FUEL TANK ULLAGE VAPOR ANALYZER

THE VAPOR SPACE INSIDE AN AIRCRAFT FUEL TANK EITHER IS OR IS NOT FLAMMABLE (OR EXPLOSIVE) DEPENDING UPON THE PERCENTAGE OF FUEL VAPOR AND OF OXYGEN OF INERT GAS SUCH AS NITROGEN OR CARBON DIOXIDE. IT IS IMPORTANT TO KNOW THESE PERCENTAGES WHEN TESTING THE EFFICACY OF EXPERIMENTAL INERTING MEASURES BY FIRING LIVE ROUNDS AT TEST TANKS; BUT THERE IS NO FAST, CONVENIENT, FIELD METHOD OF MEASURING THE PERCENTAGES. THIS PROJECT PROPOSES TO ASSESS THE FEASIBILITY OF MEASURING THE PERCENTAGES OF FUEL VAPOR, OXYGEN, NITROGEN AND PERHAPS CARBON DIOXIDE IN REAL TIME OUT IN THE FIELD BY A COMBINATION OF TWO INNOVATIVE GAS CHROMATOGRAPHS THAT HAVE BEEN DEVELOPED IN THIS LABORATORY. THE INNOVATION LIES PARTLY IN CIRCUITRY THAT CONFERS BASELINE STABILITY AND ALMOST INSTANT WARM-UP, AND PARTLY IN ENGINEERING OF THE SEPARATION COLUMNS. THE TWO CHROMATOGRAPHS HAVE BEEN WELL DEMONSTRATED SEPARATELY, BUT THE FEASIBILITY OF COMBINING THEM INTO A FIELD PACKAGE REMAINS TO BE SHOWN.