Following three Boeing centre tank lethal explosions in 90's, American civil aviation authorities decided to think about the problem of centre tanks fuel ullage inflammation. In 2005 redaction of a new rule NPRM2297 was launched to impose reduction of tanks inflammation risks taking effect in 2008. This rule stipulates that from 2010 all production aircrafts will have to be fitted with an oxygen reduction device, in order to reach in tanks a concentration level lower than 12 %. In the frame of validation and certification of this device AIRBUS had to design equipment able to measure oxygen concentration throughout 12 different points into centre tank in real time. Manufactured by OXIGRAF in the USA, it complies with the difficult combination of high measure accuracy (0,2 % O2) and respect of the flight tests environmental constraints. This paper briefly covers oxygen reduction device principle before to describe the measure system with its operating, installation and finally the different difficulties leaded by this kind of application as well as safety cautions to reach.
Measuring system for tank ullage oxygen concentration
2009
6 Seiten, 19 Bilder
Aufsatz (Konferenz)
Datenträger
Englisch