USE OF FIBER OPTICS OXYGEN SENSOR FOR AIRCRAFT FUEL TANK INERTING APPLICATION
2022-26-1163
05/26/2022
- Content
- Aircraft fuel tanks are high risk zones as the ullage volume contain highly flammable fuel-air mixture. In the past, efforts have been made by various agencies to reduce this risk by designing an inerting system which significantly reduces the flammability risks. Regulations are also in place in order to reduce the potential for flammable vapor spaces in fuel tanks for the passenger aircrafts. One of the ways to reduce this risk is to continuously supply the inert gas like nitrogen to the ullage volume so that oxygen concentration is always kept to a level well below the flammability limit. It is therefore essential to measure continuously and accurately the oxygen concentration in the ullage volume of the fuel tank during entire operation of the aircraft. Current technologies have serious limitations in terms of sensor placement inside or near fuel tank and also in terms of continuous operation. This paper studies the limitations of current technologies available on oxygen measurement and proposes a fluorescence technology- based measurement system which works on the principle of lifetime phosphorescence quenching phenomena which has the potential to circumvent the limitation of present-day technologies. The proposed technology will be able to measure the oxygen concentration continuously throughout the flight envelopes without any limitation. Also, it can be placed inside the fuel tank for most accurate measurement. This paper also explains how a new design of demand-based closed loop system using optical sensor can significantly save the bleed air during aircraft operation which translates into operating cost savings for the aviation companies. This will also lead to lower system usage and thereby extended life of the costly inerting components like Air Separator Module etc. Combining these two benefits can be significant to improve the profitability of airlines operation.
- Citation
- Jha, R., "USE OF FIBER OPTICS OXYGEN SENSOR FOR AIRCRAFT FUEL TANK INERTING APPLICATION ," SAE Technical Paper 2022-26-1163, 2022, .