FAA unveils system to reduce chance of catastrophic explosions EGG HARBOR TOWNSHIP, N.J. (AP) =97 Calling it a major breakthrough, the=20 Federal Aviation Administration unveiled plans Thursday for adding an=20 onboard system to make commercial airliners' fuel tanks safer and reduce=20 the chance of catastrophic explosions like the one that downed a TWA jet=20 in 1996. Inexpensive and lightweight, the onboard "inerting" system works=20 by pumping nitrogen-enriched air into fuel tanks, thereby reducing the=20 oxygen in fuel vapors and reducing flammability, FAA officials said. No=20 cost estimates were given for the system, which still must be tested in=20 flight but could be installed on some types of aircraft in 2004. Boeing Co.= =20 has already applied for permission to install such a system on its=20 aircraft. TWA Flight 800 crashed off the coast of Long Island, N.Y., on=20 July 17, 1996, killing all 230 people aboard. The National Transportation=20 Safety Board blamed the accident on an explosion, saying vapors in a partly= =20 empty fuel tank probably were ignited by a spark in the wiring. The accident prompted FAA scientists to step up research aimed both at=20 eliminating potential ignition sources for such explosions and reducing the= =20 flammability of vapors in fuel tanks. Last year, a government-industry task force concluded it would be too=20 expensive =97 up to $20 billion =97 to retrofit airliners with the equipment= =20 necessary to pump non-flammable nitrogen into fuel tanks. But the FAA now=20 says otherwise. "This is major milestone for us, a major breakthrough,"=20 said Nicholas Sabatini, associate administrator for regulation and=20 certification. The new system would remove ambient air from the aircraft's engines, using= =20 3-foot long air separation modules to remove oxygen and discharge nitrogen= =20 that is then pumped into the fuel tank. The resulting vapors have an oxygen= =20 concentration of about 12% =97 instead of 21% in the ambient air =97 and are= =20 significantly less combustible. The owner of Roger's Trinbago Site: Roj (Roger James) *************************************************** escape email mailto:ejames@escape.ca Trinbago site: http://www.tntisland.com CBC Website http://www.tntisland.com/caribbeanbrassconnection/ The Trinbago Site of the Week: (TnT News) http://www.tntmirror.com/ (TnT News) courtesy of Roj Trinbago Website & TnT Web Directory Roj's Trinbago Website: http://www.tntisland.com TnT Web Directory: http://search.co.tt *********************************************************