Hollow-Fiber Permeable Membrane for Airborne Inert Gas Generation

A hollow-fiber, permeable-membrane, air-separation module is being developed for applications to aircraft fuel tank inerting systems. The module reduces the oxygen content of air below the limit for flame propagation, allowing the use of the processed air as an inert gas. Unlike previous cryogenic nitrogen inerting systems, onboard inert gas generation fuel tank inerting systems operate without the need for regular ground servicing or large airborne storage capacity, thereby offering substantially reduced weight.