Advanced and Affordable Aircraft Engine Fire Protection Concepts

The banning of Haon fire extinguishing agents has seriously compromised the effectiveness of fire protection for a number of aircraft applications. Efforts during the last five years have thus far identified alternative agents that have significantly reduced effectiveness (average +75% weight penalty), highter cost and ill-defined toxicologic properties. This Phase I program offers an affordable, retrofitable, performance enhancing fire extinguishing system design concept(s) for engine compartments which is compatible with alternative extinguishing agents while overcoming their performance shortfall. The system approach entails the rapid blockage and displaaement of combustion air from the engine compartment while simultaneously providing rapid, controlled distribution of the fire suppressing agent for "total" fire extinguishment and control. This rapid "Block", "Displace", and "Distribute" (BDD) multi-pronged attack reduces agent quantity requirements while providing for improved agent dispersion and longer dwell times. The Phase I program includes: materials/engine subsystems asssessments; experimental extinguishing system design configuration(s), fabrication and evaluation of concepts; breadboard system design; preliminary performance benefit/cost assessment; and a optional task to conduct materials fire testing and the evaluation of the breadboard system using a small-scale engine nacelle fire simulator as an abridging effort to Phase II. Key personnel on the program posssess unique, extensive and direct experience in a myriad of aircraft fire protection areas including R&D on fire extinguishing agents and systems for aircraft engine and other compartments and engineering of engine nacelle fire test simulators.