Review of Fuel Tank Flammability at Altitude Work

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Review of Fuel Tank Flammability at Altitude Work

• International Aircraft Systems Fire Protection
  Working Group
• December 11, 2000

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Goals

• To determine the oxygen concentration needed to
  fully inert a fuel tank at different altitudes
• To quantify the difference in severity of the
  fuel tank ignitions, both at altitude and reduced
  oxygen concentration

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Experimental Apparatus

• 9 ft3 fuel tank placed within 10 m3 pressure
  chamber
• Heater placed on bottom of tank
• Vacuum pump used to evacuate chamber to simulate
  desired altitude
• 13 thermocouples fuel, ullage, walls floor
• Dynamic Pressure Transducer (piezoelectric)
• Analyzers HC (2 ports) O2

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Test Program

• Preliminary Methane Tests
• Determine LFL of Methane at Sea Level and compare
  to numbers cited in literature
• Determine oxygen concentration needed to fully
  inert a fuel tank at
• Altitudes ranging from
• 0 40 kft
• corresponding temps
• Several different mass
• loadings FARs

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Results to Date

• Preliminary Methane Tests
• LFL determined to be 5.3 compared to 5.2 cited
  in references
• Sea Level Jet-A Tests
• Mass loading of 4.45 kg/m3 liquid fuel
  temperature of 150F
• O2 concentration of 12 to 12.5 needed to fully
  inert
• No pressure readings obtained

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Recent Progress

• Installed new AMKO Systems, Inc. HC analyzer
• Received dynamic pressure transducer from PCB
  Piezotronics
• Resolved noise and data acquisition software
  issues

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Future Plans

• Replicate sea level tests with pressure
  instrumentation installed and new HC analyzer
• Continue on with altitude tests
• Please forward all comments questions to
• Steven.Summer_at_tc.faa.gov