Fire extinguishing system for aircraft engine

Citation

(2007), "Fire extinguishing system for aircraft engine", Aircraft Engineering and Aerospace Technology, Vol. 79 No. 2. https://doi.org/10.1108/aeat.2007.12779bab.013

Fire extinguishing system for aircraft engine

Fire extinguishing system for aircraft engine

As part of its commitment to protecting the environment, Airbus, together with SIEMENS SAS, as partner has jointly started to develop an environmentally friendly fire extinguishing system for aircraft engine and Auxiliary Power Units (APUs).

To protect this innovation, Airbus has filed two patent applications relative to the new extinguishing system and to the significant improvements made to the initial concept.

This new system was developed as the result of a research programme that was set up in 2003 called extinguishing concept lowering ozone depletion and greenhouse effect (ECOLOG).

The new system uses NOVEC 1230, a fire-extinguishing agent developed by 3M, which is said to be completely inoffensive for the environment. Following successful testing of the system on demonstrators, the project was presented to airworthiness authorities European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) and the Federal Aviation Authority (FAA). Subsequently, the FAA agreed to carry out its own tests on its test bench in Atlantic City, USA to validate NOVEC. The tests were completed in June and the report will be published in September.

The next step will involve the development of a detailed design for an engine extinguisher that will then be subject to the flight and qualification tests that are required for certification. Airbus will be in a position to offer the aircraft industry's first, green APU and engine fire extinguishing system by the end of this decade.