News
Studies Aim To Reduce Airliner Fuel Tank Flammability
NASA is developing technology to help prevent airliner fuel tank fires or explosions. Four contracts, awarded by NASA's Glenn Research Center, Cleveland, may reduce airliner fuel tank fire and explosion hazards.
The four contracts, totaling approximately $400,000, have been awarded to Creare Engineering, Inc., Hanover, N.H.; Essex Cryogenics Inc., St. Louis; Honeywell Environmental Controls Systems, Torrance, Calif.; and Valcor Engineering, Springfield, N.J.
"The companies will study how to reduce flammability in fuel tanks by replacing oxygen with a gas that won't support combustion," said Clarence Chang, manager of the fire prevention element of Glenn's Accident Mitigation Project. "The purpose is to prevent the kind of explosion that in recent years brought down TWA flight 800 and destroyed two other airliners at overseas locations," he said.
Phase I of the contracts, lasting five months, is a study and feasibility determination of improved on-board inert gas generation system and on-board oxygen generation system methods and the design of demonstration systems. If Phase I is successful, actual hardware fabrication and testing will take place during Phase II.
Specifically, the research is in response to the National Transportation Safety Board's recommendations, resulting from fatal center wing fuel tank explosions. The technology developed is intended to reduce the flammability and chance for explosion in an airplane's center wing tank, which is located under the passenger cabin next to the wings.
The Accident Mitigation Project is part of NASA's Aviation Safety Program, managed by NASA's Langley Research Center, Hampton, Va. This project is working with the Federal Aviation Administration to develop technologies to improve aviation safety.