AIRCRAFT FIRE PROTECTION SYSTEM
1.1 Basic Chemistry
For fire to start and take hold there are three conditions that must be present, these are:
Fuel
Heat
Oxygen
1.2 Constructional features of Fire Safety
It is important to create conditions whereby the outbreak and spread of fire is impossible or
minimized on the aircraft, hence the inclusion of provision of bulk- heads or fire wall in
the construction of engine bays and pipe lines through designated fire zones are made of
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heat resisting materials and are routed far from the exhaust and electrical system. Also
flexible joints are put outside firewall and electrical cable insulation is heat resistant.
- Also all heated components and parts of engines are usually cooled
- Components of fuel, oil and hydraulic systems are usually located on the cold region
- Fuel lines are routed through fire safe regions of the power plant and are protected
effectively from being destroyed during emergency landing of the aircraft.
- Firewall is usually installed to separate the cabin from the power plant to prevent the
spread of fire and smoke in the cabin.
- Other constructional measures include the provision of the system for controlling the
important parameters of the engines and systems to indicate malfunctioning during
operation.
- The bonding of all aircraft parts and the presence of devices for shutting of air supply to
pressurized cabin in case of engine fire are also safety measures.
1.3 Designated fire zone
Area or region where a potential fire may exist following failure or leakage of any component,
equipment or part of the power plant, a high degree of fire resistance is required. They are
engine section of the piston engine, turbine engine, APU section baggage compartment and the
engine exhaust section. (Must be armed with fire detectors extinguishing equipment.)
Fig. 2: Fire zones
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Aircraft Fire Control Requirement
The British Civil Airworthiness Requirements stipulates that fire detectors must be fitted in the
Designated Fire Zone (DFZ) of all power plants except those of low powered piston engine
aircraft with maximum authorized weight of 5700kg or less.
An ideal fire detection system is used and it must include as many as possible of the
following requirements:
1 A system which will not cause false warning under any flight or ground
operating, conditions.
2. Rapid indication of a fire and accurate location of it.
3. Accurate indication that a fire is out should be given with minimum delay.
4. Indication that a fire has re-ignited
5. Continuous indication for duration of fire.
6. Means for electrically testing the detector system from the aircraft cockpit.
7. Detectors which resist exposure to oil, water vibration, extreme temperatures,
maintenance handing.
8. Detectors that is light in weight and easily adaptable to any mounting position.
9. Detector circuitry, which operate directly from the aircraft power system without
inverters.
10. Minimum electrical current requirement when not indicating a fire.
11. Each detection system should actuate a cockpit light indicating the location of the fire
and an audible alarm system.
12. A separate detection system for each engine
CLASSES OF FIRE
Aircraft fires can be classified into four categories namely:
Class A - Fire from carbonaceous materials or ordinary combustible
materials e.g. wood; paper; clothes etc.
Class B - Fire from flammable liquids or petroleum products e.g. petrol,
kerosene, oil, paint etc.
Class C - Fire from energized electrical equipment
Class D - Fire from burning metals.
CAUSES OF FIRE
The possibility of fire outbreak in the process of aircraft operation is due to the following
factors:-
1. The presences of large quantity of combustible material on board the aircraft.
2. The auto ignition of fuel and oil especially when they come in contact with hot engine
parts or components. Though fuel inflammability depends on the chemical composition
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and state, heavier fuels form explosive mixtures which ignite quicker, e.g. kerosene
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auto ignition at 100 C is less than that of gasoline while hydraulic fluid and lubricating
oil even ignite more easily.
3. Location of fuel tanks near the engine.
4. Extraordinary accidents in flight e.g. failure of individual components, failure to observe
fire precautions, operating instructions and maintenance regulations.
5. Explosion of fuel vapor in the free space of fuel tanks or in other closed spaces when
there is flame in the zones.
The source of ignition of fuel may be due to faulty electrical equipment,
discharge of static electricity whether during flight or during refueling.
FIRE ZONE CLASSIFICATION.
Class - A Fire Zones - Zones having large quantities of air flowing past regular
arrangement of similarly shaped obstructions e.g. power section
of a reciprocating engine.
Class - B Fire Zones - Zones having large quantities of air flowing past
aerodynamically clean obstruction e.g. exhaust manifold or
turbine engine compartments.
Class - C Fire Zones - Zone having -relatively small airflow e.g. engine accessory
compartment separated from the power plant section.
Class - D Fire Zones - Zones having very little or no airflow e.g. Wing
compartment, wheel well where little ventilation is provided.
Class - X Fire Zones - Zones having large quantities of air, flowing through them and are of
unusual construction making uniform distribution of the
extinguishing agents very difficult. E.g. zones having deeply
recessed spaces and pockets between large structural formers.
Fire detection and protected zones of aircraft.
1. Engine Zones:- The engine is usually divided into zones for the purpose of fire
detection and can be up to five depending an the size of the engine. Overheat and fire
detectors are usually installed.
2. Nacelle areas:- In the nacelle areas overheat detector are usually installed.
3. Baggage Compartment: - In the baggage compartment smoke and overheat
conditions are detected.
4. Wheel wells: - Fire and overheat detectors are fitted.
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5. Passenger cabin - Visual detection is used in passenger cabin.
6. Fuel tank: - An inert gas is usually introduced into the space above fuel in the tanks
in order to prevent Ignition of the vapor in case of emergency. In the vent openings
flame detectors are fitted
Fig. 3: Fire detection and protected zones of an aircraft
Types of fire or overheat detectors
i) Rate of temperature rise detectors
ii) Radiation sensing detectors
iii) Smoke detectors
iv) Overheat detectors
v) Flame detectors
vi) Carbon monoxide detectors
vii) Observation by crewmembers.
For piston engine aircraft, fires are detected using one or more of the following
- Overheat detector
- Rate of temperature rise detector
- Flame detector
- Observation by crewmembers.
Of all the detectors the most commonly used are the rate of temperature rise, radiation
sensing and overheat detectors.
