New Way to Prevent Fuel Tank Explosions

Eleven years after the in-flight breakup of Trans World Airlines Flight 800 over the Atlantic Ocean, San Diego- based Phyre Technologies has successfully tested a system designed to prevent fuel tank explosions such as that on TWA Flight 800. Called the GOBIGGS, this technology is the result of several years' development in anticipation of a pending Federal Aviation Administration rulemaking that will require improved fuel tank safety systems on commercial passenger transports. Prior to the TWA 800 accident, most aviation experts believed that minimizing ignition sources was the best way to avoid a fuel tank explosion. However, the FAA, airlines, manufacturers, and the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) now believe that the solution to avoiding airplane fuel tank explosions is twofold: eliminate ignition sources and reduce the flammability of the tank. Phyre Technologies says GOBIGGS is the first environmentally friendly on-board fuel tank inerting system for large passenger jets. The closed-loop system reduces tank flammability by replacing the oxygen in the fuel tank with an inert gas, such as nitrogen. This prevents the potential ignition of fuel vapor such as that which occurred during TWA's Flight 800. Phyre Technologies specializes in de-oxygenation, thermal stability, and fire prevention technologies for stationary, mobile, air, and maritime industries.