Fuel Tank

Need of Fuel Tank

Do we need explanation?

Objectives
To design the fuel tank To check the feasibility of the design To place all the peripherals on it properly To check for the material of the fuel tank To check the availability of all the peripherals

Designing
So the designing should be done keeping in mind the approximate place where it would be placed. FSAE forum discussions should be taken into account before designing . A simple design must be implemented keeping in mind the alteration that would be required in the future due to some or the other reason.

Approach
A simple thought of Ease of Manufacturing should be taken into account while designing. It must be designed in such a way so as to meet all the rules as well as be manufactured in shortest possible time. A basic geometrical shape might be chosen for the same. Other peripherals should be mounted as standards.

Basic layout of the Fuel Tank

Inlet

Check Valve

Baffle plate

Outlet

Drain plug

Capacity of the Fuel Tank

There is no restriction on the capacity of fuel tank in FSAE events. The teams can suit themselves in terms of capacity. Generally a Fuel Tank having a volume of 4-5 litres is used in FSAE events.

Placement of the Fuel Tank

The fuel tank must be inside the primary structure of the Car. It should be securely mounted to the chassis. Mounts should not be fixed, rather the fuel tank should be removable at any point of time. Fuel tank should be visible to a naked eye from the outside.

Placement of Fuel Tank

Fuel tank should preferably be mounted near the center of gravity of the car. It should not be placed to high from the ground. It should be readily accessible. The driver should be completely insulated from the fuel tank and its paraphernalia at all times.

Material Objective
Should be resistant to any reaction with the fuel used. Should be light weight Should have good weld ability. Should be free of any defects.

So the Paraphernalia
Fuel pump Sight tube Filler tube Drain plug Check valve

Types of Fuel Tank

Gravity driven Pump driven

Gravity driven
Fuel tank is placed at the top most position feasible in the car. No need to pump the fuel. The fuel is driven by the force of gravity itself. Complexity of circuit is saved.

Pump Driven
Fuel pump employed to supply the fuel. Fuel tank can be placed anywhere in the car and not necessarily at the top. Two types of pump used: Internal External

Internal Fuel Pump

Placed inside the fuel tank. Saves space in the main frame of the chassis. Difficult to replace or repair in case of the needful.

External Fuel Pump

Sits out of the fuel tank Increases the number of connections in the circuit The filter is external which is less effective Replacement and repair is easy whenever needed Complicates the overall setup of the engine mainframe

Drain Plug
Should be placed at the bottom of the fuel tank It should be air tight when in closed position Should be placed at a point so that fuel tak can be emptied at any point of time in minimum time interval

Check Valve
It is provided at the top of the fuel tank. It has dual functions. Primarily in the normal position is works as the passage for the air to flow into the tank. And secondly in case the car topples it should cover the passage of air so that there is no leakage. In the normal position it rests and in case the car topples or rolls over it gets spring loaded and blocks the passage of air thus preventing any type of leakage.

Baffling
It is placed inside the fuel tank so as to provide a stream line flow of the fuel being used at all the times especially at the times of cornering and excessive acceleration and deceleration. It is provided with holes and passages so that at all the times the fuel has a definite path to flow and thus avoid turbulence.

Baffle Plate

Filler Neck
It is used to get the fuel tank filled and is provided with a sight tube. The minimum and maximum dimensions of both are specified in the FSAE rule book, rule 9.6 and is standard. The material for this is generally PVC although other materials can also be taken into consideration.

Other Requirements
Fuel level line Spillage prevention Tank filling requirement Tilt test

The fuel supply system should lie inside this envelope