Pilot's Operating Handbook
Section 7
Description
Edition 0 - March 05, 2019
Rev. 0
Page 7.6.15
Engine air inlet
Engine air inlet is located at front lower section of engine cowling. Air inlet port is
protected against icing by a hot air flux provided by engine. Air is driven throughout a
duct in engine casing before entering engine through a protective screen. An inertial
separator system inside the air duct protects the engine from ingesting dense
particles (water, ice, fine gravels, sand).
Separator consists of two movable vanes. During normal operation, air is conducted
directly towards engine air inlet. To separate particles suspended in the air, vanes are
positioned to force engine induction air to execute a sharp turn : under the effect of
centrifugal force denser particles separate from the air and are discharged overboard
through two apertures located under engine cowling.
Operation of inertial separator vanes is electrically controlled by INERT SEP switch
located on DE-ICE SYSTEM panel. When INERT SEP switch is set to ON, an electric
actuator activates vanes ;
INERT SEP ON
lights on when vanes have reached
their maximum deflection and remains visible as long as switch remains ON. Full
deflection takes about 40 seconds. If the vanes do not reach the full deflection
50 seconds after activation or are not retracted 50 seconds after deactivation,
INERT SEP FAIL
is displayed in CAS window.
Inertial separator is automatically activated when the Ice Detection System is in AUTO
mode and an ice signal is sent by the ice detector. It can be manually activated at any
moment by pressing the INERT SEP switch. Deactivation is possible at any moment
except if DE ICE SYSTEM mode switch is set to AUTO and ice is detected by the ice
detector. Description of Ice Detection System is presented in chapter 7.13.
The table hereafter gives the CAS messages and the status light colors
corresponding to the system state.
System state
Status lights
CAS
OFF
ON (AUTO mode)
INERT SEP ON
ON (MAN mode)
INERT SEP ON
FAIL
INERT SEP FAIL
PIM - DO NOT USE FOR FLIGHT OPERATIONS