FuelShield^TM (click here for printable pamphlet)

BlazeTech designs, develops, tests, and markets FuelShield^TM, a single system that protects aircraft fuel tanks against hydrodynamic ram, fire, and explosion.  FuelShield^TM is based on our proprietary Ballistic Vulnerability Reduction System (BVRS^TM) technology. 

Technology Description

Under combat conditions, fuel tanks in military aircraft are vulnerable since they contain highly flammable content and have large exposed areas.  When the pilot perceives a combat threat, FuelShield^TM can be activated to protect the fuel tank by a simple flip of a switch.  Once activated, FuelShield^TM generates bubbles in the liquid fuel that mitigate hydrodynamic ram by attenuating the shock pulses; and fuel foam in the ullage that mitigates fire and explosion. When the combat threat ends the system is deactivated.  The two components of FuelShield^TM (i.e., bubbles and foam) can be implemented separately or in combination with a synergistic effect.  FuelShield^TM can be used onboard new and existing fighters, bombers, transport and reconnaissance aircraft, and helicopters. The system is designed to interface with commercial off-the-shelf equipment such as pumps, controls, and vapor liquid separators that are commonly used in aircraft fuel tank systems. 

Since a single system provides protection against both effects, the cost, weight, and volume penalties are reduced by roughly 50% for each effect.  Furthermore, its modular design, compatibility with existing fuel systems, on-demand activation capability, low maintenance, low initial and operating costs, and ease of repair in the field make it a viable candidate for both new and existing aircraft

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                             Without Protection                                         With FuelShield^TM

Ullage explosions and hydrodynamic ram may also occur in commercial aircraft.  Examples incluse the recent Air France Concorde and TWA800 crashes that were caused by hydrodynamic ram and ullage fire/explosion, respectively.  FuelShield^TM can be used to protect the fuel tanks against such occurrences.

Comparison with Other Technologies

There are no proven technologies that mitigate hydrodynamic ram in aircraft fuel tanks.  However, there are two concepts under development – fuel management anduse of rigid foam backed structural panels (such as on CH-47 and UH-60 helicopters).  The latter concept appears promising, but this technology is in a great state of flux as new foams are being tried and each foam has advantages and disadvantages. Generally, the protection is not enough and the volume requirement and the fuel displacement by the foam is not acceptable.

For protection against fire/explosion in the fuel tank ullage, there are three commercially available technologies:

• Ullage Inerting using nitrogen from cryogenic storage bottles (C-5) or from Onboard Inert Gas Generator Systems (OBIGGS on the C-17 and F-22.)  This adds a logistics penalty.
• Filling tank with flexible open cell polyurethane foam (e.g., on C-130, A-10, and F-15.)  Due to its limited life and stability, several changes of the foam are required during the life of the aircraft, increasing maintenance costs.  These foams contribute to weight and volume penalties, and are prone to electrostatic problems.
• Halon fire suppression systems (F-16). Halon has been banned from production because of its adverse impact on the ozone layer.  Alternate agents are under consideration.

The above protection systems suffer from severe cost, weight, and volume penalties.

Market Opportunity

A critical need of the DoD is to improve asset survivability under combat conditions.  Such an improvement would minimize the damage to the assets, the time required for battle damage repairs and for readiness, the asset attrition rate, and the loss of life.  Aircraft systems are particularly vulnerable because they are built from light materials that are easily damaged.  Fuel tanks offer the greatest challenge because of their highly flammable content and large exposed areas. 

Hydrodynamic ram, fire, and explosion lead to structural damage and fuel loss that result in mission failure or total aircraft loss (roughly $30 to $160 million per plane for the JSF and the F-22, respectively.) In the Vietnam War, approximately 40% of aircraft losses were attributed to fuel systems hits.  In 1986, Live Fire Test law (LFT, 10 U.S.C. 2366) was passed which requires the determination of inherent strengths and weaknesses of weapons systems sufficiently early in the program to allow any design deficiencies to be corrected.

Improvement in fuel tank survivability is needed in all types of fixed- and rotary-wing military aircraft as well as certain ground vehicles.  Such improvement is of particular interest to the Air Force, Navair, the Army AATD and their contractors including airframers and fuel tank system manufactures.  Programs of particular interest are the Joint Services Battle Damage Tolerant Composite Wing Structure Program and the Composite Affordability Initiative. Systems of particular interest are the newer systems designs such as

• Fighter planes: JSF and F-22
• Transport and Bombers: C-17
• Helicopters: V-22
• Reconnaissance planes: Global Hawk

FuelShield^TM can be installed on either new aircraft or retrofitted into the existing systems such as F/A-18E,F.

The military aircraft sector outlined above along with the large commercial aircraft sector form the primary market with the secondary market consisting of transportation and chemical industry in private sector. 

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