Hot surface ignition of Jet-A fuel by conductive deposits

Colwell, Jeff D.; Korb, Thomas M.; Peck, R.E.

doi:10.1016/s1540-7489(02)80040-2

Cited by 3 publications

(3 citation statements)

References 3 publications

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“…One such ignition mechanism, hot surface ignition, is well known in both the automotive [1,2,33] and aviation industries [8,14,18,19,28,32,36]. The hot surfaces of greatest concern are generally associated with engine and exhaust components but can also include overheated brakes, failed mechanical components, and even electrical faults [9].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Hot Surface Ignition of Automotive and Aviation Fluids

Colwell

Reza

2005

Fire Technol

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Although ignition of flammable liquids by hot surfaces is well known in the automotive and aviation industries, little fundamental research has been conducted to understand this ignition mechanism and only limited data is available in the literature. In this paper, we present results from over 2,500 ignition tests using a simple, highly reproducible experimental set-up involving a horizontal flat plate, a single drop of liquid and a quiescent environment. Results from the 14 automotive and aviation fluids tested showed that ignition was probabilistic, that the probabilistic behavior occurs over a relatively broad temperature range and that the data can be treated statistically using logistic regression. This statistical approach offers the advantages of inference and diagnostic techniques which parallel those of linear regression, and provides a well-defined relationship between surface temperature and ignition probability.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Hot Surface Ignition of Automotive and Aviation Fluids

Colwell

Reza

2005

Fire Technol

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“…The existence of flammable fuel vapours in the ullage of aircraft fuel tanks is well known in the aircraft industry (Colwell et al, 2002;Clems, 2004;and Cheney 2004). Most aircrafts have flammable fuel/air vapours in the fuel tanks which upon ignition present a risk of explosion (Clems, 2004;Kazemi, 2006).…”

Section: Introduction Tmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Jet B fuel is mainly used in commercial operations where lower temperatures necessitate the use of lower flash point fuels for engine starting or as an alternate fuel. However, Jet A, being the less volatile fuel, has been strongly promoted since the early 1950s in the belief that it was safer in ground handling operations and in crash situations (Colwell et al, 2002;and Clems, 2004). Jet A fuel could be converted to Jet B fuel by simply adding gasoline fuel thereby reducing the flash point temperatures of Jet A fuel.…”

Section: Introduction Tmentioning

confidence: 99%

Experimental Aircraft Fuel Tank Vapour/Air Explosions Using Jet A and Jet A / Gasoline Blend Fuels

Abdulmajid

Herodotos

Gordon

2021

AJHSE

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The potential of a fuel tank explosion is a well-known hazard in the aircraft industry. In this study, an investigation of a lab scale aircraft fuel tank in a flight situation at varying initial pressures of 400 - 1,000 mbar (equivalent to altitudes of 0 - 22,300 ft) and at variable temperatures was conducted in a 100-litre cylindrical test rig. A standard Jet A fuel and with a type Jet B fuel (which in this case was a Jet A with 10% of gasoline by mass) were used. Their flashpoints were measured to be 45oC (Jet A) and 20 oC (Jet B). In the simulated fuel tank explosions ignition occurred when the fuel liquid temperature was much higher than the flash point - 71 – 107 oC depending on initial pressure (altitude) for Jet A and 57 – 95 oC for the more volatile Jet B. The resulting maximum explosion overpressures were high, ranging from 0.7 to 5.8 bar, much higher than typical design strengths of aircraft fuel tanks, and much stronger than anticipated overpressures on the basis of ignition at or close to the lower flammability limit (LFL). It is postulated that these pressures are due to the distance between the liquid fuel surface and the ignition point and the formation of a vapour cloud with decreasing concentration with height above the fuel (being at LFL at the ignition point) and hence an overall concentration much higher than LFL. This demonstrated that severe explosions are fuel tanks are likely and the assumption that the explosion will be a near lean limit event is not safe. The work also provided explosion severity index data which can be used in design of suppression and venting systems for the mitigation of aircraft fuel tank explosions and provided other quantitative data to help manage this explosion risk appropriately.

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