Ground and Flight Testing of a Boeing 737 Center Wing Fuel Tank Inerted with Nitrogen-Enriched Air

Burns, Michael; Cavage, William M.

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Ground and Flight Testing of a Boeing 737 Center Wing Fuel Tank Inerted with Nitrogen-Enriched Air

2001-08-01
By Burns, Michael ; Cavage, William M.

File Language:

English

Details

Creators:

Burns, Michael ; Cavage, William M.
Corporate Creators:

United States. Department of Transportation. Federal Aviation Administration. William J. Hughes Technical Center. Fire Safety Section
Subject/TRT Terms:

Air Chemical Concentration Flammability Flight Testing Fuel Tank Inerting Fuel Tanks Ground-based Inerting Ground Testing Hydrocarbons Nitrogen Nitrogen Enriched Air Oxygen Concentration Total Hydrocarbons Ullage Washing Volume Flow Rate
Publication/ Report Number:

DOT/FAA/AR-01/63
Resource Type:

Tech Report
Geographical Coverage:

United States
Edition:

Final Report
Corporate Publisher:

United States. Department of Transportation. Federal Aviation Administration. Office of Aviation Research
Abstract:

A series of aircraft flight and ground tests were performed by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and the Boeing Company to evaluate the effectiveness of ground-based inerting (GBI) as a means of reducing the flammability of fuel tanks in the commercial transport fleet. Boeing made available a model 737-700 for modification and testing. A nitrogen-enriched air (NEA) distribution manifold, designed, built, and installed by Boeing, allowed for deposit of the ground-based NEA into the center wing tank (CWT). The fuel tank was instrumented with gas sample tubing and thermocouples to allow for a measurement of fuel tank inerting and heating during the testing. The FAA developed an in-flight gas-sampling system, integrated with eight oxygen analyzers, to continuously monitor the ullage oxygen concentration at eight different locations. Other data such as fuel load, air speed, altitude, and similar flight parameters were made available from the aircraft data bus. A series of ten tests were performed (five flight, five ground) under different ground and flight conditions to demonstrate the ability of GBI to reduce fuel tank flammability.
Format:

PDF
Collection(s):

FAA Fire Safety
Main Document Checksum:

urn:sha-512:8f60175836399ae4ad621bacf1727ccdd6d941afa1bd4fb1bdd7bfab1a163037413edafb346012776f662571eb560552104fa87aebbcbcb3a9932668745d44b3
Download URL:

https://rosap.ntl.bts.gov/view/dot/92725/dot_92725_DS1.pdf
File Type:

[PDF - 4.78 MB ]

File Language:

English

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