This content is not included in
your SAE MOBILUS subscription, or you are not logged in.
Factors Affecting Fuel System Certification Against Lightning Hazards
Technical Paper
2001-01-2902
ISSN: 0148-7191, e-ISSN: 2688-3627
Annotation ability available
Sector:
Language:
English
Abstract
The certification of fuel systems is an important aspect of the overall certification of an aircraft against lightning hazards and embraces almost all disciplines needed to deal with the lightning interaction. Both direct and indirect effects are encountered and some understanding of the physics of fuel combustion and probability theory concerning ignition is also necessary to appreciate the factors influencing the safety or otherwise of a design. At one time the Western Air Forces were losing one aircraft every other year, due to lightning related fuel explosions. Similar accidents occur to Civilian aircraft, albeit less frequently. After a brief review of aircraft fuels and their flammability and some discussion of combustion processes, the paper considers factors affecting Minimum Ignition Energy (MIE) encountered during flight profiles, such as oxygen enrichment, temperature and pressure. The paper also reviews possible ignition sources, such as hotspots, thermal and voltage sparking, and stresses the need for a rigorous Lightning Hazard Design Analysis (LHDA) as part of the certification process. Areas that should be included in the LHDA are noted.
The paper reviews Lightning Standards relating to fuel and notes areas where shortcomings are thought to be present.
Mr Tilston is a Principal Consultant at QinetiQ (formerlyDERA) Pyestock with 40 years experience in Combustion and Fuel Technology.
Recommended Content
Authors
Topic
Citation
Odam, G., Tilston, J., and Jones, C., "Factors Affecting Fuel System Certification Against Lightning Hazards," SAE Technical Paper 2001-01-2902, 2001, https://doi.org/10.4271/2001-01-2902.Also In
References
- Hurley C D Hiley R W The Chemical Analysis of Two Aviation Turbine Fuels Nov 1982
- Rickard G K Fulker R The quality of aviation fuel available in the United Kingdom
- Weinberg F J Prof. The Significance of Reactions of Low Activation Energies to the Mechanism of Combustion Proc. Royal Soc. A 230 331 342 1955
- Bone W Wheeler D T A Flame and Combustion in Gasses Longmans Green & Co. 1927
- Lewis B Von Elbe G Combustion, Flames and Explosions of Gases Academic Press Inc NY 1951
- Spiers H M Technical Data on Fuel, British National Committee World Power Conference 1932
- Tilston J R
- Mason Wheeler 111 1917 113 1918 117 1920 125 1924
- Fenn J B Lean Flammability Limit and Minimum Spark Ignition Energy Ind. & Eng. Chem. 43 12 Dec 1959 2865 2868
- Moorhouse J A Study of Spark Ignition of Hydrocarbon Vapour-Air Mixtures Houldsworth School of Applied Science, University of Leeds October 1971
- Odam G A M ‘The Selection Of A Value Of Minimum Ignition Energy (MIE) for Lightning Hazard Clearance Of Aircraft Fuel Systems’ March 1993
- Lewis Von Elbe Combustion Flames and Explosions of Gases Academic Press Inc 1961
- Ural Zalosh Tamanini Ignitability of Jet-A Fuel Vapours in Aircraft Fuel Tanks May 1989