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Date: Mon, 30 Sep 2002 09:51:49 -0400 (EDT)
From: NASANews@hq.nasa.gov
Subject: STUDIES AIM TO REDUCE AIRLINER FUEL TANK FLAMMABILITY
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Michael Braukus
Headquarters, Washington          Sept. 30, 2002
(Phone: 202/358-1979)

Katherine K. Martin
Glenn Research Center, Cleveland
(Phone: 216/433-2406)

RELEASE:  02-186

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.

-end-

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