Phyre Technologies Develops Fuel Tank Safety System

Phyre Technologies says it has successfully tested a system designed to prevent fuel tank explosions such as the one that destroyed a Trans World Airlines' B-747 over the Atlantic Ocean 11 years ago.

The company said it has been developing a closed-loop system, called GOBIGGS, which reduces the flammability potential in a fuel tank by replacing its oxygen with an inert gas, such as nitrogen.

Prior to the TWA 800 accident most aviation experts reportedly believed that minimizing ignition sources was the best way to avoid a fuel tank explosion.  However, most experts now believe that the solution to avoiding aircraft fuel tank explosions lies in reducing the flammability of the tank as well as eliminating ignition sources.

Worldwide, there have been 17 fuel tank explosions since 1960, three of which have involved a heated center-wing-fuel tank for which no ignition source could be determined.  Besides TWA Flight 800 in 1996, these include a Philippine Airlines B-737 in 1990 and a Thai Airways B-737 in 2001.  07-24-2007.

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