- Author
-
Kolleck, M. L.
|
Wheeler, J. A.
|
Bennett, J. M.
|
Caggianelli, G. M.
- Title
- Halon Replacement Program for Aviation Aircraft Engine Nacelle Application. Phase 1. Operational Parameters Study. Final Report. October 1992-September 1993.
- Coporate
- Booz Allen and Hamilton, Inc., Dayton, OH
Air Force Materials Command, Wright-Patterson AFB, OH
- Report
-
WL-TR-95-3077,
April 1997,
65 p.
- Keywords
-
halon alternatives
|
aircraft engines
|
nacelle fires
|
fire protection
|
halon 1301
|
surface temperature
|
air temperature
- Identifiers
- fuel temperature; pre burn time; Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR)
- Abstract
- The Clean Air Act Amendments (CAAA) of 1990 and U.S. Environmental Progection Agency (EPA) rules limit U.S. production of ozone depleting substances (ODS). These actions carry out the United States obligations under the "Montreal Protocol on Substances that Deplete the Ozone Layer," an international treaty ratified by the Senate in December 1988, limiting global production of such chemicals. Subsequent international and national legislation has dictated the phase-out of the production of these chemicals. As a result of these actions, the U.S. Air Force made a decision in 1992 to develop a "nonozone depleting solution" for on-board aircraft fire extinguishing by 1995. This timeline was dictated by the program schedule of the F-22 fighter, so that this alternative solution could be considered for implementation. A program for evaluating and identifying alternative extinguishants that would be commercially available was developed by the Air Force's Wright Laboratory. This program - The Halon Replacement Program for Aviation - was subsequently expanded in scope to include the requirements of all U.S. military and commercial aircraft engine nacelle and military dry bay applications and was jointly sponsored by the U.S. Air Force, Navy, Army, and Federal Aviation Administration. A Department of Defense Halon Alternatives Steering Group was established to oversee this and other similar programs. A Small Business Innovative Research (SBIR) effort funded by Wright-Patterson Air Force Base investigated a total of 600 chemicals with a configuration similar to the halons as potential replacements. These potential replacement chemicals were investigated for toxicity, physical traits, and fire-fighting effectiveness to determine which had the potential to meet aviation requirements, It was determined that ten chemicals had characteristics acceptable for aircraft use and the capability to generate the necessary supplemental data within the required program timelines. To these ten, the Air Force added two, which were suggested from other data sources. A screening program to reduce this list of 12 to the three best for full-scale testing was conducted by the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST). Concurrently with this NIST testing, Phase 1 of the Halon Replacement Program for Aviation was conducted at Wright Laboratory. This final report documents the work performed under Phase 1 - Operational Parameters Study - of the Halon Replacement Program for Aviation, Aircraft Engine Nacelle Application. This joint program was designed to find a replacement chemical extinguishant for halon as a fire extinguishant on-board military and commercial aircraft. There are two applications considered under this program - engine nacelles and dry bays. This report deals with the engine nacelle application. The concern for engine nacelle fires centers around the space between the engine cowling and the engine core, where fuel lines, hydraulic lines, and other protuberances and equipment are affixed to the core. An analogous series of tests was also conducted to determine a halon replacement for the dry bay application. That work was documented in a similar series of reports.