A rigid removable fuel tank is a tank that is installed in a compartment designed to hold the tank. The tank must be fuel-tight but the compartment in which it fits is not fuel tight.
The tank is usually constructed of aluminium components welded together. A baffle or baffles may be installed inside the tank to reduce the free movement of fuel called ‘surge’. The baffles are attached to the tank structure with apertures to allow a flow of fuel but reducing the ‘surge’ action of the fuel.
The tank must be smaller than the tank compartment to fit into the compartment and therefore the best use of the available space is not utilized.
The rigid removable tank may be held in position by straps and/or screws. An access panel is used to cover the fuel tank. The tank has a fuel feed line located near to the lowest inboard point to ensure that most of the fuel load is utilized.
A fuel drain point is situated at the lowest point of the tank when the aircraft is in a landed and stationary mode.
A fuel filler cap and vent tube are fitted near the top of the tank and provision made for a fuel quantity indicator. This type of fuel tank is found on light aircraft.
