Vaporization of JP-8 Jet Fuel in a Simulated Aircraft Fuel Tank ...

1.1 Background
1.0 INTRODUCTION
Since the achievement of flight just over one hundred years ago, the skies have become
the means by which millions of travelers get to their destinations quickly, comfortably,
and economically. Statistically, air travel is quite safe, when comparing the number of
accidents with the number of hours in flight. Although aircraft accidents are tragic
events, much can be learned from piecing together the events leading to an accident.
Accident investigations, combined with modern technological analyses, have paved the
way for safer flying due to a better understanding of the cause of accidents. Aviation
authorities use the results from accident investigations to impose regulations upon
airlines and aircraft manufacturers to prevent future accidents and loss of life.
The focus of this work is the study of fuel tank flammability, an area that has
gained much attention since the catastrophic mid-air breakup of TWA flight 800 after
takeoff from J.F.K. airport on Long Island, New York in July 1996. Flight 800, a Boeing
747-131, suffered a crippling fuel tank explosion that resulted in the structural failure of
the aircraft and, unfortunately, the loss of life of every person on board [1]. Accident
investigators from the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) have determined the
cause of the crash was an explosion in a nearly empty center wing tank (CWT) caused by
an unconfirmed ignition source [2]. An explosive condition in the CWT resulted because
combustible vapor was generated from heating of the fuel in the tank.
The potential flammability of fuel tanks has been recognized for some time now,
and research has been performed by the military and government starting in the 1950’s
through present day to study the flammable characteristics of jet fuel [3, 4] and to
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