fire handles on the overheat/fire protection panels can be in the event of a large scale electrical system failure, a
used to close the valves. The engine fuel spar valves are battery is installed to provide power to actuate the fuel
actuated by a 28v DC actuator, identical to that of the shutoff valve and APU fuel shutoff valve should the battery
fuel crossfeed valve, powered by the hot battery bus. They bus become unavailable. It monitors the hot battery bus’s
are located outboard of the engine strut, on the front wing power output and should it dip below 22v, the battery
spar of their respective wing. will provide 28v DC power to actuate the valves. As well
as the engine fuel valves, the circuitry is also wired to the
When the engine start lever is positioned from CUTOFF engine fuel spar valves.
to IDLE, the SPAR VALVE CLOSED light on the overhead

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Fuel valves (Cont.)
The bypass valves are automatic valves which allow fuel
to be diverted around the fuel filters. The fuel filters are
present to remove contaminants and by doing so, prolong
engine life, however, if the aircraft has been loaded
with a particularly bad batch of fuel, or the filters are
nearing needing replacement, they may have become
clogged with contaminants. To ensure however that the
engines are never starved of fuel, a bypass mechanism
is installed around the filters. Should this bypass have to
be commanded by EEC, a warning will be triggered, the
FILTER BYPASS light, which illuminates prior to fuel diversion.
The reason for this is that even if engine damage will occur
because bad fuel is burned, reduced engine power is most
definitely better than no engine power.

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 Left Shutoff Valve Right Shutoff Valve

TO APU

Left Spar Valve Crossfeed Valve Right Spar Valve

Left Bypass Valve Right Bypass Valve

Figure 17-8. 737NG Fuel Valves

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System Redundancy
This will largely be a summary portion of the lesson, with key components for combustion, and replaces it with
only one truly new item being discussed here, but it is inert nitrogen. The National Transportation Safety Board
always good to be fully aware of all safety systems on your suggests that an oxygen content of less than 12% is
aircraft. To keep things fresh though, we will start with the necessary to counter the problem, that is down from the
new information. To date, two 737 airframes have been 21% in regular air. The system, developed by Honeywell
destroyed by near empty center tank fuel explosions: is capable of this, pumping nitrogen enriched air (NEA)
●● On the 5th of November 1990, a Philippine Airlines 737- into the tank and pumping oxygen enriched air (OEA)
300 overboard. Although it is accepted that this is the safest
●● On the 3rd March 2001, a Thai Airways 737-400 measure, it is extremely expensive and could potentially be
impractical, despite this, 737s produced after August 2006
Both tragedies, which in total resulted in nine fatalities, were have had provisions for the system integrated and all new
found to have the same cause; a near empty center tank, Boeing 787 aircraft are fitted with it.
a high ambient air temperature and center tank fuel pumps
left running. The automatic center tank pump shutoff was fitted to
aircraft made after May 2004; this was covered in more
The FAA required modifications be made to the 737’s fuel detail in the fuel pumps section of this lesson.
system.
The fuel vent system is another safety feature of the
These were: aircraft; it maintains fuel tank pressure near to that of the
●● The nitrogen generating system, hereafter referred to as
ambient air to prevent structural damage to the wing. Vent
NGS channels in each tank equalise pressure between tanks
and surge tanks when the aircraft is in a climb attitude.
●● The center tank fuel shutoff system discussed earlier
Another valve called the vent float valve is present
specifically to equalise pressure between main tanks no.
NGS is a system which removes oxygen, one of three
1 and 2. The vent scoop assembly is also fitted with flame

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System Redundancy (Cont.)
arrestors to prevent excessive heat reaching the fuel vent Notes
system, should one become clogged though, the system is
designed so that the pressure relief valve in the surge tanks
will open as an alternate source of pressure relief.

The final safety measure present in the fuel system is the

fuel shutoff valve battery which was discussed earlier in the
valves section.

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