OBIGGS - Commercial Applications  [ Return towards  OBIGGS  ]

Reducing the fuel tank flammability in commercial airliners is one the National Transportation and Safety Administration's (NTSB) Most Wanted Transportation Safety Improvements in the Aviation Issues Area - Explosive Mixtures in Fuel Tanks on Transport Category Aircraft. As a result of the NTSB's request, several projects are currently underway to evaluate the use of nitrogen generating equipment for commercial transport aircraft. Air Liquide is playing a prominent role in these programs.

As with military aircraft, the benefit of having an on-board system to generate an inerting atmosphere is desirable for commercial aircraft. Air Liquide has provided much input into the recent FAA Aviation Rulemaking Advisory Committee (ARAC) on eliminating the flammability of fuel tank vapors.

Air Liquide is also participating in ongoing projects to design OBIGGS systems for commercial aircraft.

This methodology involves ground-based equipment to supply inert gas to blanket the fuel tanks. Air Liquide's extensive experience with On-Site gas generation equipment has been put to use in this effort and was instrumental in the report published by the FAA - DOT/FAA/AR-00/19 "The Cost of Implementing Ground-Based Fuel Tank Inerting in the Commercial Fleet.

Air Liquide is active in North America and Europe in programs that are seeking to replace Halon as fire suppression agent. Work is being performed to determine the effectiveness of an OBIGGS that has a duel role - fuel tank inerting and cargo bay fire suppression.